Chapter 5 - THE FIRST SMILE
Three days later.
The third-floor medical suite looked entirely different. The scary-looking medical monitors had been unplugged and pushed into the corner. The heavy blackout curtains were pulled back, allowing bright morning sunlight to flood across the room.
Lucas Duca sat propped up against three plush white pillows on his bed.
For the first time in two years, color had returned to his cheeks. His skin was no longer translucent grey, but a healthy, warm peach. He was sipping slowly from a cup of warm broth held by Dr. Mara Quinn.
“How does it taste, buddy?” Mara asked gently.
“Good,” Lucas whispered, his voice still small and raspy from months of weakness, but clear. “Not sour like the purple juice.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her short legs back and forth, was three-year-old Emma.
She was wearing a yellow sundress with tiny daisy prints, her hair tied in two messy pigtails. She was busily showing Lucas her yarn-haired doll.
“This is Sally,” Emma announced proudly. “Sally likes tea parties. But she doesn't like doctor shots.”
Lucas let out a tiny, soft laugh—a sound that hadn't been heard in the Duca estate for over a thousand days.
Standing by the door, watching the two children through the glass window, were Lorenzo and Clara.
Lorenzo had his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. He watched his son laugh, a strange, unaccustomed warmth spreading through his chest.
“He hasn't smiled since his mother died,” Lorenzo said softly, almost to himself.
Clara stood beside him, holding a tray of freshly baked blueberry muffins. She looked at Lorenzo, seeing the fierce mafia boss transform into a human father right before her eyes.
“Children heal each other, Mr. Duca,” Clara said gently. “Emma hasn't stopped talking about ‘Brother Lucas’ since Tuesday night.”
“Call me Lorenzo, Clara,” he said, turning his head to look at her. “We are no longer master and servant in this house.”
Clara blushed slightly, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s going to take some getting used to, Lorenzo. Living on the second floor... eating at the main dining table...”
“You’ll get used to it,” Lorenzo said. “My estate has sixteen empty bedrooms. It was built for a large family. For three years, it felt like a mausoleum. Having you and Emma here... it brings life back into these walls.”
The door opened, and Daniel stepped out into the hallway, carrying a stack of security reports.
“Boss,” Daniel said quietly. “David Chen’s properties have been fully liquidated. The paperwork is finalized. The Duca organization now controls eighty percent of the Eastern Seaboard shipping channels.”
“Good,” Lorenzo said. “Transfer twenty percent of the revenue from those channels directly into a trust fund for Emma Carter.”
Daniel smiled, nodding approvingly. “Consider it done, boss.”
Inside the room, Lucas reached out his tiny hand and gently took Emma’s toy doll.
“Thank you, Emma,” Lucas whispered to the little girl. “Daddy said you saved me from the bad lady.”
Emma beamed with childish pride, puffing out her little chest. “I’m a superhero! Uncle Lorenzo said so!”
Lucas looked toward the window and saw his father standing there. He waved his small arm weakness slowly dissipating. “Daddy! Look! I’m drinking the broth!”
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Lorenzo pushed open the door and stepped inside. He walked over to the bed, sat beside Lucas, and wrapped his arm around both his son and little Emma.
“I see it, my boy,” Lorenzo said, his voice thick with emotion as he kissed the top of Lucas’s head. “I see it.”
