The champagne glass hit me before I understood someone had thrown it. One second, I was balancing a silver tray beneath the amber chandeliers of Bellamy House, calculating

The aftermath of the siege was swift and absolute.

By dawn, the estate was cleared, the mercenary team wiped out, and Victor Vance’s criminal empire shattered. Luca made sure of it. Within forty-eight hours, every shipping dock, nightclub, and property belonging to the Vance family was seized or burned to the ground. The Vance family was erased from the city’s underworld forever.

Inside the Moretti estate, heavy repairs began immediately. Additional security measures were installed, but despite the chaotic construction, a profound quiet settled over the household.

Mateo refused to sleep in his room alone. Every night, he asked me to stay beside his bed until he drifted off, holding my thumb in his tiny fist. And every night, without fail, Luca would walk into the nursery past midnight to check on us.

One evening, after Mateo fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, I quietly stepped out into the hallway. Luca was standing near the large arched window at the end of the corridor, staring out at the rain-soaked gardens. He wore a simple black sweater, a glass of dark whiskey held loosely in his fingers.

I walked up beside him, resting my elbows against the wooden sill.

"He's fast asleep," I murmured softly.

"Thank you, Claire," Luca said, his voice low and rich in the quiet night. "For going down into that basement. For being the first voice he heard when that door opened."

"I told you," I answered, looking up at his sharp profile in the moonlight. "I take care of Mateo."

"Is that the only reason you stayed?" he asked, turning his head to look down at me.

The question hung in the air, heavy and intimate. The moonlight caught the subtle amber highlights in his dark eyes. My heart betrayed me, skipping a sudden beat.

"I stayed because he needed me," I whispered. "And maybe... because I had nowhere else that felt like home."

Luca set his glass down on the wide window ledge. He stepped closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. The lingering scent of rain, expensive cedar, and dark coffee enveloped my senses.

"You don't have to look for a home anymore, Claire," he said softly, his voice dropping an octave, rich with an emotion I had never heard from him before. "You found it."

His hand reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my cheek. His touch was feather-light, almost hesitant, as if he were afraid a man with hands like his might break something so precious.

"Luca..." I breathed, my breath catching in my throat.

"I am a dangerous man, Claire," he murmured, his thumb resting lightly against my cheekbone. "My life is filled with shadows and violence. I have spent years keeping everyone at a distance to protect them. But when I saw you shielding my son... when I saw you standing up to me without a flinch of fear... everything changed."

"You terrify half the city," I whispered, leaning slightly into his touch despite myself. "Why don't you terrify me?"

A slow, breathtaking smile curved Luca’s lips—not his dangerous half-smile, but a real, rare, gorgeous smile that warmed his entire face.

"Because you see who I am when the guns are put away," he whispered.

He leaned down slowly, giving me every chance to step back. I didn't. I closed my eyes as his lips met mine in a soft, fierce kiss that tasted of rain and unspoken promises. It wasn't rushed; it was deep, grounding, and absolute.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his dark eyes shining in the moonlight.