Chapter 14 - DAWN OF A NEW BEGINNING
The sun rose over the Chicago skyline, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold and pink.
The police cruisers and federal vans had finally cleared out of the Moretti estate.
Silence, real and peaceful for the first time in years, settled over the mansion.
I stood on the wide second-floor balcony, holding a cup of hot coffee, watching the morning mist rise over the manicured gardens.
Footsteps approached softly behind me.
“He's still sleeping,” a deep, warm voice said.
I turned around to see Luca standing there.
He was wearing a simple gray t-shirt and dark jeans, looking more relaxed than I had ever seen him.
“He had a long night,” I smiled softly.
“We all did.”
Luca stepped out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing beside me.
He looked out at the horizon before turning his dark eyes toward my face.
“Oliver asked about you this morning before he woke up properly.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Oh? What did he say?”
“He asked if you were going to stay with us forever.”
I felt a warm flush spread across my cheeks.
“Well... my job is as his housekeeper, so—.”
“I didn't offer you a housekeeper's contract, Emily,” Luca interrupted gently.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
My breath hitched in my throat.
“Luca... what is this?”
“When you stepped between Vanessa and my son holding that repaired sweater, you didn't just protect him,” Luca said, his voice husky with raw emotion.
“You saved my family. You brought warmth back into a cold, dead house.”
He opened the box.
Inside rested a stunning, vintage diamond ring that once belonged to his grandmother—simple, elegant, and glowing in the morning light.
“I know it's fast,” Luca continued, taking my hand in his warm, strong palm.
“And I know I'm a complicated man with a dangerous world. But I don't want you just as an employee, Emily. I want you as my partner. As Oliver's mother.”
Tears welled up in my eyes.
All the fear, the danger, and the late-night terror melted away into pure happiness.
“Yes,” I whispered, a tear slipping down my cheek.
May you like
“Yes, Luca. I will.”
Luca smiled—a genuine, radiant smile that completely transformed his stern mafia face—and slipped the ring onto my finger.
