SHE'S NOT FAMILY ANYMORE! TAKE HER BACK OUTSIDE!” THE MAFIA BOSS'S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID FOR BRINGING AN ELDERLY

Three weeks passed.

The crisp October chill gave way to the biting cold of a Chicago November. But inside the Moretti estate, things had never been warmer.

The dark, imposing oil paintings of Luca’s mobster ancestors had been taken down from the hallways. In their place, bright landscapes and family photographs were hung. Margaret spent her days in the sunroom, knitting scarves and teaching Sophie how to play the piano.

I was no longer wearing a black and white uniform.

I sat in a spacious office on the first floor, wearing a tailored navy blazer and slacks. I was officially the Director of the Caroline Moretti Charitable Foundation. Thanks to the two-million-dollar check my mother had left me, I had paid off Clara’s tuition entirely and set aside a comfortable nest egg.

But I hadn't moved out of the estate.

Luca had insisted I stay in the east wing until the Foundation was fully operational. At least, that was the professional excuse we both used.

The truth was, neither of us wanted to be apart.

Our days were filled with meetings and restructuring the legitimate businesses. But our evenings were quiet, spent sitting by the massive fireplace in the library, drinking tea while Sophie read books aloud to us.

It felt like a family.

But there was still a lingering, unspoken tension between Luca and me.

A line we hadn't crossed.

I was an ex-maid, ten years his junior, who had just stepped into a world of immense wealth and power. He was a grieving widower trying to navigate a clean life. We were circling each other, terrified that one wrong move would break the fragile peace we had built.

One Tuesday afternoon, I was sorting through a stack of old files in my office when Luca walked in.

He was wearing a casual gray sweater and dark jeans. He looked relaxed, the dark circles under his eyes completely gone.

“You’re working too hard,” he said, leaning against the doorframe, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I’m just reviewing the final asset transfers from David’s seized accounts,” I replied, pushing my glasses up my nose. “The government cleared the last five million. The Foundation is fully funded.”

Luca walked over to my desk and closed the file folder I was reading.

“The Foundation can wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I need you to come with me.”

I blinked. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

He helped me into my winter coat, and we walked out to his SUV.

He drove us away from the wealthy suburbs, heading toward the south side of Chicago. The neighborhoods grew rougher, the buildings older. It was the part of the city I had grown up in.

My heart beat a little faster. “Luca, why are we here?”

He didn't answer. He just pulled the car up to a familiar, rundown brick building.

St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital. The place where my mother had worked.

He parked the car and led me inside. We walked past the busy emergency room and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. The pediatric oncology wing.

When the elevator doors opened, I gasped.

The entire wing had been renovated. The dull, depressing beige walls were painted with bright, beautiful murals of forests and oceans. The nurses' station was entirely modernized.

And above the main double doors, a large silver plaque had been freshly mounted.

“The Sarah Carter Pediatric Wing. Funded by the Caroline Moretti Charitable Foundation.”

Tears instantly sprang to my eyes.

I covered my mouth, staring at my mother’s name shining under the hospital lights.

“Luca,” I choked out. “You did this?”

He stood behind me, his hands resting gently on my shoulders.

“She spent her life trying to save people in this hospital,” Luca said softly. “She saved my family. I wanted to make sure her name saved thousands more.”

I turned around and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest.

“Thank you,” I sobbed. “It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.”

Luca wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tightly. He kissed the top of my head, resting his cheek against my hair.

“You deserve the world, Emily,” he whispered.

We stood there for a long time, the bustling hospital moving around us, completely lost in each other.

When I finally pulled back, wiping my eyes, I noticed a woman in a white doctor’s coat watching us from the nurses' station.

She smiled warmly and walked over.

“Mr. Moretti,” she said, extending her hand. “The renovations are incredible. The staff is overwhelmed with gratitude.”

“Thank Dr. Evans,” Luca replied, shaking her hand. “But you should thank our Director. Emily Carter.”

The doctor’s eyes widened. She looked at me closely.

“Carter?” she asked. “Are you Sarah’s daughter?”

I nodded, feeling a swell of pride. “Yes. I am.”

The doctor’s smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of surprised recognition.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Dr. Evans said, lowering her voice. “I’ve been trying to track down next of kin for three years. Your mother left something in her employee locker before she passed away. When the hospital boxed up her things, it was put in the basement archives. We just found it during the renovation.”