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Home / Romance / THE DE LUCA BARGAIN / Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

All Chapters of THE DE LUCA BARGAIN : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

32 Chapters

Chapter 21

I never imagined freedom would feel so strange.The car glided through Manhattan with effortless ease while Marco drove from the front.I sat in the backseat, watching the city through the tinted window."Two years."It had been two years since I'd simply driven through New York without fear.The streets were familiar, yet somehow, they weren't. Restaurants had changed, buildings wore new signs.Storefronts I remembered had disappeared, and life had continued while mine stood still."Would you like to stop somewhere, Mrs. De Luca?"I looked up.Marco's eyes met mine briefly in the rearview mirror."Mrs. De Luca."I still wasn't used to hearing it."I'm not sure.""There isn't a schedule today." I smiled faintly."Your boss actually gave me a day off?" Marco's lips twitched."I believe his exact words were..." He cleared his throat. "'If my wife wishes to leave the estate, she may. Stay with her.'"I looked back out the window before he could notice the warmth that sentence unexpectedl

Chapter 22

I was beginning to understand one thing about the De Luca estate.Silence never lasted.If the mornings were peaceful, the afternoons belonged to business, and somewhere inside the mansion, Lorenzo ruled an empire without ever raising his voice.I, on the other hand, had discovered the library.It wasn't the grand one where I'd overheard Alessandro months ago.This one overlooked the gardens.Warm sunlight filtered through tall windows, and for the first time in years, I found myself reading because I wanted to, not because I was trying to escape.A knock interrupted my thoughts.It wasn't Marco, but one of the maids stepped inside."Mrs. De Luca?"I looked up."Yes?""The boss asked me to tell you he'll be home within the hour."I frowned wondering what I should do with that piece of information."And?"The maid hesitated."He said... to be ready.""Ready for what?" I asked immediately."I'm afraid he didn't say."Of course, he didn't. That's so Lorenzo.The maid disappeared as quiet

Chapter 23

The moment the car stopped, I understood why Lorenzo hadn't told me more about tonight.Camera flashes exploded outside before the driver had even opened the door.Voices rose immediately."Mr. De Luca!""This way!""Lorenzo!""Mrs. De Luca!"My stomach tightened."They know I'm here."Lorenzo looked at me once. "They know everything."The driver opened his door first, and Lorenzo stepped onto the pavement with the same calm confidence he carried everywhere else.The flashes intensified, then he turned, without a word, he held out his hand.I hesitated, only for a second, then I placed my hand in his, and his grip was firm. He helped me out of the car as though it were the most natural thing in the world, the cameras loved it, but I hated that they loved it.Questions flew from every direction."When did you start dating?""Was the wedding planned for months?""Mrs. De Luca, how does it feel?"Neither of us answered, Lorenzo guided me toward the entrance without breaking stride.His

Chapter 24

LORENZO'S POVThe first shot missed by less than six inches.I heard it before the glass shattered.Years of surviving had trained me to recognize the sound before most men even realized they were under attack.There was no time to think, but only to react.I grabbed Isabella, pulling her off the seat and onto the floor of the car.My body covered hers as the rear window exploded.Glass rained across my shoulders.Another shot struck the armored door, the impact echoed through the cabin."Drive," I yelled at my driver. He buried his foot on the accelerator, and the engine roared.While outside, the convoy came alive.The lead SUV cut across the intersection, sealing off one lane, and the rear escort closed the gap behind us. Exactly as they had trained.The radio crackled."Boss," Damiano called. "Status.""We're moving," he answered but another shot was fired. It roared too far behind us now."Good."I looked through what remained of the rear window and noticed one muzzle flash, h

Chapter 25

LORENZO'S POVThe taillights of Isabella's convoy disappeared into the night.Only then did I look away."She'll be at the estate in twenty-three minutes," Damiano said, lowering his phone."Marco?""Already called. He'll remain with her until you return."I nodded once, I wanted as far away from the chaos as possible. "Good," I said, and the city carried on around us.Every Car crawling through intersections, was thoroughly searched. People hurried along sidewalks, oblivious to the fact that someone had just declared war on the De Luca family."Let's move," I ordered Domiano, it was about time the real hunt began. Within seconds, another SUV pulled to the curb.Damiano held the rear door open, neither of us spoke as we climbed inside.The moment the doors shut, the vehicle accelerated.The silence lasted barely a minute before Damiano's phone rang. He fished out of his jacket and answered without greeting."Talk," he ordered followed by a pause.His expression remained unchanged,

Chapter 26

The drive back to the estate was painfully quiet.The only sounds inside the SUV were the steady hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of voices coming through the radio.I sat in the back seat, my hands clasped tightly in my lap.The cuts from the shattered glass stung every time I moved my fingers.But I barely noticed.My eyes remained fixed on the rear window.The streets of Manhattan disappeared behind us one block at a time, but there was no sign of Lorenzo.No sign of the black SUV he had stepped out of.Nothing.Marco noticed. Of course he did."The Boss told me to get you home safely."His voice broke the silence without startling me.I nodded absentmindedly."I know." Silence settled between us again.I tried convincing myself I wasn't worried.He had survived this world long before I came into it.Men like Lorenzo didn't simply disappear because of one attack. Yet the thought refused to leave me.What if...I hated that question.I hated that I was asking it at all.A

Chapter 27

The convoy came to a stop beneath my window.I should have stepped away. Instead, I remained where I was, my fingers curled around the edge of the curtain as I watched him walk towards the mansion. Damiano trailed behind him with a phone pressed to his ear, already speaking in clipped, efficient sentences.Even after everything that had happened, work hadn't stopped, nor had the De Luca empire.Relief settled in my chest before I could stop it.I hated that.He looked exhausted.But stopped and gave three short orders, nodded once, and headed toward the house.I finally let the curtain fall.What was I doing?I turned away from the window, determined to go back to my bed and forget the strange knot that had settled in my chest.I found myself heading to my bedroom door.Then I stopped.Before I could talk myself out of it, my feet were already carrying me into the hallway.I told myself I only wanted to make sure he'd made it inside, nothing more.When I reached the landing, I looke

Chapter 28

The mansion was unusually quiet when I came downstairs.Sunlight poured through the tall windows, bathing the dining room in a warm glow that should have felt comforting.I had spent nearly an hour convincing myself to leave my room after everything that had happened yesterday.I slowed at the doorway, when I noticed Lorenzo's chair was empty.I should have been relieved but for some crazy reason, I frowned.For as long as I'd known him, Lorenzo was always the first person awake.Whether he had slept for three hours or eight, breakfast found him already dressed, already working, a newspaper in one hand and a file in the other.Today, there was nothing, no newspaper, no coffee, and definitely no Lorenzo.Had he already left? I asked myself and a strange disappointment settled somewhere deep inside me before I could stop it.I frowned harder.What was wrong with me?Wasn't this what I wanted?A morning without awkward conversations.Without those piercing gray eyes noticing everything I

Chapter 29

The lockdown was beginning to wear on me.Days had blurred into one another until I could no longer tell whether I was restless because I was trapped, or because I had grown used to looking over my shoulder for someone who was never there.Lorenzo had left before sunrise, again.The mansion felt too quiet without him.I had settled into the library with a novel, determined to lose myself in someone else's world, when a knock interrupted me.Before I could answer, the door swung open."Vittoria."She leaned against the doorframe wearing oversized sunglasses, a cream blouse tucked into loose trousers, and the kind of smile that usually meant trouble."There you are," she said.With surprise written all over me, I lowered my book,"I've been looking everywhere for you." I didn't hear her car drive in, so how?"I'm impressed," I replied. "The mansion isn't exactly small."She ignored the comment."Get dressed."I frowned."For what?""We're going shopping."I blinked, surprised."...Shopp

Chapter 30

I followed Vittoria through the grand entrance hall, my footsteps echoing softly against the marble floor.Every portrait that lined the walls seemed to watch us pass.Generations of De Lucas, powerful men, people who had belonged here, and no matter how I looked at it I wasn't one of them.The drawing room doors stood open, as soon as we stepped inside, the conversation stopped.Three pairs of eyes turned toward us.Alessandro De Luca sat in an armchair near the fireplace, a newspaper folded neatly on the table beside him.Alfonso occupied the sofa opposite him, a cup of espresso resting in his hand.Bianca lounged comfortably beside her father.The first thing I noticed wasn't the silence.It was the way Bianca's smile disappeared the moment she saw me.Vittoria, completely unfazed, smiled brightly."I know exactly what you're all thinking."Alessandro raised an eyebrow."Do you?""I forgot my second phone." Alfonso chuckled."I wondered how long it would take before you noticed."

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