Chapter 4 - The Ghost in the Glass
The private wing of Sloan Kettering was unlike any hospital Cameron had ever seen.
Her mother, Elena, was sitting up in a massive, sunlit room that looked out over the East River. She had a soft, cashmere blanket over her lap, a private nurse standing near the door, and a bouquet of white roses that had been delivered that morning without a card.
"Cameron," Elena whispered, her voice weak but her eyes bright as she saw her daughter walk in. "The doctors... they’re so kind, baby. They told me I don't have to worry about the copayments anymore. They said the Duca Foundation has settled everything."
Cameron ran to her mother's side, burying her face in the older woman's neck, breathing in the familiar, comforting scent of lavender and baby powder.
"I told you I'd take care of it, Mom," Cameron said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I got a new job. I'm a private nanny for a very wealthy family."
Elena's hand, thin and dry from the treatments, gently stroked Cameron's hair. "A nanny, baby? But you don't know anything about rich children. You've spent your whole life helping me in the shop."
"He's a good kid, Mom," Cameron said, smiling as she thought of Leo's dark curls. "He's just... he lost his mother, and he's lonely. We understand each other."
"And his father?" Elena asked, her eyes narrowing with a mother's natural protective instinct. "Who is he?"
"His name is Matteo Duca," Cameron said quietly.
Elena’s hand froze. Her pale face turned even whiter, her eyes widening with a sudden, sharp terror that made her breathing turn ragged.
"Matteo... Duca?" Elena whispered, her voice trembling. "The... the man from the docks? The one they call the King of Tribeca?"
"Mom, what is it?" Cameron asked, her heart skipping a beat as she sat up. "Do you know him?"
"No, no, I... I read the papers, Cameron," Elena said quickly, her eyes darting nervously toward the door as if she expected Matteo's men to be standing there. "He's a dangerous man, baby. Very dangerous. His father was... his family has been involved in very bad things for fifty years. You can't stay there. You have to leave."
"I can't leave, Mom," Cameron said, her voice turning firm. "He’s paying for your treatment. He’s the only reason we aren't on the street right now. He’s been nothing but fair to me."
"He's not being fair, Cameron," Elena whispered, her fingers clutching Cameron's sleeve with a desperate, weak strength. "A man like that doesn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart. He’s using you. He’s using your debt to keep you in that house. If you try to run, he’ll..."
"I'm not running, Mom," Cameron said, kissing her forehead. "I'm staying. For Leo. And for you."
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But as she walked out of the hospital room an hour later, her mother's words echoed in her mind like a dark, persistent drumbeat.
He's using you. He's using your debt.
