Surrender 01 - Surrender

irrational heart.
    Since she had no choice, Ari trailed behind the doctor down the hallway and into a small conference room, where several men in suits were sitting around a table. This couldn’t be good.
    “Thank you for joining us, Ms. Harlow. We were pleased when your mother was admitted here after she woke up from her coma. How are you feeling? We know that this kind of tragedy can often be harder for the loved ones than for the patients.”
    “I’ve been trying to take it one day at a time. It’s all been very difficult,” Ari answered cautiously , wishing the man would get to the point. She didn’t want to make small talk. She needed to be with her mother.
    “I’m sorry about that. I wish we could put this off, but because of your mother’s condition, time is of the essence.”
    “Put what off?”
    “You mother’s new scans show that she has stage 4 carcinoma in her uterus. We need to operate immediately if she has any chance of survival, I’m sorry to say. At this point, her chances are slim, less than a 10 percent chance, and that’s with aggressive action.”
    The doctor paused, letting his words sink in. Were they telling her she should have the operation done, or she shouldn’t ? It sounded to her as though they were telling her that she was going to lose her mom after all. This was why she’d been so afraid to hope.
    “We’ve called you in because your mother doesn’t have any health insurance benefits left, and this operation is a costly procedure. Because this isn’t an emergency surgery, we can’t schedule it until payment arrangements are made. We’re here to help you get this funded, apply for loans, grants, whatever it takes. We won’t leave you in the dark, but we must have funding before we operate.”
    The bottom fell out for Ari. It all boiled down to money — which she didn’t have. The men continued speaking, but she didn’t hear anything else they had to say. She was spiraling down a long, dark hole. The only way for her to escape, it seemed, was to take the job as Rafe Palazzo’s mistress.

Chapter Four

    “Have you made your decision, Ms. Harlow?” Rafe had said he’d give her until the next day to make her choice. It seemed he didn’t want to allow her any time. With guilt for her mother weighing on her mind, she didn’t feel she had the luxury of waiting, though.
    “Yes, I’ll take the…position,” Ari practically whispered into the receiver. She had barely sat down on her couch at home when her phone rang and she heard Raffaello Palazzo on the other end of the line.
    “I’m pleased to hear that. I’ll send a driver over to pick you up so we can discuss the small details,” he said just before she heard the dial tone of a disconnected call.
    The man didn’t give her any time to argue or tell him she had other plans. She glared at the beeping handset before slowly hanging it up. She knew what she was getting into — or did she? Once she entered his employment, that’s how it would always be. He’d make a command and she’d be expected to follow whatever it was he requested.
    Yes, he’d said that he wouldn’t beat her or make her break the law — did he honestly expect her to gain any comfort from that fact? She’d have a broken spirit, but that didn’t count.
    Her mother’s pale face flashed before her eyes. She could do this. She could do anything for the woman who’d given up so much for her.
    She didn’t bother changing from her baggy jeans and loose T-shirt. If he didn’t like her outfit, he could rescind his job offer. She’d at least have no guilt about refusing the job. It would be out of her hands. Just when she was about to panic and change her mind — throw on a dress and heels because she desperately needed this job — the doorbell rang.
    It suddenly occurred to her that she’d never listed her physical address on her application —she had given only an old post office box number. Still, she wasn’t really surprised that he knew where she lived . She was sure he’d already done a thorough check on everything about her. He didn’t seem the type of man who went into anything blindly. At this point, he probably knew her better than she knew herself.
    She opened her door to find Mr. Mario Kinsor, the person she’d had her first interview with, standing before her , impeccably dressed with the same kind smile on his face as before.
    “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Harlow. If you’re ready, I have the car