Chapter 9 – THE LINGERING SHADOW

The peace in the Moretti mansion lasted exactly three weeks.

I spent those twenty-one days floating in a surreal, beautiful dream. Lily and Sophie were thriving, my mother’s memory was sharper thanks to the new medication, and Teresa had completely regained her commanding, joyful presence in the house.

And then, there was Luca.

We hadn’t spoken about what was growing between us, but it was there in every lingering look, every brush of his hand against mine in the hallway, every evening we spent sitting on the terrace watching the girls play in the garden.

I was no longer the maid. Luca had insisted I move into one of the guest suites on the third floor, near Lily and Sophie.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.

It happened on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.

I was in the library, organizing some of the children’s books, when the heavy oak doors opened.

It was Matteo, Luca’s head of security. His face was grim, his suit soaking wet from the rain.

“Hannah,” Matteo said quietly. “Is the Boss in his study?”

“Yes,” I replied, my stomach tightening at his tone. “What’s wrong, Matteo?”

He hesitated, looking around the empty library.

“We intercepted a package at the front gate. It was addressed to you.”

I frowned. “To me? From who?”

Matteo handed me a small, square box wrapped in brown paper. It had no return address.

“I already scanned it. No explosives, no chemicals,” Matteo assured me. “But you should open it with Luca present.”

I carried the box down the hall to Luca’s study.

When I knocked and entered, Luca looked up from his paperwork, a warm smile instantly spreading across his face.

“Hannah,” he said, standing up. “I was hoping you’d come rescue me from these contracts.”

Then he saw the box in my hands, and Matteo standing behind me.

His smile vanished.

“What is that?” Luca asked, moving around the desk.

“It came for Hannah,” Matteo explained. “Delivered by a courier. Paid in cash.”

Luca took the box from me and set it on the desk. He pulled a pocket knife from his trousers and carefully sliced the tape.

He opened the lid.

Inside rested a single, perfect white rose.

Underneath the rose was a folded piece of heavy cardstock.

Luca picked up the card, his jaw tightening as he read it.

“What does it say?” I asked, my heart pounding.

Luca didn’t answer. He handed the card to me.

Written in elegant cursive was a terrifying message:

Did you really think I’d let you keep my family, Hannah? See you soon.

I dropped the card.

“Vanessa,” I whispered.

Luca looked at Matteo. “I thought you said she fled to Europe.”

“She did, Boss,” Matteo said defensively. “Our guys tracked her to a flight to Paris three weeks ago.”

“Then she came back,” Luca growled. “Double the guards on the gates. No one goes in or out without my explicit approval. Keep the girls inside.”

Matteo nodded and hurried out of the room.

I stood frozen, staring at the white rose.

White roses were Vanessa’s favorite. She had ordered hundreds of them for the wedding that never happened.

“Hannah.”

Luca stepped close to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. His touch was warm and grounding.

“She can’t hurt you,” Luca said firmly, looking directly into my eyes. “I won’t let her near you or the girls.”

“She knows where we are,” I panicked, my breath coming fast. “She knows the security, she knows the layout of the house. Luca, if she wants to hurt Lily or Sophie—”

“She won’t,” Luca interrupted, pulling me against his chest.

I melted into his embrace, closing my eyes as his strong arms wrapped around me. I could hear his heartbeat, steady and calm.

“I am not the man I was when she was here, Hannah,” he murmured into my hair. “I was blind then. I am not blind anymore.”

I pulled back slightly to look at him.

“Why is she targeting me?” I asked.

Luca’s expression darkened. “Because she knows you’re the reason she lost everything. And because she knows how much you mean to me.”

He reached up and gently cupped my face.

For a moment, the world stopped spinning. He leaned down, and I closed my eyes, anticipating the kiss I had been dreaming about for weeks.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the floor above us.

Glass shattering.

Followed instantly by a scream.

Teresa’s scream.

Luca drew his gun before I even realized what was happening, and we both sprinted toward the stairs.

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