Chapter 9 – THE NEW PROMISE

Dinner was beautiful.

There was no tension, no fear of saying the wrong thing. Just the clinking of silverware, the pouring of wine, and the loud, joyous overlapping of conversations.

After dessert, my mother and Teresa retired to the living room to watch an old movie.

I stayed behind in the dining room to help clear the plates.

“Leave them, Hannah,” Luca said, standing up. “The staff will handle it.”

“I don’t mind,” I said, picking up a stack of dishes. Old habits died hard.

Luca walked over and gently took the plates from my hands. He set them back on the table.

“Walk with me,” he said.

My pulse quickened.

I followed him out the French doors and into the sprawling back gardens.

The air was warm, filled with the scent of blooming jasmine. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a golden hue over the stone pathways.

We walked in silence for a few moments.

“My mother is a different woman,” Luca said softly, his hands in his pockets. “She’s alive again.”

“She just needed to know she was still wanted,” I said.

Luca stopped walking.

He turned to face me.

“I was so blind, Hannah. I was so focused on keeping the family empire safe that I let a snake into my own home. I let her hurt the person I love most.”

“You didn’t know,” I said gently, stepping closer. “Vanessa manipulated everyone.”

“She didn’t manipulate you,” he pointed out. “You saw right through her. You risked your job, your mother’s livelihood, to protect an old woman you barely knew.”

“She was kind to me,” I shrugged softly. “When you have nothing, kindness means everything.”

Luca reached out.

His large, warm hand gently cupped my cheek.

My breath hitched.

“You don’t have nothing anymore, Hannah,” he whispered, his dark eyes searching mine. “You have me. If you want me.”

The world seemed to stop spinning.

“Luca,” I breathed.

“I’ve spent six months trying to be professional,” he said, a self-deprecating smile touching his lips. “Trying to be a good boss. Trying to give you space to build your life. But every time I look at you sitting at that table… I don’t want you there as an employee. I want you there as my partner.”

Tears pricked my eyes.

I leaned into his hand.

“I’ve wanted that since the day you stood up for her,” I whispered.

Luca let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for half a year.

He leaned down and kissed me.

It wasn’t urgent or violent like the world he came from. It was slow, deeply tender, and filled with absolute certainty.

When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine.

“No more uniforms,” he whispered.

“No more,” I smiled.