All Chapters of Ruthless Claim: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The villa’s entryway stretched heavy with silence. Aria’s breath came fast, shallow, her palm splayed over the slight curve of her belly as if to shield the child from words alone.“Don’t answer,” Eva whispered. Her stance was rigid, protective. “Security should handle this.”But the man outside had used the one weapon that cut straight through Aria’s defenses, her child. Her throat ached with the weight of panic and defiance.Before she could move, Maria hurried past, wringing her hands. “Aria, let me check. No one comes in without me knowing.” She opened the smaller latch of the door just a crack.The hood of his rain-soaked coat hid the stranger’s face. “Mrs Rossi,” he said smoothly, “I bring legal documents. From Benedetti’s attorneys. They concern your position and your child’s.”Aria froze.Eva shoved the door closed again with a sharp slam, startling Maria. “Nice try. If you’re legal, you can shove those papers under the gate and wait for Luca’s lawyers. We’re not interested.”

Aria had barely slept. Every creak of the villa, every scrape of wind against the shutters left her half-awake, heart galloping. She was still raw from the pounding knock the night before, the stranger’s cold voice calling her by a name that wasn’t hers.Now, in the bleached light of morning, she sat curled in a chair near the window, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly. The storm had cleared, leaving the hills washed clean, but nothing inside her felt still.Eva padded in with two mugs of coffee, hair pulled into a messy knot. “You look like you’ve been interrogating the rain all night.”Aria attempted a smile. It didn’t hold. “I kept hearing that voice. I couldn’t shake it.”Eva passed her a mug. “Probably some reporter fishing for drama. They’ll do anything for a headline these days.”“Or Benedetti sent him.” The name tasted bitter. “Either way, Luca can’t keep shielding me from all of this.”Eva’s expression softened, but before she could answer, the sound of tires crun

The rain had stopped, but the silence that followed was even worse.Luca stood in the middle of the room, still soaked in the cold gray light that filtered through the windows. His tie hung limp from his pocket, his sleeves rolled up, the veins in his forearms standing out as he clenched his fists.Aria hovered by the sofa, one hand at her stomach, the other gripping the edge of the table as if to steady the room.“Luca,” she whispered. “Talk to me.”He didn’t move. His eyes were dark, unreadable and they were fixed somewhere past her shoulder, lost in a place she couldn’t reach.“Please,” she tried again, softer now. “You’re scaring me.”That broke him.He exhaled a harsh breath and dragged a hand down his face. “The board’s divided. Half of them want my head on a platter. The other half…” He gave a humorless laugh. “They think I should disappear quietly until the press dies down.”Aria’s stomach twisted. “Disappear? You’re the company. They can’t”“They can,” he said flatly. “They a

The boardroom was in so much chaos.Rain hammered the glass walls as Luca De Rossi stood at the head of the table, jaw clenched, watching the storm tear across Milan’s skyline. The lights flickered once, briefly, like the world was mocking him.“Effective immediately,” Marco’s voice cut through the noise, “the company accounts have been frozen pending regulatory clearance. The acquisition’s been halted.”“Frozen?” Luca’s tone was lethal calm. “By whose order?”Marco exchanged a look with the compliance head. “By the Financial Ethics Council. Benedetti filed a petition claiming misappropriation of merger funds.”Luca laughed, short and dangerous. “He’s fabricating evidence.”“Maybe,” Marco said quietly, “but he’s already leaked it to the press. They’re calling it The De Rossi Cover-Up.”Luca’s hand tightened around the glass he was holding until it cracked. No one in the room breathed.“Get out,” he said softly.When they hesitated, his voice rose..a whip through the air. “Everyone. Ou

The morning sun broke through the clouds like nothing had happened, like the world hadn’t just come apart at the seams.Luca woke to cold sheets.For a long moment, he didn’t move. He reached out, fingers brushing over the space beside him, the faint scent of her shampoo still clinging to the pillow. Then his gaze fell on the folded note propped on the nightstand, her handwriting small and steady despite what it meant.“I need time, Luca. Please don’t come after me. A.”The words hit like a punch. He stood, the sheet falling from his waist, muscles taut with disbelief. “No…” His voice was a rasp, half anger, half grief. He pressed the note tighter in his hand as if it could change if he held it long enough.Eva’s footsteps echoed down the hall. She froze when she saw him, note in hand.“She’s gone,” he said flatly.Eva’s expression softened. “Luca”“Did you know?” His tone sharpened, dangerous in its restraint.“No. She packed light before sunrise. Said she needed air.”Luca raked a h