Chapter 142
Luca didn’t move for a full hour after Sutton drifted back to sleep. She had gone to sleep soon after coming back from meeting the press. He really should go and see his father. He had been getting regular updates from his brother and had gone to see his father last night, but he had been asleep.
Her hand was still curled loosely in his, her breathing soft and even, and it was the only sound he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.
He sat on the side of her bed and just watched her.
Her lashes fluttered once, but she didn’t wake. Her mouth was slightly parted, and her hand would occasionally shift on the blanket, twitching, in sleep, she looked like herself again, only she was no longer pregnant.
And for the hundredth time, Luca felt it like a punch to the ribs: He could’ve lost her and their son Miles.
He hated to think what could have happened if the messenger had pushed her into traffic instead of just onto the footpath. He was still pissed that the police were unable to charge the little fucker with anything. The cyclist wasn’t going to get away with it, though. He had already arranged to buy the messenger service, and part of the sale conditions were that the messenger who had hit Sutton was fired. Never upset a De Santis male because they were known to go to extreme lengths to get revenge.
He let go of her hand carefully and exhaled through his nose, running both palms down his thighs.
He shouldn’t have everything he wanted right now… not after what he had done to her. Not this future. Not after everything. And still, somehow… she’d said yes. He looked down at the flash of her ring on her finger as it rested on the blankets. He didn’t deserve her, but he promised himself he would never take her for granted. He would treat her as she deserved.
His phone buzzed once in his jacket pocket, the vibration more of a low hum in the quiet of the room.
He pulled it out, squinting at the screen.
Chief Reynolds… Lenox Hill Hospital
He looked at Sutton again, still asleep, her hand now slack across her stomach.
He rose, careful not to jostle the bed, and stepped into the hallway. He closed the door halfway behind him.
Then he answered the phone. He hadn’t wanted to wake her.
“This is Luca De Santis.”
“Ah, Mr. De Santis, thank you for accepting the call so quickly.” The chief of staff sounded uneasy. Apologetic already.
“I’m guessing you are calling me because you have something?” Luca said, his tone clipped. “About the patient file breach.”
“Yes. First, let me say how sincerely sorry we are. That this happened under our care is unconscionable. This never should’ve-”
“Who?” Luca cut in.
He wasn’t in the mood for a speech. Not when Sutton’s reputation had been dragged through the tabloids while recovering.
There was a pause.
“A registered nurse,” Reynolds said finally. “She works post–op on rotation. We confronted her this afternoon. She and will be reported for violation of HIPAA regulations.”
Luca clenched his jaw. “And?”
sed. She has been terminated
“She recognized ber… from Europe. She’d been on holiday in France last year. Apparently went to a fashion show in Milan on a whim with a friend of hers. Sutton or, rather, ‘Audrey‘ as she remembered her, was on the runway.”
1/4
Luca’s stomach twisted.
“She saw a way to make some money,” the chief added. “She didn’t put it together until she saw you. And she sold the story to one of those celebrity leaks for what she now admits was ‘more money than she’d seen in a year.’ She was caught when the electronic audit trail flagged her repeated views of Sutton’s digital file, including timestamps outside of her assigned care hours.”
Luca wanted to put his fist through something.
“You’re certain she acted alone?”
“At this time, yes. No other log–ins were flagged. We’re still combing all related security access for the next forty–eight hours, but we wanted you personally informed as soon as she was removed.”
Luca didn’t thank him. He didn’t owe Reynolds that.
Instead, he said, “Make it public. Everything. The investigation. Her firing. And your facility better own its damn mistake.” He paused, voice suddenly so still it chilled even him. “You need to show your staff that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
“Understood,” Reynolds said quickly. “We’re already preparing a release.”
Luca hung up.
He stood in the quiet hallway for a beat longer than necessary, staring at the opposite wall. He was glad this nurse had been caught. He and Roman would still look into the matter further to see if any further action needed to be taken.
Then, slowly, he walked down the hall and made his way to another room on the same floor but on the other side of the nurses‘ station. They’d moved his father here after surgery.
He knocked once and pushed inside.
Antonio was sitting in the chair nearest the window. Bella perched at the edge of Nick’s bed, speaking softly to her father–in–law. Her hand was wrapped gently around his, and Nick’s eyes were open, watching her.
Luca straightened.
Nick’s gaze met his.
He hated seeing his father like this. A man stripped bare of power for the moment, lying in a hospital bed. This was not the strong man he remembered as a child. His father had lived an indulgent life of food, expensive scotch, and cigars. He had quit smoking ten years ago but cut back on his drinking. Helping him trim down. But some of the damage had already been done. He wanted to be around for Miles and any more children he and Sutton were lucky enough to have.
“Good timing,” Nick rasped.
His voice was rough. But it carried.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Luca said, moving closer.
“No interruptions,” Nick muttered. “I’m glad you have come.”
Bella rose and gave Luca a quiet nod, squeezing his shoulder once as she walked to Antonio. They spoke in hushe two men space.
Luca took the chair beside the bed.
For a long moment, they just sat there.
Then Nick said hoarsely, “So. Your model is okay?”
Han over by the window, giving the
Luca could feel his temper rising, but he didn’t let it overcome him. His father had almost died as well. “Sutton in a model any long. Dad, and d a name, as you well know. I would like you to call her by it.”
Nick looked away, jaw tight. “And the baby? Antonio tells me I have a grandson.”
“Yes,” Luca replied. He let it land. “We have named him Miles.”
Nick’s brows rose slightly. “Expected a more… classical name.”
“I’m happy with our choice,” Luca murmured. “Miles could stand for the miles Sutton and I had to travel to get where we are now”
Nick huffed softly. “Don’t go soft on me now, boy.”
“I’m not soft. I’m grateful for this second chance.”
“And she said yes?” he added. “To marrying you?”
“She did.”
Another silence passed.
Then Nick said, “I wasn’t sure if it was just for the press. I saw the story.”
Luca waited.
Nick’s eyes turned to him, old and tired but still sharp. “I understand you are in love, and I will pass judgment once I meet her.”
But he nodded once. He didn’t push. None of this had gone his father’s way. Sutton didn’t need him to defend her. She was a good and kind person, and his father would see that. He still hadn’t told Sutton that his father was in the same hospital. Let her recover before she was confronted by his father. They both could use the time to heal.
He stayed there with his father until Nick drifted back to sleep.
Luca’s phone rang as he left his father’s room. It was a private number, so he let it go to voicemail, but curiosity made him listen.
Nicole’s voice exploded through the speaker, ragged and hoarse. Luca quickly pulled the phone a few inches away from his ear.
“I saw the press conference.” Her laugh was jagged. “Her? The model? It was her all along? Of all the fucking places for her to work. God, you really are predictable, falling for the body, not someone who has been there for you.”
She screamed the next words.
“You don’t get to erase me, Luca! I helped make you powerful; we built everything together, and now you’ve thrown me away for a whore in a hospital bed. I wish they both had died.”
He didn’t listen to anymore of her rant.
And within thirty seconds he was calling his security team.
“I want twenty–four–hour shifts outside Sutton’s hospital door. NICU level reinforced. Vet every single person who steps near my son. I don’t care if they wear a badge. If they’re not cleared? They don’t get in.”
“Understood.”
He tucked the phone away, jaw locked, voice steel.
Nicole was gone from their lives; he just wanted to make sure of that. He would leave nothing to chance.
He tucked the phone away, jaw locked, voice steel.
Nicole was gone from their lives; he just wanted to make sure of that. He would leave nothing to chance.