Chapter 4 - THE MAN HER FATHER RESCUED
Roman Costa had been twenty-two when he first met Arthur Bennett.
At the time, Roman was a young lieutenant in his uncle's organization.
He had been sent to Harbor Street to retrieve a shipment.
The warehouse was supposed to be empty.
It wasn't.
Someone had set a fire.
Roman became trapped when a section of the roof collapsed.
Arthur Bennett was inspecting a neighboring structure when he saw smoke.
He entered the building.
Found Roman.
And pulled him out through a maintenance passage.
Arthur suffered burns on his hands.
Roman survived.
But the incident was never reported accurately.
The official record called it an electrical fire.
Roman knew better.
Someone had tried to kill him.
Arthur had saved his life without knowing who he was.
And when Roman later offered money, Arthur refused.
"Don't pay me for doing the decent thing," he'd said.
Roman never forgot those words.
Years later, when Arthur's company collapsed, Roman was overseas handling a family crisis.
By the time he returned, the Bennett name had disappeared from the construction industry.
He tried to locate Arthur.
Then Sloan.
But the records were tangled in shell companies and legal disputes.
He eventually learned Arthur was in a care facility.
And Sloan had taken a job at the Obsidian Club.
Roman had planned to approach her carefully.
Then Preston Hayes humiliated her in front of an entire room.
And Roman lost his patience.
Sloan listened in silence.
Finally, she asked:
"Why didn't you tell me all this before?"
Roman looked at her.
"Because I didn't know whether you would trust me."
She laughed bitterly.
"You announced I was your wife in front of fifty people."
He nodded.
"Not my most carefully considered decision."
Sloan stared at him.
Then, despite everything, she laughed.
Roman smiled faintly.
It was the first genuine smile she'd seen from him.
But it disappeared when she asked:
"What happened to the evidence beneath Harbor Street?"
Roman looked toward the window.
"That's the problem."
May you like
He paused.
"Nobody knows."
