Chapter 9 - The Unspoken Truth
The estate gardens were in full bloom. Red roses, white lilies, and sweet-smelling jasmine lined the wide stone pathways that wound down toward the private lake at the edge of the property.
They walked in silence for a long time, side by side, listening to the soft rustle of the wind through the oak trees and the distant chirping of birds.
"I spoke with the home-care agency yesterday," Naomi said quietly, breaking the silence as they reached the edge of the stone terrace overlooking the water.
Luca stopped walking, turning to look at her. "Why were you talking to the agency?"
"My five-month contract with your mother was set to expire next week," Naomi explained, looking out over the blue water. "I needed to confirm whether I should extend it or allow them to assign a secondary nurse to take over her afternoon therapy."
Luca stood motionless beside her, his jaw set, his gray eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat.
"You think this is just a contract, Naomi?" he asked, his voice low and intense.
Naomi turned her head to meet his gaze. "I am a care aide, Luca. I came into this house to do a job—to protect your mother and help her recover her health. I've done that."
"You did far more than that," Luca said, stepping closer until he was standing inches from her, blocking the morning sun. "You broke a locked door with a brass stand. You stood between my mother and a dangerous woman. You took a blow to the face, you walked into a dark vault filled with armed men, and you saved my family’s life twice in one day."
"Anyone in my position would have—"
"No one in your position would have done that!" Luca interrupted, his voice dropping into a rough, passionate register. "In my world, people run when the guns come out. They sell out their brothers for a million dollars, and they trade loyalty like cheap stock. You stayed because you cared about a helpless old woman. You stayed because... because you have a heart that doesn't know how to be corrupt."
Naomi felt her heart hammering against her ribs. "Luca..."
He reached out, his large, warm hand gently lifting her face, his fingers resting against the faint, fading bruise on her cheekbone. "I spent five months watching you in this house. I watched you laugh with my mother when she solved a crossword. I watched you read to her when she couldn't sleep. I watched you bring light into a home that had been cold and dark since my father died."
His thumb softly brushed her lower lip.
"I was going to marry Vivien Cole for power," Luca whispered, his eyes dark with raw emotion. "It would have been the biggest mistake of my life. She was everything my world represents—greedy, fake, and ruthless. But you... you showed me what strength actually looks like."
Naomi looked up into his gray eyes, seeing no mob boss, no cold-blooded leader of a syndicate, but a man who had fought his entire life to protect the people he loved, waiting for someone to protect him in return.
"I'm not going back to the agency, Luca," Naomi whispered, a soft, beautiful smile touching her lips.
Luca’s hand moved behind her neck, pulling her gently toward him until his lips met hers in a long, deep, and desperate kiss that seemed to erase every shadow of the past three weeks.
May you like
When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, both of their breaths coming in short, happy exhalations.
"Good," Luca murmured, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Because I already burned your contract yesterday morning."
