Chapter 7 - The New Morning
Dawn broke over Chicago in shades of pale rose and gold.
The morning light filtered softly through the sheer curtains of Luca’s master suite, painting long geometric lines across the dark charcoal silk sheets.
I stirred slowly, pulling the soft blanket closer to my chin. The throbbing pain in my left arm had subsided into a dull, manageable ache, thanks to Dr. Harrison's medicine.
I turned my head on the feather pillow and gasped softly.
Luca was sitting in the armchair beside the bed.
He had changed into a fresh black shirt, the top two buttons undone, his dark hair slightly damp from a shower. He looked tired, but the lethal storm that had burned in his eyes last night was gone, replaced by a quiet, watchful calm.
"Good morning, Sophie," he said softly, setting down a cup of black coffee he had been holding.
"Mr. Moretti..." I sat up quickly, pulling the blanket up around my shoulders. "Did you... did you stay here all night?"
"I got back two hours ago," he said, standing up and walking to the side of the bed. "I wanted to make sure you were okay when you woke up."
"I'm much better," I said, offering him a hesitant, small smile. "The arm doesn't hurt nearly as much."
"Good." Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring with three sleek silver keys, setting them gently on the nightstand beside my bed. "These belong to you."
I blinked, looking at the keys. "What are they for?"
"A two-bedroom apartment in Lincoln Park," Luca said simply. "Ten minutes from the hospital where your brother is starting his rehabilitation today. The lease is paid for five years, in your name."
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I stared at the keys, then up at the powerful man standing beside my bed.
"Mr. Moretti... I can't accept an apartment," I stammered, my head spinning. "You've already paid Paul's medical bills and given me fifty thousand dollars! This is too much!"
"It's not enough," Luca corrected gently, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. He looked down at me, his storm-gray eyes intense and unwavering. "Sophie, you don't seem to understand what you did yesterday. You saved my family. You protected my mother when the people who were supposed to love her were stabbing her in the back. A five-year lease is nothing compared to what I owe you."
"You don't owe me anything," I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes once again. "I just... I care about Mrs. Moretti. And... and I care about this house."
Luca’s gaze softened even further. He reached out, his warm, large hand covering mine on the silk blanket.
"I know you do," he murmured. "Which is why I don't want you living in the basement as a maid anymore."
"Then... what do you expect me to do?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest as I looked into his dark, handsome face.
"My mother needs a personal director for her estate," Luca said softly, his thumb gently stroking the back of my hand. "Someone to manage her schedule, oversee her personal security, manage her charitable trust, and keep her safe. It pays a executive salary, comes with full medical benefits, and requires you to live in the main house—in the guest suite on the second floor."
I stared at him, my breath catching in my throat. "An executive?"
"If you accept," Luca added, a faint, rare smirk touching the corner of his lips. "Of course, if you prefer to move to Lincoln Park and never see me again, the apartment is yours with no obligations attached."
I looked at his hand holding mine—large, powerful, yet infinitely gentle. I looked at the dark hair falling over his forehead, the sharp line of his jaw, and the quiet vulnerability hidden deep within his dark eyes.
"I don't want to leave," I whispered before I could stop myself.
Luca’s smirk vanished, replaced by a look of profound, quiet intensity. He leaned down slightly, his face inches from mine.
"Are you sure, Sophie?" he asked, his voice dropping into a thrilling, raspy whisper. "My life is dangerous. My world is dark. Staying near me means step into a world where people play for high stakes."
"I'm not afraid of your world, Mr. Moretti," I said, holding his gaze without flinching. "I'm only afraid of being somewhere where I can't protect the people I care about."
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Luca closed his eyes for a second, letting out a soft, low breath. When he opened them, he looked at me with an emotion so raw and powerful it made my skin flush with heat.
"Then stay," he whispered.
