Chapter 10
1079 Words
A lot of drama in this chapter....and it's so enthralling 😩❤️
THIRD PERSON POV
The sun had barely touched its peak when it happened. Ally was carrying a stack of folded linens toward the east wing when Jasmine stepped into her path—deliberately, arms folded and face tight with hostility.
"Wow," Jasmine said with a slow, sarcastic smile. "Look who's getting packages from Italy now."
Ally froze. The tone alone told her this wasn't friendly.
She can't just forget the fact that Ally received books can she?
"I didn't ask for anything," she replied quietly, trying to step around her.
But Jasmine sidestepped just as fast, blocking her again. "Oh, but you received them, didn't you? Must be nice— playing humble and suddenly you're his favorite."
Ella, coming up behind them with a bucket in hand, stiffened. "Jasmine, don't."
"Oh please, Ella," Jasmine snapped. "You see it too. The rest of us scrub floors for months before we even get a good mop. But she?" Her gaze dragged over Ally like an insult. "She faints once, reads a few books, and now she's getting handwritten notes and foreign literature like it's a damn scholarship."
Ally's grip on the linens tightened, but she kept her voice level. "I didn't ask for any of that. Dante just—"
"Dante," Jasmine cut in, voice dripping. "Oh, so it's Dante now? Not Mr. Lombardi?"
That struck harder than it should have. Ally swallowed the heat rising in her throat.
"I've done nothing to you," she said calmly. "Why does it matter if he sent me a book?"
"Because it's not just a book!" Jasmine barked, stepping closer. "It's favoritism. It's special treatment. And it's insulting to the rest of us who actually earned our place here."
Ella moved between them, her chin lifted. "She has earned it, Jasmine. Just because she doesn't gossip and fight for attention doesn't mean she hasn't worked just as hard. You're the only one upset over someone else's kindness."
Jasmine's eyes darkened, fury burning just beneath the surface. "She's changing the house. You all act like she's something precious. But she's just a girl paying off a debt. Let's not forget why she's even here."
Ally's jaw clenched at that. The truth stung—but the venom Jasmine laced it with made it unbearable.
Before another word could be fired, Doug's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Jasmine."
She turned, startled.
Doug stood at the end of the corridor, arms folded, eyes cold. "My office. Now."
....
Doug Calls Dante
Doug closed the door behind him and pulled out his phone. He didn't hesitate—just scrolled and tapped Boss.
It rang once.
Then—
"Talk."
"Sir," Doug said, voice steady. "There's been a disruption. Jasmine confronted Ally publicly. Loud. Accusatory. Tried to humiliate her in front of the others."
A long pause.
Then, Dante's voice—calm, clipped, dangerous.
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Ally held her own. Ella stepped in too. No injuries. But it caused a scene."
Silence again.
Then—
"Fire her."
Doug blinked. "Sir? Jasmine's been here almost four years—"
"And she just proved she can't be trusted to maintain peace while I'm gone."
Doug hesitated. "Should I offer severance?"
"No. She breached conduct. She goes."
"Yes, sir."
Click.
Dante had hung up.
Fuck, Doug thought.
Ten minutes later, Jasmine stood outside Doug's office, arms folded tightly, face pale.
"You're serious? You're actually firing me?"
Doug didn't blink. "Orders came from Mr. Lombardi himself."
"I've worked here for years—!"
"And you just got dismissed for unprofessional conduct and undermining the peace of this household."
She stepped forward, voice cracking. "Doug, come on. Please. I lost my temper. I was just frustrated."
He sighed, but it wasn't sympathy—it was finality. "You can pack your things now, to make things easier."
Jasmine stared, disbelief carved into every feature. "Because of her?"
Doug's expression didn't change. "Because of you."
And with that, he shut the office door behind him.
.....
ALLY
The hall was too quiet.
Not the soft kind of quiet that settled in after lunch or the lazy kind that followed rain. This was different—like the house was holding its breath.
I had just finished dusting the second-floor corridor when I saw Ella leaning against the wall by the linen room, arms folded, lips pressed into a line.
"You haven't heard, have you?" she asked.
I paused, lowering the rag in my hand. "Heard what?"
"Jasmine," she said, gaze sharp. "She's gone."
I blinked. "Gone where?"
"Gone gone," Ella said. "Fired. Doug walked her out this morning. Luggage and all."
My heart skipped, the cloth falling from my fingers.
"What? Why?" The words left my mouth too quickly.
Ella's voice dropped a little. "Yesterday. That scene in the main hall? Doug said Mr. Lombardi made the call. Said she was disrupting the peace while he's away."
The air thinned. "That can't be. It wasn't that serious. She was just... mad."
"She was loud, Ally. And bitter. She embarrassed herself in front of half the staff. That's not just anger—it's insubordination. And Doug said the boss made it clear: one warning was enough."
I took a step back, pressing my palms against the edge of the window frame, the glass cool under my fingertips.
It wasn't guilt that churned in my stomach—it was something else. Disbelief, maybe. A kind of stunned quiet.
I hadn't liked Jasmine. But I hadn't wanted this.
I hadn't even known he was aware of what happened.
But he'd acted. From another country. With one call.
I could almost hear his voice in my head: Everything should run as usual while I'm gone.
But it hadn't. And he noticed.
He always noticed.
"Ally?" Ella's voice was gentler now. "You okay?"
I nodded slowly, but my mind was spinning. "I didn't ask for any of this."
At this point I've probably lost counts of how many times I've said this phrase.
"I know," she said. "We all know. You didn't have to. Jasmine did it to herself."
I looked down at the crumpled cloth in my hand. Then out the window, where the late afternoon sun broke through the clouds, casting long, golden shadows over the garden stones.
He wasn't even here, and yet... it felt like he'd left part of himself behind.
Not fear.
Control.
Protection.
And the strangest part?
I didn't feel scared.
I felt seen.
- Writer
