She attacked the curvy nanny in front of everyone, then the mafia boss walked in and called her his wife

An hour later, the grand foyer had been cleared. The twelve Meridian Capital executives had been escorted to their private cars by Luca’s security team, thoroughly shaken by the sudden, violent purge of their senior vice president.

In the master sitting room on the second floor, a soft fire crackled in the stone fireplace.

Leo was sitting on the plush rug, happily building a massive wooden castle with a set of hand-carved blocks Nora had bought him from a small toy store in town.

Nora sat on the velvet sofa, her feet tucked beneath her olive dress.

Luca sat beside her, a silver basin of warm water, a bottle of antiseptic, and a roll of white gauze resting on the low coffee table in front of them.

He held her right hand in his massive, calloused palm with extraordinary gentleness. He dipped a clean cotton cloth into the warm water and carefully wiped away the dried blood from her palm.

Nora flinched slightly as the warm water touched the open cut.

Luca paused immediately, his eyes lifting to meet hers. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she whispered, watching his dark face. “It’s just stings a little.”

Luca resumed his work, his movements precise and methodical. “You played them perfectly, Nora. You knew Vanessa was going to break into the study today.”

“I’ve met women like Vanessa Thorne before, Luca,” Nora said softly, leaning back against the cushions. “When I was married to Gregory, his firm was full of them. Women who think that because they wear five-thousand-dollar suits and starve themselves down to a size zero, they have the right to crush anyone who doesn't fit their narrow little mold.”

Luca’s hand tightened slightly around her fingers. “Your former husband was an idiot.”

Nora let out a small, soft laugh. “He thought he was a genius.”

“He was a blind fool who possessed a diamond and treated it like dirt,” Luca said, his voice dropping into a dark, rough register that made Nora’s heart perform a strange, sudden flutter against her ribs.

He set the cloth down, applied a layer of healing ointment to her cut, and began wrapping the white gauze around her palm with expert skill.

“When Vanessa grabbed you,” Luca murmured, his eyes fixed on her hand, “what did she say to you before I walked in?”

Nora hesitated. She looked down at her lap. “It doesn't matter.”

“Nora.” Luca lifted his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made the breath catch in her throat. “Tell me.”

“She said... she called me a nanny playing dress-up,” Nora whispered, feeling a tiny, residual echo of the old shame creeping into her chest. “She said my body was fat. She said I didn't belong in a house like this.”

Luca was silent for three long seconds.

Then he reached out with his left hand, placed his warm fingers beneath her jaw, and gently tilted her face up until she was forced to look directly into his eyes.

“Listen to me very carefully, Nora,” Luca said, every word dripping with absolute authority. “Look at me.”

Nora looked at him.

“You are the most breathtaking woman who has ever set foot in this estate,” Luca said, his thumb softly tracing the soft curve of her cheekbone. “Your body is magnificent. Your mind is sharper than any executive on my board. And my son loves you more than he loves the sun.”

Nora’s breath hitched. Her heart began to beat rapidly against her sternum.

“Vanessa Thorne was jealous,” Luca continued, his gaze drifting down to her soft, full lips before rising back to her eyes. “She was jealous because she knew that no matter how much money she spent, no matter how many corporate games she played, she could never possess one fraction of the grace, warmth, and strength that you carry effortlessly every single day.”

He leaned in slowly, his dark face inches from hers.

“This is your house, Nora. You belong here. And anyone who ever makes you feel small again will answer to me.”

Nora stared at him, her lips slightly parted. For six weeks, she had told herself that this was just a business arrangement. A contract. Five million dollars and a safe haven from Gregory’s psychological lingering toxicity.

But as she looked into Luca Castellano’s dark, fierce eyes, felt the burning heat of his broad chest so close to hers, and heard the utter sincerity in his voice, she realized that her heart was no longer following the terms of the contract.