THE SOUND BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR

Three weeks later, the house was entirely different.

The heavy drapes were pulled open, letting autumn sunlight flood the mahogany floors. The East Wing was fully renovated into a massive playroom for Leo. Vanessa and Silvio were gone, facing syndicate justice that Luca never spoke of, and I never asked about.

I stood in the kitchen, folding my apron.

“You don’t have to do that anymore,” Luca said, leaning against the doorframe. He was wearing a tailored suit, looking every bit the untouchable boss, but his eyes were warm.

“It’s a habit,” I said, setting the apron on the counter. “Old habits die hard.”

“Then we build new ones.” He walked toward me. “I meant what I said last week, Grace. You don't belong in the staff quarters. You belong here.”

My chest tightened. We had shared dinners. We had put Leo to sleep together. We had talked until 2 AM about our pasts. But the reality was glaring.

“Luca, I’m a maid. I’m a bookkeeping student with ten thousand dollars in debt. Your world... your council... they expect you to marry a mafia daughter. Someone with blood ties and power.”

“I don't care what the council expects,” he said fiercely.

“But I do,” I argued, stepping back. “I won't be a liability to you. I won't be the weak link they try to exploit.”

Luca stared at me for a long time. Then, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a thick manila envelope.

“I didn't want to give you this yet, but you need to understand something about your power, Grace.”

He handed it to me.

“What is this?” I asked.

“When your mother died, her diner went into foreclosure,” Luca said quietly. “I bought it. Anonymously. I’ve kept it running for five years.”

I froze. “You bought my mother’s diner?”

“Open it,” he said.