Chapter 5 - The Private Study
The mahogany desk in Luca’s private study was buried under a fortress of quarterly reports, real estate prospectuses, and audited balance sheets. I stood beside him, the brass desk lamp casting a warm, amber glow over his broad shoulders as he flipped rapidly through a stack of subsidiary deeds. His tie was loosened, the top button of his black shirt undone, exposing the dark edges of the ink tattoos crawling up his neck. The authoritative armor he wore in boardrooms had cracked open, replaced by a cold, calculating fury.
"Here," Luca said, his finger tapping a jagged signature at the bottom of a transfer document. "Arthur Vance. He runs acquisitions for the eastern district. On paper, he answers directly to my COO, but Vance has been routing capital through offshore shells for six months without my sign-off."
"How did he get away with it?" I asked, leaning closer, the scent of cedar and expensive cologne wrapping around me.
"Because my attention was divided," Luca admitted quietly, not looking up. He turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "And because Vance knew I rarely look twice at residential blocks designated for commercial demolition. He thought he could clear out old neighborhoods like your grandmother's under the radar, sell the land to industrial developers, and pocket the difference."
I crossed my arms, feeling a shiver run down my spine. "And Vanessa?"
"Vanessa travels in the same social circles as Vance's wife," Luca said, his jaw tightening. "She didn't know the specifics of the embezzlement, but she knew the area was changing. She wanted your grandmother out because she can't stand the sight of anyone who doesn't fit her curated vision of high society."
"She called us peasants," I whispered, the memory of her sneer flashing behind my eyelids.
Luca stood up abruptly, the heavy leather chair scraping against the hardwood floor. He closed the distance between us until I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. "You are nothing of the sort, Emma. And by tomorrow morning, Vance is going to learn what happens when he steals from my family name."
May you like
"Your family name," I echoed, my pulse quickening. "You're willing to tear apart your own board for this?"
"I built this empire on loyalty, not extortion," Luca said, his voice dropping to a rough, steady register. He reached out, his warm fingers brushing a stray lock of dark hair away from my cheek. The touch was so tender, so completely at odds with the violent world he commanded, that I forgot how to breathe. "And right now, my loyalty belongs to the people they tried to throw into the street."
