All Chapters of Whisked Away : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

It was a quiet Sunday morning in Tuscany.The kind of morning where the olive trees barely rustled and sunlight slipped through lace curtains like soft honey.Amara sipped her espresso at the long farmhouse table, half-listening to Giulia babble to her stuffed rabbit and Sophia hum a made-up song about pizza.Luca and Noah were outside prepping the grill for a workshop.Then her phone buzzed.An email from Bellwood Community Arts & Culture Council.Subject: Proposal to Fund Expansion – Cooking School & Community Hub.She stared at it for a full minute before opening it.Dear Ms. Daniels,We’re writing to invite you to submit a proposal for a community culinary hub in Bellwood Falls. Your work has changed lives — especially for single parents, underprivileged youth, and those seeking second chances.We want to fund a full culinary academy: after-school programs, vocational training, wellness initiatives — all built around food, healing, and inclusion. You would lead it. Design it. Name

The first frost of autumn had come early to Bellwood Falls, frosting the edges of the garden and making the air taste like metal and possibility. The school was humming — finishing a week of workshops, volunteers stacking boxes of donated produce, kids laughing through their aprons in the courtyard.Amara loved mornings like this: the bright, practical chaos where everyone had a job and everything fit together like cutlery in a drawer. She sipped coffee on the back steps, watching Noah lead a “pantry relay” for the new scholarship students while Sophia taught a small group how to braid bread.Luca arrived with his usual grin and his hands full of fresh herbs. He kissed Amara quickly on the forehead and ducked into the kitchen, calling instructions over his shoulder.“Keep an eye on the oven temps!” he shouted. “And someone check the delivery from Pine & Field — the squash is supposed to be heirloom, not hockey-puck!”Amara laughed and headed inside to help. It felt like any other day.

The storm outside was in full force by evening, rain slashing against the windows in silvery sheets. Amara stayed behind to help Luca close up, but her eyes kept darting to the pocket of his apron, where the mysterious cream-colored envelope still rested.She tried to focus on wiping tables, stacking chairs, and sweeping the floor, but her mind kept circling back to that flicker in his expression the one that said whatever was in that letter was far from “nothing important.”Luca moved around the kitchen with his usual precision, but tonight there was a subtle tension in his movements, like a string wound too tightly. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, Amara approached him as he was locking the stockroom.“Luca,” she said, her voice gentle but firm, “if something’s wrong, I need to know. Don’t shut me out.”He hesitated, meeting her eyes. For a moment, it seemed like he might tell her. But then he smiled not his warm, genuine smile, but the polite one he used on strangers — and brushe

The morning sunlight spilled across Luca’s penthouse kitchen, catching on the gleam of polished copper pans and the deep red of fresh tomatoes on the counter. Amara leaned against the island, her coffee cup cradled between her palms, her brow furrowed in thought.“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked, watching Luca pace the floor like a wolf about to pounce.I’ve never been surer,” Luca replied, his dark eyes hard with determination. “If Isabella thinks she can destroy what we’ve built—our business, our relationship she’s in for a surprise.”Arianna, who was perched on a bar stool, lifted an eyebrow. “You’re talking like we’re in a spy movie. Please tell me this plan doesn’t involve actual explosives.”Luca smirked. “No bombs. Just brains. And maybe a hidden camera or two.”Amara set her cup down. “Okay. Walk me through it again.”Luca’s plan was deceptively simple: they would invite Isabella to an exclusive “tasting” for a new cooking class series. The bait would

The restaurant was buzzing after Isabella’s humiliating public downfall, but for Arianna the night wasn’t over. While Amara was still fielding congratulatory hugs from guests, Arianna was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, making sure the chaos of the tasting didn’t leave the place in shambles.Matteo leaned against the counter, polishing glasses.“You know,” he said casually, “I heard something strange earlier… in the wine cellar.”Arianna raised an eyebrow. “Strange how?”“Two men. Didn’t recognize their voices. One said, ‘Isabella might be finished, but the game isn’t over. The next move will hit closer to home.’”A cold shiver ran down Arianna spine. “And you’re just telling me this now?”He shrugged. “Didn’t seem urgent. But after tonight…”Arianna a forced a smile, masking the unease twisting in her gut. “It’s probably nothing.”But she didn’t believe her own words.Later, when the crowd had gone and Amara was laughing on the balcony with Luca, Arianna slipped quietly into the w