Chapter 2 - EIGHTEEN MONTHS OF SILENCE
The way he said my name sent a shiver straight down my spine. For eighteen agonizing months, I had sat at the glass desk outside his corner office, watching women in sleek designer dresses try to capture his attention. He had treated every single one of them with cold, polite detachment.
To the world, Luca Castellani was a legitimate logistics tycoon. To the underworld of Chicago, he was the undisputed boss of the Castellani syndicate—a man whose nod could shatter an empire. And to me, he was the man who drove me crazy by ignoring me every day from eight to five, only to secretly destroy the love life of any man who dared smile at me.
"You've ignored me," I whispered, my anger suddenly giving way to a deep, lingering ache. "For a year and a half, Luca. You barely looked at me. You treated me like a piece of office furniture."
Luca’s expression softened, a rare crack appearing in his icy facade. He reached out, his thumb gently tracing the high line of my cheekbone. His touch was warm, sending goosebumps cascading down my arms.
"I didn't ignore you because I didn't see you, Mara," he said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming rough and thick with suppressed emotion. "I ignored you because every time I looked at you, I wanted to drag you into my office, lock the door, and make sure you never left."
I held my breath, my chest heaving against the tight silk of my bodice. "Then why didn't you?"
"Because my world is blood and violence," Luca growled, his hand moving down to cup the nape of my neck, holding me gently in place. "Because you are good, and bright, and innocent. And the moment I touch you, my enemies will see you as a target."
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"I'm thirty-four, Luca," I said, looking straight into his dark, tortured eyes. "I don't need a guardian angel. And I certainly don't need a boss who acts like a jealous teenager while pretending he doesn't care."
Luca leaned down, his lips hovering mere millimeters from mine. "You think this is acting?"