جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 140

Elena leaned on the counter, still rattled by Luca’s sudden presence. She lifted her drink, though she didn’t take a sip, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.“So,” She began carefully, her tone casual but edged with curiosity, “are you here alone?”Luca tilted his head, his lips twitching as if her question amused him. “What does that have to do with anything?” he asked, his voice low but sharp.Elena tried not to flinch. She forced a chuckle and shrugged, swirling the glass in her hand. “Just asking, you know....You sure do look like someone waiting on someone, that’s all.” She shrugged but he didn’t reply right away, and that silence made her uneasy. Luca didn’t know who she was and he hadn’t been around Carol long enough to meet everyone in her circle. That ignorance gave Elena a small window of advantage, and she meant to use it.She leaned closer, her expression warm and friendly, the kind you gave to strangers you wanted something from. “It’s just… kind of unusual to see s

"We cannot have this place sealed up like you have requested," Marco drew him aside and recounted."What is that supposed to mean?" Antonio asked, casting him a cursory glance that passed the very message it was meant to pass."Please, do not perceive this as an act of defiance...you know I won't ever try to defy you but I think....""Shhhhhhhh.... you aren't paid to think but to do your job," Antonio corrected, stepping deeper into the narrow room of the cottage, the air thick with dust and the faint rot of old wood. He ran his palm over the rough wall where the map had been pulled from, his fingers lingering on the grooves. The grain bit into his skin, but he didn’t pull back.“How long has this been here?” he muttered, his voice tight.Marco, his right-hand man shifted uneasily and spoke up immediately.“Boss, with respect… What does it matter? You’re already married to the heiress of the Rosetti empire. Whatever was hidden here is hers by right. What are we even digging through as

The club throbbed with loud music, a wild mix of laughter, shouts, and bodies pressed close together. Luca pushed through the crowd, his eyes scanning left and right, searching for Carol. He had been at it for minutes, weaving between people, ignoring the curious stares thrown his way. His shirt was slightly rumpled from bumping into too many shoulders, and his jaw was tight. He wasn’t leaving until he found her.Just then, someone rushed past him so fast that he almost collided with them. He reached out instinctively, catching the woman by the arm. It was Elena. Her eyes flicked to his, wide and almost startled, but she pulled back quickly as if his touch burned her.“Why are you in such a hurry? What’s the problem?” Luca asked, his tone sharp but concerned.“This isn’t the time for questions,” Elena muttered, trying to shake him off. “I have to go.” She announced but he didn’t release her. “You can’t just run off like this. I mean, I saw you not quite long and now you are...Wh

I hovered over Carol’s face, watching her chest rise and fall, waiting for the smallest sign that she’d wake up. She’d been out too long, far longer than I was comfortable with. At first, I thought it was just the alcohol dragging her under, but the hours kept ticking, and my worry grew heavier with each one. I had tried to distract myself by making coffee, pacing the floor and even pulling out my phone to check emails I didn’t care about but I kept coming back to her. Her hair was spread out messily on the pillow, her lips slightly parted, and her skin looked pale under the faint sunlight slipping through the curtains. She looked peaceful, but it wasn’t the kind of peace that eased me. It was the kind that made me wonder if she was actually okay. Then, finally, she stirred. Her eyelids fluttered weakly, and she groaned. Relief washed through me like a tide breaking. She blinked around the room, her eyes darting from wall to ceiling, then to the window, like she had no idea where

“Why is it so quiet?” Veronica asked, her voice slicing through the air. “Where is everyone?” She demanded from Clara upon noticing that the house had fallen into a strange quietness, one that Veronica noticed the moment she stepped into the living room. Usually there was some noise, either the maids rushing about or something clattering in the kitchen, or at least the distant sound of conversation but now, there was nothing. Her eyes scanned the place, expecting to see something but all she saw was Clara, who was just alighting down the stairs with nothing in her hands. Her hands tightened around the rail, her head slightly bowed as though she wished Veronica hadn’t seen her.“Clara, I asked you a question. Where is everyone?” Veronica narrowed her eyes.“You did?” Clara retorted.“Don’t be stupid!” Veronica yelled but Clara said nothing, her lips pressed together and her face paled. That silence only fueled Veronica’s irritation.“Where is Luca?” She pressed authoritatively causi