Chapter 104 Dismissed

Chapter 104 Dismissed
AMELIA

"Sit down." Dominic's voice wasn't loud. Didn't need to be. Authority was carried in every syllable.

Elena's hand tightened on my arm. "I should go."

"You should stay," Dominic said. "This concerns you too. Now sit."

Elena guided me to what felt like the dining table. I sat. She settled beside me. Close enough that our shoulders touched.

I hear footsteps. Someone else sitting across from us. The scrape of a chair. Antonio, probably. His cologne was distinctive. Expensive and aggressive.

"Victoria Castellano came to see us," Dominic said. "She's concerned about her engagement to my son. Says Jeremy's been—distracted. He is been pending time with staff instead of attending to and focusing on the family obligations."

My stomach dropped.

"She mentioned you specifically," Dominic continued. "Said you've been living here. In the east wing. In my son's personal quarters."

I was silent. They were eagerly awaiting my response.

I said nothing. Couldn't. My throat had closed.

"I understand you work for Jeremy," Dominic said. "What is it you do, exactly?"

The question hung in the air. Simple and direct.

What did I do?

My mind scrambled. Tried to assemble an answer. A justification.

I made Jeremy's bed. Organised his closet. Sometimes prepared meals. Handled—what? Small tasks. Household things. Nothing substantial. Nothing that required full-time employment. Nothing that justified living in his wing. Sharing his space. Sharing his bed.

"She fucks him," Antonio's voice. Crude. Amused. "That's her job. Personal whore disguised as housemaid—"

"Antonio," Dominic's voice sounded like a blade. "Enough."

"I'm just stating facts. Look at her. Blind girl with no skills, no family, and no value beyond what's between her legs. You think Jeremy hired her for her organisational abilities?"

Shame flooded through me. Hot. Suffocating. Because he was right. Wasn't he?

What did I actually do? What value did I provide beyond—beyond what we did in his bed?

I'd convinced myself I was independent. Building something. I was earning money through legitimate work.

But the truth—the ugly, humiliating truth—was that I'd been playing house. Pretending employment while actually being kept. A mistress with a salary. A whore with better branding.

"Amelia?" Dominic's voice again. "What do you do for my son?"

I opened my mouth. But nothing came out.

The silence stretched. Damning. Confirmation of everything Antonio had said.

"I see." Dominic's chair scraped. He stood. "Then let me be clear. The arrangement between you and Jeremy ends now. You have two days to leave this estate. Pack your things. Find somewhere else to live. Somewhere outside this city."

"Two days?" Elena's voice. Shocked. "That's not enough time—"

"It's more than generous," Dominic said. "And it's not negotiable. The relationship between Jeremy and Victoria is important to this family. Critical to alliances we've built. We can't have distractions undermining that."

"Jeremy won't—" I found my voice. Barely." He won't just let me go. He'll—"

"Jeremy won't be back until after you've left," Dominic interrupted. "I'm sending him to Philadelphia for an urgent business that needs handling personally. He'll be gone for three days minimum. By the time he returns, you'll be settled somewhere else. Moved on. And he'll understand that this was necessary."

Three days. He'd planned this. He coordinated Jeremy's absence to make sure I couldn't appeal to him. Couldn't beg for protection.

Something landed on the table with a soft thud. Paper. An envelope.

"Ten thousand dollars," Dominic said. "Enough to help you settle somewhere new. Rent an apartment. Open a shop if you like. Start over. Build something legitimate and simple."

Ten thousand dollars. The same amount Jeremy had transferred this morning. The amount I'd earned—no, the amount I'd manipulated him into giving me.

Now here was another ten thousand. Severance pay. Hush money. The price of my removal.

Twenty thousand total. Was that what I was worth? What had my time with Jeremy been valued at?

"You—" Dominic's attention shifted. I heard him move toward Elena. "You're her friend. You'll help her find accommodations. Somewhere outside New York. New Jersey, maybe. Connecticut. Somewhere far enough that she won't be tempted to come back."

"I'm not going to help you kick her out," Elena said. Voice shaking but defiant. "This is—this is cruel. She hasn't done anything wrong—"

"She's disrupting family business. That's wrong enough." Dominic's tone hardened. "You'll help her leave peacefully, or I'll make sure she leaves another way. Your choice."

Antonio moved around the table. Toward me.

"Phone," he said. "Give it to me."

"What? No—"

His hand grabbed my wrist. Hard enough to bruise. "Give me the fucking phone or I'll take it."

I fumbled in my pocket. Pulled out my phone with shaking hands. He snatched it.

"Unlock it," he commanded.

"Why?"

"Unlock it or I'll smash it and you'll leave with nothing."

Elena's hand found mine under the table. Squeezed.

I unlocked the phone.

I heard him tapping. Scrolling. Searching.

"There we go. Jeremy Santoro." More tapping. "Delete contact. Delete message thread. Block number." He handed the phone back. "Now you can't call him. Can't text him. Can't beg him to save you."

The phone felt foreign in my hand. Heavier. Like it had transformed from lifeline to brick.

"Two days," Dominic repeated. "After that, security will remove you by force if necessary. Do you understand?"

I said nothing. Couldn't speak past the tightness in my throat.

"I'll take that as yes. "I can hear footsteps retreating, toward the door. "Antonio. We're done here."

"Pleasure meeting you, sweetheart," Antonio said. Mocking. Victorious. "Enjoy your new life. Try to find work that doesn't involve spreading your legs. Might be a challenge, but—"

"Antonio,", Dominic's voice warned him.

They left. The door closed. The lock turned.

And I sat there. Phone in my hand. Envelope on the table. Elena beside me.

And felt everything crumble.

The independence I'd built. The safety I'd found. The future I'd imagined. All of it—illusion. Temporary. Dependent on the whims of men who'd decided I was no longer useful.

The tears came suddenly. Hot. Overwhelming. Months of fear and stress, as well as pretending, are finally breaking through.

I'd thought I was building something. Thought I was becoming strong. Thought I had value beyond what men wanted from me.

But here I was. Being paid off and dismissed like—like exactly what Antonio had called me.

A whore.

"Amelia." Elena's arms wrapped around me. Pulled me close. "It's okay. We'll figure this out. We'll—"

"I have nowhere to go." The words came out broken. "No family. No home. No—nothing. Just money and two days and—"

"You have me," Elena said firmly. "You're not alone. I won't let you be alone."

But even her comfort couldn't stop the tears. Couldn't stop the shame burning through me. Couldn't stop the realization that everything I'd built—everything I'd thought I'd become—

Had been built on sand.

And now the tide had come in and washed it away.
We sat there quietly and for over 20 minutes. I dry my eyes and think of what to do.
Are you not going to work? I asked Eliana, ''dont worry'' she said, let's get you sorted first."
'So what city are you thinking?' I asked Eliana.

'Amelia!' she shouted my name. "Are you just going to give up like that?''

I smiled and said, 'Have you forgotten? this in not the first time that I am getting kicked out, but this would be the last time anyone treats me like trash.'