Chapter 6 - Shadows in the Sun
Morning arrived with cold, grey sunlight filtering through the sprawling windows of the master wing.
True to his word, Luca had moved me into an expansive suite just across the hall from Sophie’s bedroom. The room was larger than my mother’s entire apartment, fitted with cream-colored silk drapes, a plush king-sized bed, and a private balcony overlooking the manicured rose gardens.
A rack of high-end, modest designer clothes had already been delivered before I even woke up, along with a note in bold, elegant cursive:
*Burn the apron. You belong here now. — L.*
When I walked down to the breakfast solarium, the atmosphere was drastically different from twenty-four hours earlier.
Teresa was seated in a comfortable leather armchair, not her wheelchair. A dedicated physical therapist and a registered nurse stood discreetly nearby, but it was Luca who was spooning fresh yogurt and honey into a bowl for his mother.
At the other end of the glass table, Sophie was happily coloring in a sketchpad, her face bright with color, the trauma of the previous night pushed away by the presence of her father.
"Hannah!" Sophie squealed, dropping her green crayon and running straight across the room to wrap her arms around my waist.
"Good morning, princess," I laughed, lifting her up and kissing her cheek before setting her down. I looked over at Teresa, whose eyes crinkled with genuine warmth.
"H-Hannah... good... morning," Teresa said clearly. Her speech was still slow, but without the toxic drops clouding her system, her neural pathways were already fighting to rebuild themselves.
"Look at you, Mrs. Moretti," I said, smiling warmly as I stepped closer. "You sound wonderful."
Luca stood up from the table. He wore an impeccably tailored charcoal suit, his presence commanding and utterly striking. His dark eyes raked over me, taking in the simple navy blue wrap dress I had chosen from the wardrobe. A look of fierce, quiet satisfaction crossed his face.
"Sit with us," Luca said, pulling out the chair right beside his own.
I hesitated. "Mr. Moretti, the staff—"
"You are not the staff," he interrupted smoothly, his voice carrying an authority that brooked no defiance. "Sit, Hannah."
I sat. As I did, Luca leaned in slightly, his shoulder brushing mine as he poured a cup of fresh coffee and placed it in front of me. "My men escorted your mother to Northwestern Memorial early this morning," he said casually, taking a sip from his own cup.
My heart leaped into my throat. "What? My mother? Is she okay?"
"She’s more than okay," Luca replied, his dark eyes steady. "I had the chief of neurology examine her. She’s been transferred to their premier private rehabilitation suite. All her medical debts have been wiped clean. A private trust has been established in her name. She will receive the best physical therapy in the country for the rest of her life."
Panic and gratitude collided in my chest, leaving me breathless. "Luca... no. That costs hundreds of thousands of dollars! I told you I didn't want payment—"
"It isn't payment," Luca said, leaning closer so only I could hear his deep, velvet voice beneath the chatter of Sophie and Teresa. "It’s protection. And it’s gratitude. You protected what was most precious to me, Hannah. Did you really think I wouldn't protect what is precious to you?"
I stared at him, my lips parted, completely disarmed by the sudden vulnerability behind his stone-cold exterior. For the first time, I saw beneath the armor of the mafia boss. He was a man who lived in a world where loyalty was constantly bought and betrayed; when he finally found someone who acted out of pure love, he valued it more than all the gold in Chicago.
Before I could reply, the heavy glass doors of the solarium opened. Matteo stepped inside, his face pale, holding a secure tablet.
Luca’s demeanor instantly shifted. The warmth vanished, replaced by the deadly mask of the don. "Report."
"Anthony Bellini just called an emergency council of the Five Families," Matteo said grimly, keeping his voice low out of earshot of Sophie. "He’s claiming you fabricated the charges against Vanessa to break the alliance. He’s demanding your head, Boss. And he’s hired the Petrov syndicate out of Detroit to back his play."
Luca didn't flinch. He picked up his linen napkin, wiped his mouth, and stood up.
"The Petrovs?" Luca sneered coldly. "Bellini is growing desperate if he’s inviting Russian mercenaries into our city." He looked down at me, his gaze softening for a single, fleeting second. "Stay inside the estate, Hannah. Keep Sophie and my mother in the inner safe room on the second floor. Do not leave their side."
"Luca, be careful," the words slipped out of my mouth before I could filter them.
He paused, looking down at me. A rare, breathtaking smirk touched his lips.
May you like
"They should be the ones being careful," he said softly, then turned to his soldier. "Matteo. Mobilize the northern crews. Let’s show the Bellinis what happens when you threaten my home."
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