Chapter 9 - A New Dawn at the Estate
Three months after the museum gala, the Gold Coast mansion felt entirely different. The cold, intimidating stone walls and oppressive silence that had defined Luca’s life for years were replaced by warmth, laughter, and the steady hum of a real home.
My father had successfully completed his specialized physical therapy sessions, walking steadily on his own two feet again, and my brother was finishing his engineering degree without a single financial burden.
And as for my relationship with Luca? It had evolved far beyond a corporate partnership.
It was a crisp Saturday morning. Sunlight poured through the tall arched windows of the estate’s private conservatory, illuminating rows of blooming white roses.
I sat at the glass patio table, reviewing the final restructuring reports for Moretti Enterprises, when heavy, familiar footsteps approached from behind.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, and Luca pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the side of my neck.
"You’re working too hard on a weekend," Luca murmured, gently sliding the tablet out of my hands and setting it aside.
"Someone has to make sure your newly restructured shipping empire doesn't accidentally run itself into the ground," I teased, leaning back comfortably against his chest.
Luca chuckled, resting his chin on my head. "The empire is running itself just fine. Besides, I had something much more important on my calendar for today."
I turned around in his arms, looking up into his dark, affectionate eyes. "Oh? And what’s that?"
Luca reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He flipped it open. Inside rested a stunning, vintage diamond ring that caught the morning light like liquid fire—simple, elegant, and completely devoid of the toxic politics that had ruined his previous engagement.
"When I hired you, I told you that people who owe powerful men never really belong to themselves again," Luca said softly, his voice dropping into a register of profound, raw sincerity. "But you didn't become my debt, Emma. You became my equal, my partner, and the only person I ever want beside me."
He looked down at me, holding his breath just a fraction.
"Will you marry me, Emma Reed? And stay in this house not as a housekeeper, not as a coordinator, but as its true mistress?"
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My heart soared. Tears of pure joy welled in my eyes as I looked at the man who had seen past my uniform, believed in my strength, and given my family a second chance at life.
"Yes," I whispered, throwing my arms around his neck. "Yes, a thousand times yes."
