Chapter 5 - A Midnight Offer That Chloe Cannot Afford To Refuse
The rain fell in sheets against the glass windows of Il Canto as Chloe locked the rear kitchen exit at midnight.
She pulled her worn canvas coat tightly around her shoulders, bracing herself for the cold walk to the subway station.
A sleek black Maybach idled quietly against the curb, its tinted windows reflecting the harsh neon streetlights.
The rear door glided open automatically, revealing Gabriel Costello sitting in the shadowed interior.
“Get in, Miss Bennett; we need to talk business,” Gabriel said without looking up from his tablet.
“I’m off the clock, Mr. Costello, and I don't take rides from strangers, especially dangerous ones,” Chloe replied firmly.
Gabriel finally raised his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers with unyielding intensity.
“Your landlord is evicting you tomorrow morning, and your bank account is sitting at seventy-two dollars,” Gabriel stated quietly.
Chloe froze, her hand gripping the strap of her handbag as humiliation washed over her cheeks.
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“How do you know that?” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly in the damp night air.
“I know everything that happens in this city, Chloe, and I am offering you a solution you cannot afford to refuse,” he replied.
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