CHAPTER 4 — THE WARNING IN HIS EYES
1260 Words
Aria barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Matteo Ricci’s face—the fury in his jawline, the softness he tried to hide, the shadow of danger wrapped around him like a cloak he couldn’t take off.
And his words… “You’re under my protection now.”
She didn’t know whether to be relieved… or terrified.
By morning, the sunlight pouring into the guest bedroom felt foreign, like it didn’t belong in a place as dark as the power that surrounded Matteo. She sat up slowly, stretching the stiffness out of her shoulders, and realized her hands were trembling.
Why am I shaking?
Because nothing about last night was normal. And nothing about Matteo Ricci ever would be.
She pushed the thought away and left the room.
The Ricci mansion was breathtaking—high ceilings, marble floors, tall windows framed with velvet. But beneath the beauty, there was a tension humming through the walls. Men in black suits moved with purpose. Doors stayed locked. Every corner had shadows.
A gilded cage.
Aria descended the stairs, her footsteps echoing. In the dining room, she found Matteo already seated, dressed in a black dress shirt rolled at the sleeves. He wasn’t eating. He was waiting.
He lifted his eyes when she stepped inside.
“Sit.”
Her pulse skipped, but she obeyed. A maid poured coffee. Matteo watched every movement, every breath Aria took.
“You’re quiet this morning,” he said, voice low and unreadable.
Aria kept her eyes on her cup. “I have nothing to say.”
“That’s a lie,” Matteo replied instantly. “You’re thinking a lot. Loudly.”
Aria’s gaze snapped to his. “I’m thinking that you brought me here without asking me if I wanted to come.”
One eyebrow lifted. “Do you regret coming?”
She swallowed. “I regret not having a choice.”
Silence fell.
Matteo leaned back, his jaw tightening. “You don’t realize what happened last night, do you?”
“I realize enough,” Aria whispered.
Matteo leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. “A mafia captain came for you. Not to scare you. To take you.” His eyes darkened. “And if I hadn’t been there, you would be gone.”
Aria froze.
He continued, voice deadly soft. “You’re not here because I want to control you. You’re here because someone wants you dead.”
Her breath caught. “Dead? Why would anyone want me dead?”
Matteo exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand down his face. “That’s the piece I’m still trying to figure out.”
Aria felt her chest tighten. None of this made sense. She was a normal girl with a normal job. A barista. A part-time college student. There was absolutely nothing about her life that should overlap with the mafia.
“Maybe it’s a mistake,” she said, desperate. “Maybe they confused me with someone else.”
Matteo’s voice hardened. “They didn’t mistake anything. Luca Romano identified you by name.”
Aria’s blood ran cold.
Matteo saw it—every flicker of panic on her face. He rose from his seat, walked around the table, and crouched beside her chair.
Her breath hitched as he gently lifted her chin.
“I’ll find out why,” he murmured. “And I’ll stop them. But until then… you stay here. With me.”
Her voice shook. “You’re asking me to trust you.”
“No,” Matteo said, his thumb brushing her jaw. “I’m telling you to.”
A shiver ran through her. The closeness was overwhelming—his scent, his warmth, the intensity in his eyes that made her forget how to breathe.
He stood and headed toward the hallway.
Before leaving, he paused.
“Aria.”
She looked up.
“Don’t go outside. Not even to the garden. My men will escort you anywhere you need to go inside the house. Understand?”
Aria nodded slowly.
Matteo’s stare softened by an inch—barely—and then he walked out, boots echoing down the hall.
As soon as he was gone, Aria let out a shaky breath she’d been holding since last night.
LATER THAT DAY
Aria wandered through the mansion’s enormous interior library, trying to keep her mind busy. She scanned the spines of old leather books, letting her fingers glide across them.
But her thoughts kept betraying her.
Matteo’s eyes.
Matteo’s voice.
Matteo’s touch.
Why did the memory make her heart pound instead of recoil? Why did she feel safe around a man who could end someone’s life with a single order?
She didn’t want this. She didn’t want him.
But some part of her did. And that scared her most of all.
When she reached the far end of the library, she noticed an old framed portrait on the wall: Matteo with another man who looked older, sterner—his father, perhaps. The resemblance was sharp, the eyes identical.
Power. Ruthlessness. Danger.
Aria turned away.
That’s when she heard voices outside the door.
Two of Matteo’s guards were talking.
“…Boss says tighten perimeter. Word is the Romano family made a move again last night.”
“Yeah? You think they’ll come for the girl again?”
“We’re expecting it.”
Aria’s heart dropped.
She backed away from the door, pulse racing. Again? They were expecting another attempt?
She slipped behind a bookshelf, breathing hard. She couldn’t live like this. She couldn’t hide behind walls waiting for someone to kill her. And she couldn’t rely on Matteo to save her every time.
She needed answers. She needed her life back.
But before she could even process her thoughts, the library door opened.
Matteo stepped inside.
His expression changed instantly when he saw her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked sharply.
He crossed the room in seconds, grabbing her shoulders gently but firmly. His touch was warm, grounding.
“Aria. Look at me.”
She lifted her eyes, and he saw the fear she tried to hide.
Matteo’s jaw clenched. “You overheard something.”
She hesitated. “Your guards said… they think the Romanos will try again.”
Matteo closed his eyes briefly, then exhaled with a quiet curse. When he looked at her again, something fierce burned behind his gaze.
“They will not touch you,” he said. “Not while I still breathe.”
A shiver ran through Aria.
His voice held something deeper this time—something raw. Protective. Possessive.
He cupped the side of her face, thumb grazing her cheek. “I know you’re scared. But you’re not alone anymore. There’s a reason they’re coming for you, and I’ll find out what it is.”
Aria swallowed. “What if the reason… is me? What if I’m the danger here?”
Matteo shook his head. “You are not the danger.” His fingers tightened slightly. “But you are the key.”
“The key to what?” she whispered.
Matteo’s eyes darkened.
“That,” he said, “is what I intend to find out—even if I have to burn the Romano empire to the ground to get the answer.”
Her breath caught.
Because in that moment, Aria realized something terrifyingly undeniable:
Matteo Ricci wasn’t protecting her out of obligation.
He was protecting her because he had already chosen her—even if he didn’t understand it yet.
And with that realization came another truth:
If she stayed near Matteo… her heart might never escape him.
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