Chapter 9 - The Man Who Finally Asked
Luca didn't propose.
Not immediately.
Instead, he took me to the place where he had first seen me.
The mansion kitchen.
Ten months earlier, I had been standing there carrying a tray.
He had walked in unexpectedly.
I had dropped a glass.
He had asked, "Are you all right?"
I had said yes.
Even though I wasn't.
Funny how life worked.
We stood there now.
No staff.
No guards.
No secrets.
Just us.
"I need to tell you something," Luca said.
I smiled.
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
He reached into his jacket.
My heart stopped.
But he didn't pull out a ring.
He pulled out my father's watch.
"I had it repaired."
He placed it in my hand.
"It works."
I stared at it.
Then looked up.
"You fixed it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because your father wanted you to have it."
I smiled through tears.
"Thank you."
He stepped closer.
"I've spent my entire life controlling everything."
I raised an eyebrow.
"I noticed."
He laughed softly.
"But I've learned something."
"What?"
"Some things become more valuable when you don't control them."
I looked at him.
"Like what?"
"You."
My breath caught.
He continued.
"I don't want you because you were part of my house."
"I know."
"I don't want you because you saved me."
"I know."
"I want you because when everyone around me lied, you looked at me and told me the truth even when you were terrified."
Tears filled my eyes.
Luca took my hand.
The uninjured one.
"I love you, Emily."
I laughed softly through my tears.
"That's terrifying."
He smiled.
"Why?"
"Because I love you too."
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he kissed me.
It wasn't rushed.
It wasn't possessive.
It felt like a promise.
Not ownership.
Not obligation.
Choice.
When we pulled apart, he looked at me.
"Would you marry me?"
I stared.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely."
"Not because of the trust?"
"No."
"Not because of family expectations?"
"No."
"Not because Vanessa's wedding was ruined?"
He laughed.
"Definitely not."
I looked at the man in front of me.
The mafia boss everyone feared.
The man I had once barely dared to look at.
And the man who now waited for my answer like it mattered more than anything.
"Yes."
His smile changed the entire room.
Then the kitchen door opened.
Vanessa stood there.
She had been released pending trial and had agreed to testify.
She looked at us.
Her eyes filled.
"Congratulations."
I wasn't sure what to say.
She stepped closer.
"I owe you an apology."
"You do."
She smiled faintly.
"Fair."
She looked at Luca.
"I'm sorry."
He nodded.
"I believe you."
Then she looked at me.
"I'm glad you got the life I tried to take away."
I stepped forward.
"You can't change what happened."
"I know."
"But you can change what happens next."
Vanessa nodded.
That was the beginning of her rebuilding her life.
Not because she was forgiven for everything.
But because she finally stopped hiding.
Gabriel left Chicago.
He opened a small security firm in Seattle.
Matteo accepted responsibility and cooperated with prosecutors.
Vittorio Bellini and Anthony Mercer were convicted on multiple charges.
The Moretti foundation survived.
And Luca changed it.
He sold several controversial properties and created a fund for workers and families who had been displaced by predatory development.
He named the scholarship after my father.
The Thomas Carter Foundation.
When I saw the plaque for the first time, I cried.
Luca squeezed my hand.
"You like it?"
"It's perfect."
"No."
He looked at me.
"You're perfect."
I laughed.
"I don't think you know how to be normal."
"I never promised normal."
He kissed my forehead.
"Only honest."
May you like
For the first time in my life, I believed the future could actually be kind.
But our wedding day still had one final surprise waiting.
