Chapter 4 - THE GIRL WHO HAD NOTHING LEFT
Faith had been working for me for eleven days when I learned the truth about her mother.
It happened by accident.
Mrs. Gable entered my study carrying a folder.
“Miss Willis's employment documents.”
I looked up.
“Why are you bringing those to me?”
“Because Carmine asked for an updated background check.”
My expression hardened.
“Why?”
“Security concerns.”
I opened the folder.
Faith was twenty-six.
She had completed two years of nursing school before leaving to care for her mother.
Her previous employment included home healthcare assistance, a grocery store, and a rehabilitation center.
Then I saw the final page.
A newspaper clipping.
LOCAL WOMAN DIES AFTER INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL EXPOSURE CASE.
Her mother's name was Margaret Willis.
I read the article twice.
Margaret had worked at a chemical processing facility near the South Branch of the Chicago River.
The facility had been accused of safety violations.
Several employees had developed serious illnesses.
The company denied responsibility.
Then I saw the company name.
Carter Industrial Logistics.
My blood went cold.
One of my businesses.
A subsidiary I had barely thought about in years.
I looked toward Mrs. Gable.
“Does Faith know?”
She hesitated.
“I don't know.”
I stared at the article.
The woman who had entered my home desperate for money had lost her mother after working for a company bearing my name.
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And I had been sitting in a wheelchair demanding sympathy from her.
For the first time since the attack, I felt ashamed of something other than my body.
