Chapter 14 - The Velvet Ring Box
That evening, Luca arranged a private candlelit dinner for the two of us on the stone terrace overlooking the moonlit waters of Lake Michigan.
A gentle spring breeze rustled the sheer curtains, carrying the sweet scent of rain and blooming jasmine.
Soft violin music drifted from the grand salon, and two crystal flutes of vintage sparkling wine sat beside a vase of fresh white roses.
Luca was dressed in an immaculate bespoke black tuxedo, his dark hair neatly styled, his obsidian eyes watching me approach with an intensity that made my heart race with intoxicating anticipation.
I wore an elegant royal-blue silk gown that Lucia had gifted me, its neckline adorned with a delicate platinum chain holding a tiny, polished silver thimble—a token from the sewing box.
After dinner, as we stood beside the stone balustrade watching the silver moonlight dance across the calm waves of the lake, Luca reached into his breast pocket.
He pulled out the velvet jeweler’s box that his mother had given me earlier that afternoon.
He opened it.
Inside rested the legendary Moretti Matriarch Ring—a breathtaking, flawless seven-carat cushion-cut royal blue sapphire surrounded by a double halo of rose-cut diamonds, set in an intricate platinum band engraved with ancient olive branches.
Luca dropped onto one knee upon the ancient flagstones of the terrace.
The most feared sovereign in Chicago looked up at the former housekeeper with his heart laid completely bare.
“Emma Sullivan,” Luca spoke, his deep voice trembling with raw, holy devotion.
“You walked into this house with an apron and left carrying the soul of my family. You refused to bow to cruelty. You protected my mother’s voice when everyone else was looking away. You saved my life, you healed my past, and you showed me what true love means.”
He took my trembling left hand into his large, warm fingers.
“Will you marry me, Emma? Will you be my wife, my partner, and the sovereign donna of the Moretti Empire?”
Tears of boundless, radiant joy spilled down my cheeks.
I dropped to my knees on the warm stone beside him, wrapping my arms around his broad neck, burying my face into his collar.
“Yes, Luca!” I sobbed with all the joy in my heart. “Yes! A thousand times, yes!”
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Luca slid the magnificent sapphire onto my finger—a flawless, perfect fit—and pulled me into a breathtaking, passionate kiss beneath the canopy of stars.
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