CHAPTER 5 – THE PRICE OF PROTECTION (next)
The world knew Luca Moretti as a man who never lost.
Enemies disappeared.
Business rivals surrendered.
People who betrayed him learned that mercy was not something they could expect.
Luca had spent his entire life building a reputation.
A reputation that made people afraid to challenge him.
But tonight…
For the first time in years…
Luca Moretti was afraid.
Not for himself.
For Ava.
The abandoned warehouse was silent.
Too silent.
Luca stood in the center of the darkness, his men positioned around the building.
Matteo watched him carefully.
“Boss.”
Luca didn’t respond.
His eyes were fixed on the second floor.
That was where Ava was.
The woman who had walked into the rain.
The woman who had saved his life without knowing his name.
The woman who looked at him and saw something nobody else had ever seen.
A man.
Not a monster.
Not a weapon.
Not a name.
Just Luca.
And now someone had taken her.
Because of him.
A voice echoed through the warehouse.
“Luca.”
Everyone froze.
Vincent Moretti appeared on the balcony above.
Ava stood beside him.
Her hands were tied.
But she was awake.
Alive.
The moment Luca saw her, everything else disappeared.
“Ava.”
Her eyes found his.
For one second, relief crossed her face.
Then fear replaced it.
Because she saw what he did not want her to see.
The anger.
The darkness.
The man everyone warned her about.
“Luca…”
Her voice was quiet.
“Don’t.”
That single word stopped him.
Not because it was an order.
Because she was afraid he would become the person everyone believed he was.
Vincent smiled.
“Interesting.”
He looked between them.
“You actually care about her.”
Luca’s eyes moved to him.
“Let her go.”
Vincent laughed.
“You sound like your father.”
A dangerous silence followed.
Nobody mentioned Carlo Moretti.
Nobody.
Not even Vincent.
“You don’t know anything about my father.”
Vincent smiled.
“I know more than anyone.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
“Then tell me.”
The older man walked closer to Ava.
“Your father wasn’t the monster everyone believed.”
Luca said nothing.
“He built the empire because he thought power would protect his family.”
Vincent’s voice became colder.
“But power always demands payment.”
Ava looked confused.
Luca stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
Vincent smiled.
“I’m talking about your mother.”
The air changed.
Luca’s entire body became still.
“What about her?”
Vincent looked almost satisfied.
“Your mother wasn’t killed by enemies.”
A pause.
“She was killed because your father chose the empire over her.”
Luca’s eyes darkened.
“Lie.”
“Is that what you want to believe?”
Vincent stepped closer.
“Your father knew there was a traitor inside the family.”
Luca’s hands tightened.
“He knew?”
“Yes.”
“And he did nothing?”
Vincent smiled.
“He chose business.”
The words hit harder than any weapon.
Because deep inside…
Luca had always feared that was true.
Ava watched Luca.
She saw the change.
The anger.
The pain.
The old wound opening.
And she understood something.
Luca Moretti was not afraid of enemies.
He was afraid of becoming his father.
“Luca.”
He looked at her.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Vincent laughed.
“She already knows.”
Ava frowned.
“Knows what?”
“That Luca believes everyone he loves eventually pays the price.”
Silence.
Because it was true.
Luca looked away.
And Ava saw it.
The guilt.
The loneliness.
The belief that love was something dangerous.
“You blame yourself.”
Luca said nothing.
Vincent smiled.
“Of course he does.”
“Enough.”
For the first time, Luca’s voice broke.
Not from anger.
From pain.
“Enough.”
Everyone became silent.
Because nobody had ever heard Luca Moretti sound like that.
Human.
Vincent moved his hand toward a weapon hidden beneath his coat.
Matteo noticed.
“Boss!”
Everything happened at once.
The lights went out.
Gunshots exploded.
People shouted.
Ava screamed.
Luca moved without thinking.
Not like a mafia boss.
Not like a man trained for violence.
Like someone protecting the person who mattered most.
He reached Ava just as she fell.
His body covered hers.
The sound of bullets echoed around them.
Then silence.
Slowly, the lights returned.
Vincent was gone.
But Ava was shaking.
“Luca…”
“I’m here.”
She looked at him.
Only then did she notice.
Blood.
His blood.
A dark stain spreading across his shoulder.
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
The words surprised him.
Even now.
Even terrified.
She was still Ava.
Still caring about him.
Luca almost smiled.
“You’re angry at me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you think getting hurt is nothing.”
He stared at her.
Nobody spoke to him like that.
Nobody worried about him.
Not anymore.
The doctors wanted Luca hospitalized.
He refused.
Naturally.
Ava stood in front of him.
“You’re impossible.”
Luca looked at her.
“You sound like my sister.”
“Your sister is probably right.”
A small smile appeared.
The first real one she had seen.
It changed his entire face.
For a moment, she forgot he was dangerous.
She forgot the rumors.
She only saw the man who had taken a bullet for her.
“You could have died.”
Luca became quiet.
“Yes.”
“Why did you do that?”
He looked at her.
Because the answer was too honest.
Because there was no strategy.
No calculation.
No advantage.
Only instinct.
“Because I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Ava looked away.
Her heart reacted before her mind could stop it.
She had spent weeks believing love was something that destroyed her.
But Luca was showing her something different.
Something terrifying.
Something beautiful.
Later that night, Ava sat beside Luca while a doctor treated his wound.
The room was quiet.
Finally, she spoke.
“Why me?”
Luca looked at her.
“What?”
“Why do you care?”
He had asked himself the same question.
He had no logical answer.
But maybe love was never logical.
“You saved me.”
“That’s not enough.”
“For me, it was.”
Ava looked down.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
“How?”
Luca thought for a moment.
“I know you walked away from a man who hurt you without trying to destroy him.”
Ava said nothing.
“I know you ran toward a crashed car while everyone else ran away.”
A pause.
“I know you looked at me when I was bleeding and didn’t see power.”
His voice softened.
“You saw a person.”
Ava felt tears forming.
She hated it.
She hated that this man, a stranger, understood her better than the man she loved for three years.
The next morning, Ethan returned.
But this time…
He wasn’t arrogant.
He wasn’t confident.
He looked defeated.
Ava met him outside the hospital.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Ethan looked at her.
“To apologize.”
She waited.
“I was wrong.”
Ava remained silent.
“I thought choosing power would protect me.”
A bitter smile crossed his face.
“But I lost the only person who actually cared about me.”
Ava looked at him.
For a moment, she felt sadness.
Not love.
Not anymore.
Just sadness.
“I’m sorry you regret your choice.”
Ethan looked hurt.
“Ava…”
“But regret doesn’t change what happened.”
He nodded slowly.
“I know.”
Ava turned away.
Then Ethan said something that stopped her.
“Victoria wasn’t the one controlling everything.”
She looked back.
“What?”
Ethan swallowed.
“There’s someone else.”
“Who?”
His expression became serious.
“The person who paid me.”
Ava waited.
Ethan whispered:
“Someone inside the Moretti family.”
Her blood went cold.
That evening, Luca received unexpected news.
Matteo entered the office.
“We found Vincent.”
Luca looked up.
“Where?”
“Leaving the city.”
“Bring him back.”
Matteo hesitated.
“There’s a problem.”
“What?”
“Vincent wasn’t acting alone.”
Luca stood.
“Who?”
Matteo placed a file on the table.
Inside was a photograph.
Luca stared.
Then his entire expression changed.
Because the person behind the betrayal…
Was someone he never expected.
Someone who had protected him.
Someone who had stood beside him for years.
Someone he called family.
“Isabella?”
Matteo shook his head.
“No.”
A pause.
“Her mother.”
Luca froze.
“Elena’s sister?”
“Yes.”
The woman who helped raise him.
The woman who promised his mother she would protect him.
The woman he trusted.
Luca closed the file.
His entire life had been built on secrets.
But now he knew the truth.
And the truth was more painful than any enemy.
That night, Ava found Luca standing alone on the balcony.
Rain fell over Chicago again.
The same rain from the night they met.
“You’re leaving.”
Luca didn’t turn.
“How did you know?”
“Because you have that look.”
“What look?”
“The one people get when they decide to carry everything alone.”
Silence.
Ava stepped beside him.
“You don’t have to.”
Luca looked at her.
“You don’t understand.”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“But I want to.”
Those words affected him more than she realized.
Because Luca had spent his entire life protecting people by keeping them away.
And now someone was asking to stand beside him.
Not behind him.
Not beneath him.
Beside him.
“I’m dangerous, Ava.”
“I know.”
“My world is dangerous.”
“I know.”
“You should leave.”
She looked at him.
“Do you want me to?”
The question destroyed every wall he had built.
Because the answer was immediate.
“No.”
The word was barely a whisper.
Ava looked into his eyes.
And for the first time…
Luca Moretti allowed himself to be honest.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
But neither of them knew…
The war was not over.
Because while Luca was protecting Ava from enemies outside…
The greatest threat was already inside his own home.
And the person preparing the final move…
May you like
Was someone who knew exactly how to destroy Luca Moretti.
By taking away the only woman who made him want a different life.
