Chapter 4 - The Shadow of Nicosia-4
The next afternoon, the grand dining hall of the DeLuca mansion was bathed in a brilliant, cloudless expanse of Southern California sun that streamed through the tall windows, painting the marble floors in a harsh, vibrating gold light. Isabella DeLuca sat at the head of the long walnut table as if she had purchased the sun herself, her fingers elegantly holding a porcelain teacup while her daughter, Claire, smirked over a luxury lifestyle journal.
I moved through the service doorways silently, my cream-colored maid uniform immaculate, my head bowed as I helped the butler pour fresh hot coffee for the family advisors.
May you like
"The final contract distribution for the riverfront infrastructure project is scheduled for midnight tonight, Isabella," Martin Pierce said, folding his morning financial ledger sheets onto the mahogany board, his face a hard mask of absolute corporate arrogance. "The New York clearing houses only require one last biometric validation token from Alexander’s estate file to finalize the eighty-five million dollar transfer to the Cyprus accounts. Once the electronic signatures clear... the Bennett trust block is officially consolidated under our control."
"Make sure the girl keeps him isolated downstairs until the state compliance inspectors clear the front gate, Martin," Isabella said, her voice dropping into a tight, patronizing clip that carried zero maternal warmth. She didn't look at me as I set her saucer down; to her, I was merely a pair of hands, an invisible piece of domestic furniture who existed only to obey. "He’s been making unnecessary noises near the west hall window lately. If the regulators see him sitting upright without his automated ventilator booth... it will trigger a comprehensive medical audit that we cannot facilitate this close to the clearing bell."
