Chapter 5 - A Maid's Loyalty
Upstairs on the fourth floor, I was sitting upright against the plush pillows, unable to sleep despite the heavy painkillers Dr. Harris had given me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Vanessa’s vicious glare and heard the sickening crack of my own ribs hitting the cedar bench.
A soft, rhythmic knock sounded on the suite door.
“Hannah? It’s Luca.”
My heart did a strange, erratic flip. “Come in, Mr. Moretti.”
The door opened, and Luca stepped inside. He had removed his suit jacket and tie, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt. He looked exhausted, the shadows beneath his sharp cheekbones darker than usual, but the lethal tension that had radiated from him in the dining hall had softened.
He carried a small silver tray in his hands containing a bowl of warm broth and a pot of chamomile tea.
I immediately tried to push myself up. “Mr. Moretti, you shouldn't be serving me—”
“Sit still before you tear your taping,” Luca ordered gently, placing the tray across my lap before pulling up a high-backed armchair beside the bed. “You haven't eaten since noon. Dr. Harris said you need fluids and nutrition for the bone contusions to heal.”
I stared down at the fragrant, steaming tea, feeling an overwhelming warmth spread through my chest. “Thank you. Did... did you handle things downstairs?”
“Vanessa is confined to the cottage. Arthur is in the holding cells,” Luca said bluntly. “The wedding is canceled. The engagement is dissolved.”
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. “I’m sorry. I know how much your family wanted that alliance.”
Luca looked at me, his dark eyes intense and piercing in the firelight. “Never apologize for exposing a snake in my garden, Hannah. If you hadn't spoken up tonight, Vanessa would have handed over my mother’s life work to an auction house, and her father would have drained our family accounts within a month.”
He paused, his gaze softening as he noticed the purple bruising creeping up along my collarbone.
“Dr. Harris showed me the X-rays. You have two cracked ribs and severe muscle tearing along your flank. You could have suffered internal bleeding if you kept working tonight.”
“I needed the money, sir,” I admitted quietly, looking down at my hands. “My younger brother, Leo... he’s sixteen. He has a severe heart condition, and his medication costs eight hundred dollars a month. If I lost this job, I couldn't afford his prescriptions.”
Luca’s expression darkened with profound respect and sorrow. “You bore all of that pain, took orders from a woman who insulted you, and carried a fifty-pound box through a formal banquet... just to keep your brother alive?”
“He’s all I have left,” I said simply.
Luca reached out, his large, warm hand covering my small, trembling fingers where they rested on the duvet. The touch was electric, sending a jolt of pure safety straight through my core.
“Your brother’s medical expenses are now fully funded by the Moretti Foundation,” Luca said, his voice absolute and unwavering. “I have already instructed my personal physicians at the university hospital to take over his care. He will receive the best specialists in the country, completely free of charge.”
Tears spilled over my eyelashes and ran down my cheeks. “Mr. Moretti... I can’t accept that. That’s tens of thousands of dollars—”
“It is a fraction of what your honesty saved my family tonight,” Luca interrupted softly. “And it is what a loyal person deserves.”
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He leaned in slightly closer, his thumb gently brushing a stray tear from my cheek.
“Now, tell me again what Vanessa said about my Uncle Salvatore. Every word matters, Hannah. It could mean the difference between life and death for everyone in this house tonight.”
