Chapter 6 - SHADOWS OVER THE ESTATE
The revelation changed everything inside the Chestnut Hill estate.
I no longer viewed my role as just an employee earning a paycheck. Every time I held Leo, every time I bathed him, fed him, or sang him to sleep, I saw Clara’s eyes looking back at me. The void that had haunted my heart for ten years was suddenly filled with a fierce, burning love for my sister’s orphaned child.
And my relationship with Luca underwent a profound, terrifying shift.
The boundary between employer and employee evaporated into thin air. We spent late nights together in the nursery, sitting side-by-side on the velvet sofa while Leo slept in his crib. We talked for hours—not about the syndicate or his empire, but about Clara, about my mother, about his childhood, and about the crushing loneliness of living in a world built on violence.
I learned that Luca had never wanted the throne of the Moretti family. He had been thrust into power at twenty-five when his father was assassinated by rival families, forcing him to become ruthless to keep his younger brother and sister alive.
"You carry too much, Luca," I told him one late evening as we sat on the balcony of my suite, watching the autumn moon rise over the dark forest.
"I carry what is necessary," Luca replied, taking a sip of his whiskey. He turned his head to look at me, his eyes dark and intense in the moonlight. "Until you came into this house, I thought my only duty was to survive and protect my territory. Now... I realize I want more than just survival."
He reached out, his warm, rough hand covering mine on the stone balcony railing. My heart slammed against my ribs, an electric shiver rushing through my veins.
"Luca..." I whispered, my breath catching in my throat.
He leaned in slowly, his eyes dropping to my lips. "Tell me to stop, Avery. Tell me right now, and I will step back."
I couldn't speak. I didn't want him to stop. I slid my fingers into his thick, dark hair and pulled him toward me.
When his lips met mine, it was like a dam breaking. The kiss was deep, intense, and filled with a raw, desperate hunger that had been building between us for weeks. His hands wrapped firmly around my waist, pulling my body flush against his, lifting me slightly off my feet as if I weighed nothing at all.
For a few breathless minutes, the dangerous world outside vanished, leaving only the warmth of his skin, the taste of whiskey and cedarwood, and the fierce pounding of our hearts.
Suddenly, a sharp metallic CRACK echoed through the night air from the tree line at the edge of the estate!
THUD!
A bullet shattered the glass lantern three feet above our heads on the balcony, showering us in sparkling shards!
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Luca acted instantly. Before the sound of the gunshot even finished echoing across the lawn, he tackled me to the stone floor of the balcony, using his broad body to cover me completely!
"GET DOWN!" Luca roared into his radio wristband as alarm sirens began to wail across the entire property! "PERIMETER BREACH! SOUTH WEST QUADRANT! SNIPER IN THE TREES!"
