Chapter 10

Two weeks passed.

The scandal of Vanessa Bellini’s arrest dominated Chicago’s headlines, but inside the Moretti estate, life had settled into a quiet, peaceful rhythm.

I spent my days tutoring Ethan, playing in the gardens, and visiting my mother at her new, state-of-the-art medical facility. Her color had returned. She was laughing again. For the first time in years, the crushing weight of poverty wasn’t suffocating us.

But as the days turned into weeks, a new, unexpected tension began to grow between Luca and me.

Not a bad tension. A heavy, magnetic one.

We had dinner together every night. Just the three of us. No wealthy guests, no catering staff. We talked about books, about Ethan’s schoolwork, about everything except the mafia empire he ran.

One evening, after Ethan had gone to bed, I was standing in the library, looking at the massive collection of leather-bound books.

“You can read any of them, you know.”

I jumped slightly. Luca was standing in the doorway, holding two glasses of red wine.

“I was just looking,” I said, feeling a sudden flush of heat in my cheeks. “I didn’t want to disturb anything.”

Luca walked over, handing me a glass. His fingers brushed against mine, sending a spark of electricity up my arm.

“You aren’t a guest here, Nora,” he said softly, his dark eyes locked onto mine. “And you certainly aren’t staff anymore. You don’t have to walk on eggshells.”

I took a sip of the wine, the rich liquid burning pleasantly down my throat. “It’s just… a big adjustment. Two weeks ago, I was pressing these curtains. Now I’m drinking expensive wine next to them.”

Luca stepped closer. The scent of his cedar and bergamot cologne was intoxicating.

“Do you miss your old life?” he asked, searching my face.

“I miss the simplicity sometimes,” I admitted honestly. “But I don’t miss the fear. The constant worry about money. And I could never miss a life without Ethan in it.”

“What about me?” Luca asked quietly.

My breath caught. I looked up at him.

“Do you miss a life without me in it?” he clarified, his gaze intense, dropping briefly to my lips before meeting my eyes again.

I swallowed hard. “No. I don’t.”

Luca reached out, gently taking the wine glass from my trembling hand and setting it on the table. He took a step closer, leaving only inches between us.

“I canceled a multimillion-dollar merger today,” Luca confessed, his voice a low rumble in the quiet library. “Because the meeting was at 4:00 PM, and I knew that was the time you and Ethan usually baked cookies in the kitchen. I wanted to be here. With you.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “Luca…”

“I’ve spent my entire life building an empire,” he murmured, his hand coming up to cup my cheek, his thumb gently stroking my jawline. “But standing in that dining room two weeks ago, watching you throw yourself over my son… I realized my empire means absolutely nothing without a queen to share it with.”

He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine.

“I’m terrified of rushing you,” he whispered. “But I’m more terrified of letting you slip away.”

I closed my eyes, leaning into his warmth. “I’m right here, Luca. I’m not going anywhere.”

When he kissed me, it wasn’t the forceful, demanding kiss of a mafia boss. It was slow, tender, and fiercely protective. It felt like coming home.

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