Chapter 7 - The Bellini Retaliation
Three days passed.
The news of the Bellini family scandal shook the Chicago underworld to its very core. Arthur Bellini was held without bail on federal charges, and Vanessa Bellini was under house arrest at her family’s estate, her social status completely ruined.
Marco had moved into the Moretti mansion, occupying the grand guest suite right across from Luca's private quarters.
The transformation in the house was unbelievable. For thirty years, the Moretti estate had felt like a cold, solemn fortress. Now, filled with the laughter and voices of the twin brothers catching up on thirty lost years, it felt alive.
And my life had changed completely.
I was no longer a housekeeper. Luca had officially appointed me as the Executive Director of the Moretti Charitable Foundation—the very foundation his mother had built—with a plush office on the second floor and a salary that meant I would never have to worry about rent or broken car brakes again.
On a rainy Thursday evening, I was sitting in my new office, reviewing grant applications for local children's hospitals.
The door opened softly, and Luca walked in, carrying two glasses of red wine. He wore a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking relaxed and strikingly handsome.
"Working late, Executive Director Morgan?" Luca smiled warmly, setting a glass on my desk.
"Just finishing the quarterly budget, Mr. Moretti," I teased, leaning back in my leather chair.
Luca walked around the desk, stopping right beside my chair. He reached out, gently lifting my left arm. Dr. Harris had removed the sling that morning, leaving only a faint physical ache that was rapidly healing.
"How does the shoulder feel?" Luca asked softly, his fingers gently massaging the side of my neck and collarbone.
A warm shivering sensation ran down my spine at his touch. "It feels completely fine, Luca. Thanks to you."
Luca looked down into my eyes, his hazel gaze darkening with intense emotion. "Not thanks to me, Claire. Thanks to your courage. Every good thing that has happened in my life over the last four days—finding my brother, clearing my mother's memory, freeing my estate from parasites—happened because of you."
He leaned down slowly, his face inches from mine. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs.
"Luca..." I whispered, my breath catching.
Before his lips could touch mine, the mansion's emergency alarm shrieked loudly through the ceiling speakers!
WHIRR! WHIRR! WHIRR!
Red warning lights began flashing along the corridors.
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The heavy mahogany office door burst open, and Daniel rushed in, holding a black tactical handgun!
"Boss! We have a perimeter breach!" Daniel yelled. "It's Marcus Bellini—Vanessa's older brother! He brought six heavily armed mercenaries through the rear gate! They cut the main power grid!"
