Chapter 9 - The Bluff Reclaimed
By June, the Triumph of Neptune fountain in the center of the Duca courtyard had been completely rebuilt. The ancient bronze pipes had been replaced by modern, high-pressure reinforced steel lines, and the stone-carved sea god now held his trident over a pool of perfectly clear, filtered water that reflected the summer roses along the terrace.
The grand hall was no longer boarded up with plywood. The large bay windows had been re-installed with bulletproof architectural glass that allowed the bright, warm morning sun to stream across the Italian marble floorboards.
Mia stood by the grand fireplace, wearing a simple, dark green linen dress that Matteo had given her for the harbor anniversary celebration. Her hair was down, falling over her shoulders in soft waves, the small tape from her arm scratch long gone, replaced by a smooth, healthy tan from her weekend hours on the estate boat.
Matteo stood beside her, his fingers lightly twirling a glass of champagne, his eyes tracking the line of her mouth as she laughed at something Leo had said from the terrace outside.
"My father is making a speech," Matteo whispered, his breath warm against her temple as the crowd of Port Emery city officials began gathering around the central steps.
"I know," Mia said, her hand reaching down to catch his fingers behind the green fabric of her dress. "He showed me the outline yesterday. He included three separate paragraphs about the compliance department's efficiency ratings."
"He didn't include the part about the chandelier?" Matteo asked, his smirk widening.
"The chandelier is currently classified under 'unanticipated structural maintenance,' Mr. Duca," Mia said, her gray eyes shining with that fierce, stubborn lightness.
Lorenzo Duca stood at the top of the marble steps, his tall frame cast in the bright summer light. He raised his glass toward the crowd, his voice clearing the hum of the voices instantly.
"Two quarters ago, this house was visited by an old ghost from Rhode Island," Lorenzo said, his gray eyes sweeping across the lawn until they landed on Mia and Matteo standing together by the fireplace doors. "The ghost believed that an empire could be broken by an ambush at the north gate. He believed that because he looked at our charts and saw that our guards were few."
He lifted his glass directly toward Mia.
"But he forgot that the Duca family does not rely on charts. We rely on the people who keep our world from breaking when the lights go out. To Varro Security’s compliance director—the only woman who can save an empire before sunrise and destroy a fountain before breakfast. To Mia."
"To Mia!" the crowd roared, their glasses catching the sun like a thousand small diamond crystals.
Matteo turned to her, his glass set down on the mantelpiece as both of his hands came up to frame her face, his thumbs tracing the line of her jaw with an intensity that made the noise of the crowd vanish completely into the summer wind.
"You're not wearing your blazer today, Director," he whispered, his eyes locking onto hers with an absolute, unshielded devotion that had taken six months to grow but would take a lifetime to exhaust.
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"The blazer is in the office, Matteo," Mia whispered back, her hands coming up to rest against his chest, her heart beating in a steady, perfect rhythm beneath his palms. "Currently, I’m completely off the clock."
"Good," Matteo said, his mouth lowering to hers as the sound of the fountain water rose behind them, bright, clear, and perfectly steady in the summer afternoon. "Because I’ve been waiting since January to show you what happens when the target catches the guard."
