Chapter 49: Fascinated me from the start
"What you did was a crime, Luca. And I don’t wish to argue with you about it," Sara said firmly.
Luca merely shrugged. "There was only one key to this room. I’ll ask Jonathan to look for it in the garden."
Sara’s patience thinned as she watched his careless demeanor. Her anger flared, but she forced herself to stay composed, watching him dial Jonathan’s number and issue instructions in his usual commanding tone.
"He’ll be back soon with the key," Luca said, lowering the phone to the table. "And stop glaring at me, Sara. It’s your first day in my company, and yet you’re already planning to meet your ex. Postpone it till evening. I don’t want you sulking the whole day."
Sara’s eyes burned with fury. "You are the reason my mood is ruined in the first place," she shot back. Then, taking a deep breath, she continued, "Luca, you have to start being honest with me. If you lie to me again, I’ll leave this house, and this time, nothing will stop me."
She then took a brief pause as she noticed his expression darkening. "I still need answers. Why are you involved with the mafia? I want to know everything about you."
Luca’s expression remained menacing as he decided to tell her. One day or the other she had to know about him.
"My grandfather was one of the most feared mafia leaders of his time. And so were four generations before him. But long before that, over a century ago, my family carried royal blood. Power and corruption ran side by side in our history, and I was born into both. My father distanced himself from it all," Luca continued, his voice lowering. "He never wanted any part of that life. But you know how close I was to my grandfather. I admired the way he commanded everything: the respect, the fear and the power. It fascinated me."
Sara’s gaze lingered on him, searching his face for a trace of remorse that wasn’t there.
"Your father did the right thing by walking away from such a path of sins," she finally said.
Luca’s lips curved into a faint, almost bitter smile. "It’s not all sins, Sara," he replied. "I don’t expect you to understand me completely... but what I’m doing, what I’ve chosen, isn’t wrong in my eyes."
Sara furrowed her brows, her voice laced with disbelief. "So, inflicting pain on others is good in your eyes?"
"To the evil ones, yes," Luca replied without hesitation. His eyes held a calm intensity, but it made her shiver. "You see, everyone in my extended family still clings to the old ways of the mafia. My father wasn’t my grandfather’s only child. I have cousins, many of them. Seven years ago, a feud broke out among us. That was the reason I had to reject your feelings back then."
He paused, his tone softening, revealing a rare vulnerability. "If I ever wanted to see a woman, Sara... it was you. Believe it or not, you fascinated me from the start. Right from the school days when you would always compete with me to be at top, you always intrigued me. The way you would take sneak peaks at me made me want to tease you more."
Sara froze, her breath caught midair. For a moment, she couldn’t even blink. The fire of anger that had burned in her eyes moments ago began to fade, as though doused by an unexpected confession.
"You... You liked me?" she whispered, almost afraid to hear his answer.
Before Luca could respond, a voice called from outside. "Sir, I’ve found the key! I’m opening the door," Jonathan announced.
Within seconds the door swung open. Luca took the key from Jonathan and gave him a curt nod of dismissal.
"I should freshen up now," he said, turning toward the washroom. "And Sara," he glanced over his shoulder with a possessive gaze, "you can’t go anywhere without my permission."
With that, he disappeared into the washroom, leaving Sara standing in the middle of the room in bewilderment.
Sara sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folded loosely in her lap while her mind was full of thoughts.
"I don’t even know who he truly is anymore," she whispered to herself. "He has cousins... and they’re all part of the mafia. Have I fallen into a dark trap without realizing it?"
Her gaze drifted toward the door where Luca had vanished moments ago. Despite everything, the lies, the secrets and the unwanted danger, her heart still beat with the same familiar way as it used to once. The same warmth she’d once felt years ago when she’d first fallen for him.
It was true: the feelings born from a first love never truly disappeared. They merely hid beneath the surface, waiting for a moment like this to resurface and confuse her all over again.
Lifting a trembling hand to her chest, Sara gently patted her heart as if trying to calm its frantic rhythm. "I’ll ask him again," she murmured under her breath. "I need to know... if he still feels anything for me. What he said earlie was the truth. But why now? Why after seven years, when I’ve tried to bury everything I ever felt for him, does he suddenly want to stay with him?"
Her gaze drifted toward the washroom door.
Moments later, the sound of the shower ceased. The door opened, and Luca stepped out with a towel loosely tied around his waist.
Sara’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes lingered on the sharp lines of his chest, the faint droplets tracing down his skin, disappearing right inside the towel. For a moment, she forgot to look away.
Luca, towel in hand as he rubbed his damp hair, noticed her gaze and smirked slightly. "Where are you looking, Sara?" he asked.
"Huh?" She blinked rapidly, color rising to her cheeks. Realizing what she’d been doing, she turned away so quickly she almost stumbled. "N-nowhere! I just... um... I’ll go check what’s for breakfast," she stammered and ran out of the room, leaving Luca in smile.