Chapter 7 - The Rescue & Luca's Confession
Within an hour, the estate was surrounded by federal authorities.
The driver and his accomplice had already confessed. They were former private contractors hired directly by Arthur Vance’s shell companies. Desperate to flee the country before his federal indictment on corporate fraud, Arthur had attempted to ransom Sofia for a private jet and twenty million dollars in untraceable bearer bonds.
Both Vance and his conspirators were now in federal custody without bail. The Vance family was entirely destroyed.
Inside the quiet safety of the master suite, the world had slowed down.
Sofia had finally fallen asleep after being examined by Dr. Evans, who confirmed she had suffered no physical harm other than minor fright. She was sleeping in the center of Luca’s massive king-sized bed, clutching her favorite stuffed bear.
I sat on the edge of the adjoining balcony, watching the rain begin to fall softly over Lake Michigan. My hands were wrapped around a mug of hot chamomile tea, but they were still shaking. My palms were scraped, and a small cut on my temple was covered with a sterile bandage.
The sound of footsteps made me look up.
Luca walked onto the balcony. He had showered and changed into a dark cashmere sweater. He looked completely exhausted, the lines around his eyes etched deep with the trauma of what had almost occurred.
He pulled up a chair directly beside mine, reached out, and took the trembling tea mug from my hands, setting it on the glass table. Then, he took both of my bruised hands into his.
"You could have died, Emma," he said, his voice raw, thick with unshed emotion.
"She is a five-year-old child, Luca," I replied, my voice hoarse. "I would do it a hundred times over."
Luca stared at me. His gray eyes were dark, swirling with something so intense and profound it made my breath hitch.
"When I saw that car hit the stone pillar... when I saw you dive into that wreckage..." He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "I realized that if I lost you, the money, this house, this empire—none of it meant anything. You aren't just Sofia’s protector, Emma. You became the center of my world, and I was too cowardly to say it."
My heart stopped beating. "Luca..."
"I spent two years dead inside after Claire passed," he whispered, lifting one hand to cup my cheek, his thumb gently stroking across my skin. "I thought love was a liability. I thought an arranged marriage with a cold socialite like Isabella was safe because there was no heart involved. But then you walked through my front door with your quiet strength, your endless compassion, and that fierce devotion to my daughter."
He leaned in closer, his forehead resting gently against mine. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, the intoxicating scent of cedar and rain.
"I love you, Emma," Luca confessed, the words tearing straight from his soul. "I have loved you since the night you stood on that staircase with a broken ankle, refusing to let Isabella break your spirit. Please tell me I'm not alone in this."
Tears spilled over my lashes, hot and liberating.
"You're not alone," I whispered. "I've loved you for so long, Luca. But I was so afraid... afraid of who I was, afraid of what people would say."
"To hell with what people say," Luca growled softly.
He captured my lips with his.
The kiss was everything I had dreamed of and more—fierce, demanding, yet impossibly tender. All the pent-up tension, fear, and unspoken longing of the past two months melted away beneath the heat of his touch. He pulled me out of my chair and onto his lap, his arms wrapping around my waist, claiming me with a possessive, breathtaking certainty.
When he finally pulled back, resting his lips against my throat, we were both breathless.
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"You are never sleeping in the nanny quarters again," he murmured against my skin. "You belong here. With me."
***
