Chapter 3: The Heiress They Buried
873 Words
Massimo returned to the restaurant several minutes later, but the moment he stepped back into the dining area, he knew Alessia would notice the difference.
She was still seated exactly where he had left her, one hand wrapped around her glass of water as she gazed out at the illuminated city skyline. There was a calmness about her that almost seemed unreal, especially considering she had no idea that everything about her life had just become far more complicated.
Only moments ago, she had been nothing more than a beautiful stranger who challenged him, laughed at his vague answers, and somehow managed to make him forget the burden he carried.
Now, she was the answer to a mystery his family had spent decades trying to solve.
And somehow, that made everything between them far more complicated.
"You took longer than a moment," Alessia said as soon as he reached the table.
Massimo paused, a faint smile appearing on his face as he pulled out his chair and sat down.
"Did you miss me?"
Alessia raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his confidence. "Don't flatter yourself. I was deciding whether to order your dessert."
"That sounds dangerous," Massimo replied, leaning back slightly.
"It was," she said with a serious expression, though the playful sparkle in her eyes betrayed her. "I was very close."
A quiet laugh escaped him, and for a brief moment, the tension that had followed him from the private suite disappeared.
That was what confused him the most.
She had no idea who he really was. She did not know what his name represented in certain circles or that the man sitting across from her controlled an empire built on loyalty, fear, and blood.
Yet she spoke to him like he was simply Massimo.
And strangely enough, he found himself wanting to remain that way a little longer.
"You seem different," Alessia observed, studying his face carefully.
Massimo looked at her, keeping his expression composed. "Different?"
"Yes," she replied, leaning back in her chair as she examined him. "When you left, you looked like someone had just told you bad news. Now you're sitting here trying to convince me everything is perfectly normal."
A small smile touched his lips.
"You notice a lot."
"It's part of my job," Alessia explained. "Languages aren't just words. You have to understand people's expressions, their tone, and even the pauses between what they say."
Massimo's gaze remained fixed on her, intrigued by the way her mind worked.
"And what have you noticed about me?"
His voice softened slightly, almost as if he already knew the answer might surprise him.
Alessia studied him for a moment before finally responding.
"That you're hiding something."
Although his expression remained calm, something inside Massimo tightened at her words.
"And you're still here?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
She shrugged lightly, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Maybe I'm curious."
"Curiosity can be dangerous," Massimo warned.
"So can mysterious men who refuse to explain what they do for a living," Alessia replied immediately.
For the first time that evening, Massimo smiled genuinely.
"You really don't scare easily, do you?"
"No," she answered confidently. "Should I?"
His eyes lingered on her for a moment as the image of the file upstairs flashed through his mind — the photograph, the DNA results, and the truth she still knew nothing about.
"No," he said quietly. "Not tonight."
Something about his answer made Alessia's playful expression soften.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Around them, the restaurant continued with its usual rhythm — conversations filling the room, glasses clinking, and soft music playing in the background — but their table felt separated from everything else.
"Tell me something real about you," Alessia said, breaking the silence.
Massimo leaned back slightly. "Something real?"
"Yes," she replied. "Something that isn't business."
He considered her question carefully.
Most people wanted something from him. Power. Protection. Favors. Connections.
Very few people wanted to know him.
"I don't sleep much," he finally admitted.
Alessia blinked, clearly surprised. "That's your big secret?"
"No," Massimo said with a faint smile. "But it's the first thing I thought of."
"Interesting," she murmured.
"Why?," He asked
"Because you look like someone who carries too much responsibility."
Her words caught him off guard, Alessia did not know how close she was to the truth.
"And you?" Massimo asked, shifting the attention back to her. "What do you carry?"
The smile on Alessia's face faded slightly as she looked down at her glass, Massimo watched her quietly, wondering about the parts of her life she had never spoken about. The years before she knew her own bloodline. The struggles she had faced without the protection she was born into.
He wanted to know everything.
Not because she was the De Luca heir.
Because she was Alessia.
And that realization unsettled him more than anything else.
"Well," Alessia said, lifting her glass with a small smile, "to surviving whatever life decides to throw at us."
Massimo looked at her raised glass before lifting his own.
"To survive."
Their glasses touched gently.
Neither of them knew that before the night ended, the past they believed was buried would begin to return.
- Writer
