Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Sun
Two weeks later, the mansion felt different.
The shattered glass had been swept away, the ruined portrait replaced by a bright, custom-framed watercolor painting of a sunlit garden that Lily had finger-painted with my help. The hidden steel vault had been permanently welded shut and plastered over with solid brick.
My wound was healing, though a long, jagged pink scar now ran diagonally across my thigh—a permanent reminder of that night. I had traded my crutches for a wooden cane, able to move through the east wing without assistance, though I still limped when the weather turned damp.
“Higher, Miss Hannah! Higher!”
Lily’s squeal of pure joy echoed across the manicured backyard gardens.
The afternoon sun was crisp and golden, warming the autumn breeze. Lily was sitting on a wooden rope swing that hung from a colossal white oak tree, her pink boots kicking wildly toward the cloudless sky. I stood behind her, pushing gently, smiling as her laughter danced through the trees.
A shadow fell over the grass.
I turned to see Luca walking across the lawn, carrying a thick leather folio. He wore a dark navy wool coat unbuttoned over a gray cashmere sweater. The ruthless warlord of the Chicago docks was completely absent; looking at him now, he was simply a stunningly handsome man coming home to his family.
“Daddy!” Lily cheered, letting the swing slow down.
Luca caught the ropes with one hand, kneeling down so his face was level with hers. He kissed both of her rosy cheeks, making her giggle and squirm. “Were you a good girl for Hannah today?”
“We made apple muffins!” she announced proudly, pointing toward the patio. “And I didn't spill the flour. Well... only a little bit on the dog.”
Luca laughed—a rich, deep baritone that made a pleasant, fluttering warmth bloom behind my ribs. “Good girl. Run inside and tell Mrs. Higgins to give you a glass of milk. I need to speak with Hannah for a moment.”
Lily scrambled off the swing and sprinted toward the terrace doors like a little whirlwind.
I leaned lightly on my cane, watching her go. “She’s sleeping through the night now,” I said softly. “No more nightmares about the dark room.”
“Because of you,” Luca said, rising to his feet and stepping closer.
His presence was always magnetic, an overwhelming gravity that pulled my focus entirely toward him. The clean scent of sandalwood, crisp air, and expensive tobacco washed over me.
“I was just doing my job, Luca.”
“No,” he countered, his gray eyes fixing on mine with unwavering intensity. “Cleaning rooms is a job. Cooking meals is a job. Taking a utility blade to the leg to save a child whose own blood relatives betrayed her? That’s devotion. That’s family.”
He opened the leather folio and pulled out a heavy parchment document with an embossed gold seal.
“What is that?” I asked, my brow furrowing.
“The deed and founding charter for the Collins Pediatric Foundation,” Luca explained, extending the document to me. “I liquidated the Bellini family’s real estate holdings in Lincoln Park. The property is being converted into a free medical clinic and emergency shelter for disadvantaged women and children. It is fully funded for the next fifty years.”
My breath caught in my throat. I looked down at the paper, seeing my late mother’s name woven into the trust’s official title. “Luca... I can't accept this. This is millions of dollars.”
“You aren't accepting it,” he murmured, his fingers brushing against mine as he handed me the folio. “You’re running it. You are the executive director. You have full operational control.”
“I’m a maid,” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. “I don't have a business degree. I grew up in a foster home on the South Side.”
“You have more courage and integrity in your little finger than every politician and CEO in this city combined,” Luca said firmly, stepping so close I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. “Degrees can be bought, Hannah. Character cannot.”
He reached out, his thumb gently tracing the faint, fading line of the cut on my cheekbone. The touch was so tender, so reverent, that my breath hitched. My heart beat frantically against my ribs.
“There’s one more thing,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, intimate register.
“What?”
“I don't want you living in the staff quarters anymore.”
Panic flared in my chest. Did he want me to move out? Was this his way of transitioning me out of Lily’s daily life now that the danger had passed?
“Luca, please,” I pleaded softly, looking up into his storm-colored eyes. “If this is about boundaries... I can stay out of your way. I just... I love Lily. I can't imagine waking up and not making her breakfast.”
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A look of genuine surprise crossed Luca’s face, followed immediately by a self-deprecating shake of his head. He took my free hand, the one not resting on the cane, and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
“You misunderstand me, Hannah,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving mine. “I don't want you leaving this estate. I want you to move into the master suite. With me.”
