Chapter 10 - THE PROPOSAL
I forgot how to breathe.
The rain lashed against the bedroom window, the only sound in the suffocating silence of the suite.
I stared at the sapphire ring in the velvet box, my mind completely blank.
“You… you want me to marry you?” I stammered, the bourbon glass trembling in my hand. “Mr. Moretti, that’s insane.”
“Luca,” he corrected smoothly. “And it is strictly business, Claire.”
He didn't move toward me. He stayed in his chair, keeping a respectful distance, his voice calm and pragmatic.
“If I do not marry on Saturday, the Commission will demand an explanation for Vanessa’s disappearance. If I tell them the truth—that a rival boss infiltrated my inner circle and planted a spy in my bed—they will vote to strip me of my territory. It is a sign of fatal weakness.”
“So you replace her with your housekeeper?” I asked, my voice rising in disbelief. “They won't question that?”
“They will question it,” Luca admitted. “But they will respect it. In our world, marrying a woman whose family holds a Moretti debt of honor is seen as a deeply traditional, powerful move. It shows loyalty to the old ways. It projects absolute control.”
I looked down at the silver bracelet on my wrist.
He had this planned.
When he put this bracelet on me in the foyer, he wasn't just giving me protection. He was setting the stage for his alibi.
A wave of betrayal washed over me.
“I see,” I whispered, setting my glass down on the side table. “I’m not a guest of honor, am I? I’m just a new prop. A safer Vanessa.”
Luca flinched.
It was the first time I had ever seen him physically react to a verbal blow.
He snapped the velvet box shut and set it down.
“That is not fair,” Luca said, his voice tightening. “I am trying to protect my family, and I am offering to protect yours. It would be a paper marriage. Separate bedrooms. A public facade. You would have unlimited access to my resources, and Leo would have a mother figure he actually trusts.”
“And what do I get when you don't need me anymore?” I asked, tears of frustration prickling my eyes. “Do I get put on a train like Vanessa?”
Luca stood up abruptly.
He walked to the window, rubbing the back of his neck, visibly agitated.
“I would never treat you like that,” he said, his back to me. “Vanessa betrayed me. You bled for me. There is a difference.”
“Then let me go,” I said quietly.
Luca froze.
“Let me and my mother go to Switzerland,” I continued, my voice breaking. “You paid your father’s debt. You don't need to trap me in a fake marriage to save your pride.”
Silence stretched across the room.
For a terrifying second, I thought the mafia boss would turn around and enforce his will. He was a man who took what he wanted.
Instead, Luca slowly nodded.
He didn't turn around.
“You are right,” he said softly. “You have suffered enough in this house. I will not force you into a life you do not want.”
He walked toward the door.
“Your flight to Geneva leaves at 8:00 AM. Daniel will escort you.”
He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Before he closed it, he looked back at me one last time. His dark eyes were filled with a profound, heavy sadness.
“Goodbye, Claire.”
The door clicked shut.
I was free.
I had money, safety, and my mother’s health secured.
But as I sat alone in the beautiful room, staring at the velvet box he had left on the table, my chest ached with a sudden, overwhelming emptiness.
I didn't want to leave.
I reached for the velvet box.
I opened it, staring at the deep blue sapphire.
Underneath the ring, tucked neatly into the silk lining, was a small, folded piece of paper.
I pulled it out and unfolded it.
It wasn't a prenup. It wasn't a contract.
It was Leo’s crayon drawing.
Not the one of the scary man.
It was a new one.
A drawing of three stick figures holding hands. A tall man in a black suit. A little boy. And a woman in a housekeeper's apron.
At the top, written in messy, uneven letters, were three words.
May you like
Please don't go.
My heart shattered.
