One week later.

The morning sun poured through the massive bay windows of Luca’s Gold Coast mansion, casting long shadows across the polished hardwood floors.

I stood in the center of the grand foyer, wearing a simple blue dress. I wasn’t holding a feather duster. I wasn’t pushing a cleaning cart.

True to his word, Luca had forbidden me from returning to work. He had paid off my father’s medical bills, secured a safe apartment for Marcus and little Leo, and moved my sister and me into a private guest wing of his estate.

“You don’t have to do all this, Luca,” I had told him three days ago, overwhelmed by his generosity.

He had simply looked at me from across his mahogany desk and said, “I take care of what is mine, Emma.”

The words still sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn’t sure what I was to him. A liability? A friend? Something more? The lingering looks he gave me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention made my heart race, but the chasm between our worlds felt impossible to bridge.

I walked into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.

Margaret Bellini was sitting at the island, peacefully knitting a small blue sweater for Leo. Luca had refused to let the elderly woman return to her squalid apartment, offering her sanctuary in his home.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Margaret smiled warmly.

“Good morning, Margaret,” I replied, wrapping my hands around a warm mug. “How is Leo adjusting?”

“Oh, wonderfully,” she beamed. “Marcus brought him by yesterday. He’s such a bright boy. And Marcus is a good father. He forgave me for keeping Vanessa’s secret.”

I smiled, truly happy for them. The nightmare Vanessa had caused was finally over. She was sitting in a federal holding cell, facing decades for embezzlement, arson, and kidnapping.

But as I took a sip of my coffee, the heavy oak doors of the kitchen swung open.

Daniel walked in. The head of security looked grim, his jaw tight.

He was holding a small, rectangular black box.

“Where’s the Boss?” Daniel asked, his voice strained.

“In his study,” I replied, setting my mug down. “What’s wrong?”

Daniel didn’t answer. He walked past me, heading straight for the study.

My stomach tightened. I followed him.

When we entered the study, Luca was standing by the window, reviewing a stack of shipping manifests. He looked up as we walked in.

“Daniel,” Luca said, noting his man’s tense posture. “What is it?”

Daniel placed the black box on Luca’s desk. “This was left at the front gates this morning, Boss. No return address. The guards didn’t see who dropped it.”

Luca stared at the box. He didn’t open it immediately. He pulled a silver letter opener from his desk and carefully lifted the lid.

I held my breath.

Inside, resting on a bed of black velvet, was a single, perfectly preserved black rose.

Next to the rose was a silver rosary. The same type of rosary Mrs. Gable had carried.

Luca’s expression turned to ice.

“The Russos,” I whispered, recognizing the symbol.

“Yes,” Luca said quietly.

Daniel crossed his arms. “Dominic Russo is furious. Vanessa promised him four million dollars, and now she’s locked away with her accounts frozen. He feels he was robbed of his payment.”

“He knows I won’t pay a dead woman’s debts,” Luca said, his eyes narrowing.

“He doesn’t want money, Boss,” Daniel said hesitantly. “There was a note under the rose.”

Luca lifted the velvet padding. He pulled out a small, heavy piece of parchment.

He read it in silence. His jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack.

“What does it say?” I asked, stepping closer.

Luca looked at me, a dangerous, protective fire burning in his eyes.

He handed me the note.

The handwriting was elegant, mocking.

Vanessa is gone, but the debt remains. Since you cost me my money, Moretti, I am taking a piece of your territory. The South Side docks belong to the Russos now. If you try to stop me, I will finish what Vanessa started. I will burn the maid and her entire family.

I dropped the note onto the desk, my hands trembling.

The nightmare wasn’t over. It had just changed faces.

“I’ll pack my things,” I said immediately, fighting back tears. “Chloe and I will leave the city. If we aren’t here, he can’t use us against you.”

“No,” Luca commanded, stepping around the desk and grabbing my arms gently.

“Luca, I’m a liability to you!” I pleaded. “They want your territory, and they’re using me as a weakness to get it!”

“You are not a weakness, Emma,” Luca said, his voice fierce and resolute. “And you are not leaving this house. The Russos think they can intimidate me by threatening the people I care about. They are about to learn a very painful lesson.”

He turned to Daniel, his demeanor shifting into that of a wartime general.

“Call the captains,” Luca ordered. “Lock down the docks. If a single Russo soldier sets foot on our territory, kill them.”

Daniel nodded sharply. “Yes, Boss.”

As Daniel left the room, Luca looked back at me.

“I told you I would protect you,” he promised, his thumb gently stroking my wrist. “I don’t break my promises.”