Chapter 9 - THE HAPPY ENDING
The gunfire was deafening, but it only lasted seconds.
Luca moved with terrifying precision. He didn’t shoot wildly; every pull of the trigger was calculated. Two Rossi soldiers dropped instantly. Marcus moved simultaneously, taking down a third, while the fourth threw his weapon to the floor and raised his hands in surrender.
Carlo Vane lunged for the black ledger on the table, his face twisted in desperation.
Luca crossed the room in three massive strides, bringing the butt of his rifle down hard on Vane’s wrist. Bone snapped. Vane howled in agony, collapsing to his knees, cradling his shattered arm.
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the sound of Vane’s groans and the crunch of broken glass under Luca’s boots.
I didn't look at Vane. I didn't look at Luca.
I ran straight to the corner of the room and scooped Mia into my arms.
The little girl buried her face in my shoulder, sobbing violently, her small hands clutching my bloodstained shirt.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered fiercely, pressing a kiss to her trembling head. “You’re safe. Nobody is going to hurt you, sweetie. I promise.”
“Claire,” Luca’s voice was rough, completely stripped of its usual calm.
I turned around.
Luca dropped his weapon on the table and closed the distance between us. He wrapped his arms around both me and Mia, pulling us tightly against his chest. He was shaking. The invincible boss of the Moretti family was trembling.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered into my hair. “When Marcus told me you went to the apartment… I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
“Teresa?” I asked, looking up at him.
“She’s awake. The doctors say she’ll recover fully,” Luca promised, his dark eyes searching my face, noting the blood on my clothes. His expression darkened. “Are you hurt?”
“It’s not my blood,” I choked out, the grief over Chloe finally bubbling to the surface. “It’s Chloe’s. Luca, Daniel set her up. He got her killed.”
At the mention of his name, a pathetic whimpering sound came from beneath the large dining table.
Luca’s eyes turned lethal. He stepped away from me, grabbed the edge of the heavy mahogany table, and flipped it over with a roar of sheer, unadulterated fury.
Daniel cowered on the floor, clutching his knees to his chest. His expensive suit was torn, and the gold Rolex was scratched. He looked pathetic. He looked exactly like the coward he had always been.
“Please,” Daniel begged, holding his hands up toward Luca. “Please, Mr. Moretti. It was Vane’s idea! I was just trying to survive! I’ll give the money back. I’ll divorce Rebecca! Just let me walk away!”
Suddenly, the front doors burst open again.
Rebecca ran into the room, followed closely by her father, Richard, and two police officers they had flagged down outside the gates.
“Mia!” Rebecca screamed.
I walked forward and placed Mia gently into her mother’s arms. Rebecca collapsed to her knees, hugging her daughter so tightly she rocked back and forth, sobbing prayers of gratitude.
Rebecca looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Claire. Thank you for saving my baby.”
I nodded, stepping back as Richard moved forward.
Richard didn't look at Mia. He walked straight toward Daniel, who was still cowering on the floor.
Richard reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of legal documents. He threw them aggressively at Daniel’s face.
“Those are the bankruptcy filings for your fake construction company,” Richard snarled. “I froze the escrow account. The trust fund is locked. I’ve contacted the IRS about your fraudulent loans. You are completely, utterly ruined.”
Daniel scrambled to pick up the papers, his hands shaking. “Richard, wait, you can't do this! I’m the father of your grandchild—”
“You are nothing to us,” Rebecca spat, standing up and covering Mia’s ears. “You are a monster. I never want to see your face again.”
The two police officers stepped forward to arrest Daniel, but Luca held up a hand, stopping them.
“Officers,” Luca said calmly. “Mr. Bennett isn't going to jail tonight.”
Daniel looked up, a spark of desperate hope flashing in his eyes. “I’m not?”
“No,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
Luca gestured toward Carlo Vane, who was bleeding on the floor, surrounded by his defeated men.
“Vane needs to answer to his Dons in New York for stealing from them,” Luca announced to the room. “And the Rossi family is going to want the two million dollars back that Daniel owes them. I think it’s only fair that Daniel goes with Mr. Vane to explain exactly where the money went.”
Daniel’s face went entirely slack.
Jail was a sanctuary. Being handed over to the Rossi family debt collectors was a death sentence.
“No!” Daniel screamed, scrambling backward like a crab. “Claire, tell him! Please, Claire, we were married! I loved you! Don't let them take me!”
I stood tall, the blood of my sister on my clothes, the truth finally setting me free.
“You never loved me, Daniel,” I said softly, but clearly. “You only loved what you could take from me. Have a safe trip to New York.”
The Rossi soldiers, desperate to appease Luca and survive the night, hauled Daniel to his feet by his collar, dragging him screaming and kicking out the shattered window into the darkness.
It was over.
The nightmare was finally over.
An hour later, the police had cleared the scene. Vane was gone. Rebecca and Mia were safely on their way home.
I sat on the velvet sofa in the grand parlor, staring blankly at the fireplace.
Luca walked in carrying a warm, damp towel. He knelt in front of me, gently wiping the dried blood from my hands. His touch was incredibly tender.
“Your name is cleared, Claire,” Luca promised quietly. “The ledger is secure. The debt is erased. You have your life back.”
I looked into his dark eyes, the ones that had terrified me eighteen months ago, and realized they were the safest place I had ever known.
“I don't want my old life back, Luca,” I whispered.
Luca paused. He slowly set the towel down and took both of my hands in his.
“Good,” he murmured, leaning in until his forehead touched mine. “Because I’m never letting you go. You aren't a maid in this house, Claire. You are the queen of it. If you’ll have me.”
I closed my eyes, tears of profound relief sliding down my cheeks, and kissed him. It was a promise. It was home.
Just then, Marcus cleared his throat from the doorway.
“Boss, sorry to interrupt,” Marcus said gently. “But Teresa sent something from the hospital. A nurse just dropped it off. She said it was urgent for Claire.”
Luca pulled back, frowning as Marcus handed him a small velvet box.
Luca opened it and held it out to me.
Inside the box rested a beautiful, antique gold necklace with a large, heavy locket.
I picked it up, my fingers tracing the intricate engravings. It felt familiar, like a memory I couldn't quite place.
I found the small clasp on the side and pressed it.
The locket sprang open.
Inside was a faded photograph of a young woman laughing.
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It was my mother.
And standing next to her in the photograph, holding her hand and smiling brightly, was a teenage Luca Moretti.
