Chapter 9 – The Choice

I stared at the wooden box on my bed.

It was intricately carved with ivy vines, its dark wood glowing in the afternoon light filtering through my small window.

I walked over and gently lifted the lid.

Inside, resting on black velvet, was a necklace.

It wasn’t a massive, gaudy diamond like the engagement ring Vanessa had thrown at Luca. It was a delicate, understated silver chain with a single, perfect teardrop sapphire.

Tucked beneath the necklace was a handwritten note.

Meet me in the library. – Luca

My heart did a strange, violent flutter.

I took off my heavy winter coat. I was still wearing the jeans and sweater I had thrown on hours ago. I was exhausted, bruised, and my hair was a tangled mess.

But I picked up the necklace, clasped it around my neck, and walked down the grand staircase.

The mansion was completely silent. Luca’s men had secured the perimeter, but the inside of the house belonged only to us.

I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of the library.

The fire was roaring in the massive stone fireplace.

Luca was standing by the window, holding a glass of amber liquid. He had finally taken off his suit jacket, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the dark ink of the tattoos wrapping around his collarbone.

He turned when he heard the doors click shut.

His eyes immediately fell to the sapphire resting against my collarbone.

A slow, breathtaking smile spread across his face. It was the first time I had ever seen him truly, genuinely smile. It changed his entire face, making him look years younger.

“It suits you,” he said softly, setting his glass down.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, stepping further into the room. “But I don’t understand. The debt is settled, Luca. My mother’s secret is safe. You have your family back. You don’t owe me anything.”

Luca walked toward me. He stopped just inches away, his towering frame forcing me to look up into his dark eyes.

“I don’t owe you anything,” he agreed, his voice a low rumble. “But I want to give you everything.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m your maid, Luca.”

“No,” he said fiercely, reaching out and gently tracing the line of my jaw with his thumb. “You are the woman who stood in front of a firing squad for me. You are the woman who brought a chandelier down on a mafia boss. You are the most terrifying, beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

My breath hitched.

“Vanessa was right about one thing,” Luca whispered, stepping even closer. “You don’t belong in a uniform.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to me.

I opened it.

It was my employment contract. The one I had signed a year ago when I took the job to pay for my mother’s medical bills.

Across the bottom, in bold black ink, Luca had written: VOID.

“You’re firing me?” I asked, a nervous laugh escaping my lips.

“I am setting you free,” Luca said. “You have enough money in an account I set up this afternoon to take your mother anywhere in the world. You can go back to school. You can buy a house by the ocean.”

He looked down at me, the vulnerability returning to his eyes.

“You can walk out those doors right now, Emily, and never look back at this dark, violent world.”

He took a step back, giving me space. Giving me a choice.

“Or?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“Or,” Luca said, his gaze locking onto mine, “you can stay. Not as my employee. Not in the servant’s quarters. You can stay as my partner.”

The fire popped and cracked behind us.

I thought about the last twenty-four hours. I thought about the terror, the gunfire, the blood.

But then I looked at the man standing in front of me. A man who had risked an entire empire to save an old housekeeper and a frail nurse. A man who loved fiercely and protected his own with absolute devotion.

I took a step forward, closing the distance he had put between us.

I reached up and rested my hand flat against his chest. I could feel his heart hammering against my palm.

“I’ve never liked the ocean,” I said softly.

Luca let out a breath that sounded like a prayer.

He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pulled me flush against his body, and kissed me.