CHAPTER FOUR
1414 Words
MAYA'S POV
Aria cried herself to sleep clutching the butterfly book. I sat on her bedroom floor watching her, wondering what I'd done.
My phone rang at nine PM. Luca.
"Is she okay?"
"She finally fell asleep an hour ago. She kept asking when you're coming back." I moved to the hallway. "You can't do this to her, Luca. You can't show up and be wonderful and then disappear again."
"I'm not disappearing. I'm trying to fix this."
"How? Your sister knows about us now."
"She knows I was at a park with a woman and a child. That's all." He paused. "I'm going back to Milan tonight. I'll handle Isabella and my father. Then I'll figure out how to come back."
"And if you can't?"
"Then I'll find another way to be part of Aria's life." His voice cracked. "I won't abandon her again, Maya. I swear it."
"She called you Daddy today. Do you know how long I've waited for her to have someone to call that? And now I have to explain why Daddy had to leave again."
"Tell her the truth. That I have to go handle some things but I'm coming back."
"That's what you said four years ago, isn't it?"
The silence was answer enough.
"Can I call her tomorrow? To say goodnight?"
Every instinct screamed to say no. But I remembered her face when she hugged him.
"Seven PM our time. That's her bedtime. You miss it, you don't get another chance."
"I'll be there. I promise."
After he hung up, I found Sofia in my living room.
"He's going back to Italy. To deal with his family."
"Good. Let him stay there." Sofia handed me wine. "This is exactly what I was afraid of. He shows up, makes Aria love him, and then leaves."
"He said he's coming back."
Sofia showed me an article. "The Santoro family has been investigated three times for money laundering."
I scanned it. Money laundering, organized crime, and witness intimidation.
"This is who wants access to our daughter."
"He's not his family."
"Isn't he? He went back to them four years ago. He's going back now. At some point, you have to accept that he's chosen them over you."
My phone buzzed: "This is Marco, Mr. Santoro's head of security. I've arranged discreet protection for you and Aria."
I showed Sofia. "He's having us watched."
"That's not protection, Maya. That's surveillance. This is getting out of control."
She was right. All of it was crazy.
LUCA'S POV
The flight to Milan was eight hours of hell. I couldn't stop thinking about Aria crying, about how I'd ruined everything.
Isabella was waiting at the airport with guards.
"Welcome home, brother." Her smile was cold. "Father wants to see you immediately."
"It's four AM. Whatever he wants can wait."
"It wasn't a request."
Vittorio was in his study. "You cut your trip short."
"The negotiations fell through."
"Isabella tells me you were seen at a park with a woman and child."
"I met someone at a coffee shop. She mentioned taking her daughter to the park, so I joined them."
"Who was she?"
"A teacher. Maya Chen. We had coffee, and we went to a park. Nothing more."
Isabella's eyes sharpened at the name.
"You flew to America for business and spent your time playing in parks?"
"I spent two days in negotiations. I took one afternoon to relax."
"He's lying." Isabella stepped forward. "The way he was with that child wasn't casual. He bought her gifts."
"I was being friendly to a lonely kid."
Vittorio studied me. "Marco's reports were incomplete. He's being replaced."
My blood ran cold. "Marco's the best security I've ever had."
"Which makes his loyalty to you instead of this family a problem. You'll have new security by morning. People who report to me."
After I was dismissed, Isabella cornered me. "You're protecting her."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The teacher. You care about her."
"I had coffee with a stranger."
"Then you won't mind if I have her investigated thoroughly."
I grabbed her arm. "Leave her alone, Isabella."
She looked at my hand, then my face, triumph in her eyes. "There it is. The truth." She pulled free. "Don't worry. I won't tell Father about your little American distraction. Not yet. But you owe me now."
I'd just confirmed everything she suspected.
I texted Marco. "They're replacing you. I need you to continue protecting Maya and Aria off the books."
"Already arranged. They're safe."
"Isabella's investigating Maya. Make sure there's nothing that connects Aria to me."
"That's not possible, sir. Those records are government documents."
There was no way to hide Aria forever.
At seven PM Milan time, I called Maya.
"She's at preschool. You're twelve hours early."
"I needed to talk to you. My family is investigating you. They're going to find out about Aria."
"What?"
"I gave them your name. Now Isabella's digging."
"So what do we do?"
"When they find out about her, they'll try to use her against me."
"Use her how?"
"To control me. That's what they do with everything I care about."
"Then maybe you should stay away from her. Maybe this was all a mistake."
"You don't mean that."
"Don't I? Two days ago, we were fine. Now we're talking about running and hiding. That's not the life I want for Aria."
"That's why I'm trying to protect you."
"By telling your family my name? You said you'd protect us, Luca. This is the opposite of protection."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing and start fixing this. Figure out how to keep your family away from my daughter, or don't call here again."
She hung up.
I threw my phone across the room.
There was a knock. One of Vittorio's assistants.
"Your father wants you downstairs. The Moretti family arrived early."
I went downstairs. Antonio Moretti greeted me. He gestured to a young woman. "You remember my daughter, Giulia?"
"Of course."
She smiled. "Your father suggested we might discuss the merger terms over dinner. Just the two of us."
I glanced at Vittorio, who was watching with satisfaction. They were trying to match me with Giulia.
"That sounds lovely," I lied.
When it ended, Isabella pulled me aside. "Giulia likes you. Father's very pleased."
"I'm not interested in Giulia."
"Your interest is irrelevant. This merger needs to happen, and a marriage would seal it." She studied my face. "Unless your heart is already taken by a certain American teacher?"
"Drop it, Isabella."
"I ran a basic search on Maya Chen. Elementary school teacher, lives alone with her daughter. Daughter is three years old. Interesting timing, don't you think?"
My heart stopped. "What are you implying?"
"Is that child yours, Luca?"
I could lie. But Isabella would find out anyway.
"Yes."
She looked surprised. "You have a daughter."
"A daughter Maya raised alone while I was here. A daughter I just met two days ago." I grabbed her shoulders. "Isabella, please. Don't tell him. If Father finds out about Aria, he'll use her to control me."
"Of course he will." Her expression softened slightly. "Does the child know who you are?"
"She knows I'm her father."
Isabella pulled free. "I should tell Father immediately."
"Then why haven't you?"
"Because I remember what it was like before. When you used to smile." She turned away. "You have one week to figure this out. After that, I'm telling Father everything."
"One week isn't enough."
"Then you'd better work fast." She paused. "For what it's worth, I hope you figure out how to protect her. The child doesn't deserve to be caught in our family's poison."
After she left, I stood alone. One week.
I borrowed Isabella's laptop and found an email from Maya.
"Aria won't stop asking about you. She wants to know if you're coming back. What do I tell her?"
I typed: "Tell her I'm working on it. Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm going to find a way to be her father, no matter what it takes."
Maya's response: "You have one week to prove that. After that, we're done. I won't let you break her heart the way you broke mine."
One week. The same deadline Isabella had given me.
Seven days to choose between my daughter and my family.
Seven days to figure out if there was any way to have both, or if I'd have to lose everything to save the one thing that mattered.
- Writer
