CHAPTER 10: THE DEVIL COMES CLOSER
1855 Words
New York never truly slept.
Not the rich parts, Not the dangerous parts, And definitely not the parts controlled by Dominic Russo.
Rain poured heavily across the city that night, washing over black cars, glowing signs, and crowded streets. Thunder rolled softly in the distance while the windows of Dominic’s office reflected the dark skyline behind him.
The room was silent except for the ticking of the expensive clock on the wall.
Dominic sat behind his desk, one hand resting against his jaw while the other held a small silver earring between his fingers.
Her earring.
Weeks later… And he still hadn’t thrown it away.
His eyes stayed fixed on it longer than necessary.
Something about her refused to leave his head.
The girl who walked into the wrong room.
The girl who disappeared before sunrise.
The girl who somehow managed to disturb a man who never got disturbed.
A knock sounded at the office door.
“Boss.”
Marco stepped inside carefully.
Dominic looked up slowly.
“Well?”
Marco walked forward and placed a file on the desk.
“We found her.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Dominic’s fingers stopped moving.
His expression didn’t change much, but Marco noticed the slight tightening in his jaw.
“Name?”
“Scarlett,” Marco replied. “Scarlett Collins.”
Dominic narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Collins?”
Marco nodded once.
“That’s the name she’s using.”
“Using?”
Interesting.
Dominic leaned back slowly.
“So it’s fake.”
“Most likely.”
Marco pushed the file closer.
“We dug into her background. There’s almost nothing before two years ago. No major records. No family ties. No social history before New York.”
Dominic opened the file calmly.
The first thing he saw was her picture.
Scarlett standing outside a small café in Brooklyn with coffee in her hand.
No makeup.
Hair tied loosely.
Simple oversized sweater.
She looked nothing like the women usually surrounding men like him.
And somehow…
That made her stand out even more.
“She owns a small online fashion business,” Marco continued. “Lives alone. Quiet life. Keeps to herself mostly.”
Dominic kept staring at the photo.
“She disappeared well,” he muttered.
Marco crossed his arms slightly.
“Too well.”
Dominic looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“She moves carefully,” Marco explained. “Like someone trying not to be noticed.”
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Dominic closed the file slowly.
His instincts sharpened immediately.
Nobody hid that carefully without a reason.
“Nobody runs for no reason,” he said quietly.
Marco nodded.
“There’s more.”
Dominic’s gaze lifted again.
“What?”
Marco hesitated slightly.
“She visited a clinic this morning.”
Dominic’s brows pulled together instantly.
“A clinic?”
“Yes.”
Something cold moved through Dominic’s chest.
“What kind of clinic?”
“A women’s clinic in Manhattan.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Dominic’s expression darkened slightly.
Sick?
Was she sick?
His mind moved quickly through possibilities he didn’t like.
That night at the hotel… She had been drunk. Unsteady. Barely thinking clearly.
Had something happened after?
Was someone threatening her?
Was she hurt?
For reasons he didn’t fully understand, the thought irritated him immediately.
No.
Not irritated.
Worried.
And Dominic Russo hated worrying.
He stood up slowly.
The air in the office shifted instantly.
Marco already recognized that look.
Controlled. Focused. Dangerous.
“Get the car ready.”
—
The women’s clinic smelled too clean.
Too white. Too quiet.
Scarlett sat in the waiting area beside Lila, her fingers twisting nervously together.
Everything felt unreal.
The soft conversations around her. The nurses walking past. The faint sound of shoes against the polished floor.
Her chest felt tight.
Lila glanced at her carefully.
“You still haven’t decided?”
Scarlett stared at the floor.
“I thought I did.”
“But?”
Scarlett swallowed hard.
“But now I don’t know anything anymore.”
Lila sighed softly.
“That’s normal.”
“No,” Scarlett whispered shakily. “Nothing about this is normal.”
Her hand slowly moved toward her stomach unconsciously.
Still flat.
Still impossible to believe.
Pregnant.
The word alone terrified her.
She wasn’t ready.
Her business was finally growing. Her life was finally peaceful. She had finally escaped her father’s control.
And now this.
A baby.
Dominic’s baby.
The thought alone made her heart beat strangely.
Lila noticed immediately.
“You’re thinking about him again.”
Scarlett looked away quickly.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Scarlett opened her mouth to deny it—
But suddenly froze.
The clinic doors opened.
A cold gust of rain-filled air swept inside.
Then—
Heavy footsteps echoed across the floor.
Scarlett looked up absentmindedly.
And her entire body froze.
Dominic.
Standing near the entrance in a black suit darkened slightly by rain.
Tall. Sharp. Dangerous.
Every conversation around the room seemed to die instantly.
Even the nurses behind the desk looked nervous.
Dominic’s eyes scanned the room once.
Then landed directly on her.
His expression changed immediately.
Not relief.
Not anger.
Something darker.
Something intense.
Scarlett’s stomach dropped.
Oh God.
How did he find her?
Lila whispered under her breath—
“Oh my freaking God…”
Dominic started walking toward them slowly.
Scarlett stood immediately.
Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
“What are you doing here?”
Dominic stopped in front of her.
His eyes moved over her face carefully.
Too carefully.
Like he was checking for something.
“You disappeared,” he said quietly.
Scarlett blinked.
That wasn’t what she expected.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“What’s wrong with you?”
She froze.
“What?”
“The clinic,” he said. “Why are you here?”
Scarlett stared at him.
For the first time since he walked in—
She realized something.
He didn’t know.
He wasn’t here because of the pregnancy.
He genuinely thought she was sick.
Lila looked between them awkwardly.
Dominic’s eyes stayed fixed on Scarlett.
“You look pale.”
His voice was calm, but underneath it…
Concern.
Real concern.
And somehow, that shook Scarlett more than anger would have.
“I’m fine,” she said quickly.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
Dominic stepped closer slightly.
“What did the doctor say?”
Scarlett panicked instantly.
Not here.
Not in front of everyone.
Not like this.
She grabbed his wrist suddenly.
Dominic looked down at her hand in surprise.
“Come with me.”
Without waiting for an answer, Scarlett pulled him toward the exit.
Lila blinked rapidly.
“Okay wow—nobody’s asking me if I’m emotionally okay with this situation.”
Scarlett looked back quickly.
“I’ll call you later!”
Then she practically dragged Dominic outside into the rain.
—
The café across the street was small and quiet.
Warm lights glowed softly against the windows while rain tapped steadily outside.
Scarlett sat across from Dominic in complete silence.
Neither of them touched the coffee sitting between them.
Dominic watched her carefully.
“You’re nervous.”
Scarlett laughed weakly.
“No kidding.”
He leaned back slightly.
“What’s going on?”
Scarlett stared down at her hands.
Her thoughts felt tangled.
Too loud.
How was she supposed to say this?
How do you casually tell the most feared man in New York that he got you pregnant after one reckless night?
She swallowed hard.
Dominic’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Scarlett.”
Hearing her name in his voice made her chest tighten.
She finally looked up.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she said softly.
Dominic stayed silent.
Waiting.
Scarlett took a shaky breath.
“The clinic visit wasn’t for an illness.”
A pause.
Then—
“I’m pregnant and the child is yours.”
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Even the rain outside suddenly felt quieter.
Dominic didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Scarlett’s heart pounded painfully inside her chest.
Maybe she should say something else. Explain. Clarify.
But her mind had gone blank.
Dominic stared at her for a long moment.
Then leaned back slowly.
Still silent.
Too silent.
Scarlett’s anxiety worsened immediately.
“Say something.”
Dominic finally blinked once.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“You’re sure?”
She nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Another long silence followed.
Dominic looked away briefly, dragging a hand slowly across his jaw.
For the first time since she met him…
He looked caught off guard.
Not weak.
Not emotional.
Just genuinely shocked.
Scarlett swallowed painfully.
“I found out recently.”
Dominic looked back at her.
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
His voice wasn’t angry.
That somehow made it worse.
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“You disappeared.”
“I panicked.”
Silence again.
Dominic exhaled slowly through his nose and leaned back deeper into his chair.
Processing.
Thinking.
Scarlett studied him nervously.
No shouting. No threats. No cold reaction.
That terrified her even more.
Because she couldn’t read him.
Finally—
Dominic stood up suddenly.
Scarlett’s heart skipped.
“I’ll take you home.”
She blinked.
“That’s it?”
Dominic grabbed his coat calmly.
“I need time to think.”
Something about the way he said it made unease crawl up her spine.
Not anger.
Not rejection.
Something worse.
Control.
Careful control.
The kind that came before dangerous decisions.
The drive back to Brooklyn was painfully quiet.
Rain continued pouring against the windows while the city lights blurred around them.
Scarlett sat beside him nervously, stealing glances at his expression.
Dominic stared ahead the entire time.
Unreadable.
By the time the car stopped outside her apartment building, Scarlett’s chest felt unbearably tight.
Dominic finally looked at her.
His dark eyes moved slowly across her face.
“You’re staying here tonight?”
She nodded cautiously.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then Dominic leaned slightly closer.
Not romantic. Not soft.
Intense.
Dangerously focused.
“From now on,” he said quietly, “you answer my calls.”
Scarlett’s breath caught.
“Dominic—”
“I’m serious.”
Something about his tone made chills move down her spine.
Not because he sounded threatening.
Because he sounded decided.
Like something inside him had already shifted.
Scarlett swallowed.
“I didn’t ask for this.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“Neither did I.”
The words hung heavily between them.
Then Dominic reached into his pocket slowly.
He pulled something out and placed it in her hand.
Scarlett looked down.
Her silver earring.
The one she lost that night.
Her breath caught softly.
“You kept it?”
Dominic stared at her for a second too long.
Then finally said quietly…..
“I think about that night more than I should.”
Scarlett’s heart stumbled instantly.
Befo
re she could respond….
Dominic suddenly looked past her shoulder.
His entire expression changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
Scarlett frowned slightly.
“What?”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed dangerously toward the dark street behind her apartment building.
Then slowly……
Very slowly……
He opened the car door.
And stepped out into the rain.
- Writer
