Chapter 98

Luca already hated himself before he stepped into the room.

The weight in his chest had nothing to do with having to face his father and more to do with not being able to find Audrey.

Nick De Santis was seated behind the desk, a glass of something dark in his hand. Of course. Antonio, his younger brother by eight years, stood off to the side, leaned casually against the wall like he wasn’t waiting for the floor to crack open.

Luca didn’t sit.

“You wanted to speak,” Nick said, not looking at him.

Not a question. A statement.

“Yeah,” Luca said, eyeing the whiskey. “Should you be drinking that after heart surgery?”

“I only have one life, Luca, and I will live it to the fullest. If that means I will join your mamma in heaven a little sooner, then so be it.”

Luca let that settle for a moment before saying what needed saying. Before he was done, Luca was sure his father would need that drink.

“I’m not marrying her.”

There. Said it.

His father blinked slowly, like the words hadn’t landed yet. Then, very deliberately, he set the glass down.

Nick didn’t yell. Didn’t stand. Didn’t do much of anything.

Just said: “You told me you would.”

“I changed my mind.”

“No,” Nick said. “You don’t get to change your mind. That’s not how this works. You’re not some teenager throwing tantrums. You made a commitment. Marco Rossi is expecting our families to merge.”

“I don’t give a damn what Marco Rossi expects.”

That got a twitch in his father’s jaw. “Careful.”

“I won’t marry someone I don’t want to marry.”

“For Christ’s sake, since when has want had anything to do with this family? I never loved your mamma when I married her, but she became my world. -The same will happen for you if you give Bella a chance.”

Luca exhaled hard, like maybe it’d blow the whole house down if he pushed hard enough. “There’s more to it. I just can’t do it, Dad. I won’t.”

“You won’t,” Nick echoed coldly. “After everything I’ve done for you. After all the sacrifices. After building this empire–giving you every goddamn opportunity—you repay me by blowing up the only alliance that actually matters?”

“It matters more to you than it ever did to me. I have my own interests and my own companies. That I built on my own.”

Nick stood now, slow, deliberate. “Do not make this about your feelings, Luca. This is about family. Have you fallen in love again with some unsuitable girl?”

“No one said anything about love,” Luca muttered.

Nick stared at him. “Then what? Just fuck her and leave? Or have her on the side? You can’t burn it all down for a piece of ass?”

Luca shook his head at his father. “Mamma would have roasted your balls for saying something like that.”

Their father would not have dared cheat on their mother.

Across the room, Antonio shifted like he couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

“If this is really happening,” Antonio said, “if you’re actually walking away from this-”

“I am,” Luca said without hesitation. “I’m out.”

Antonio glanced at Nick. “Then maybe… I could step in.”

Both men looked at him now.

Nick folded his arms. “You’d marry Bella?”

Antonio shrugged, but it was too measured. “I’ve known her a long time. I respect her. And I know how much this means to the family. I’m closer to her age.”

Luca held back the bitter laugh threatening to rise. Of course. Of fucking course. Antonio had always eyed her like she was something delicate he wasn’t supposed to touch. Had his little brother been in love with Bella? Why hadn’t he said something? Luca would have stepped aside. Hell, he hadn’t fucking wanted to marry her to start with.

Nick tapped a knuckle on the desk. “It would keep things from going south with Marco.”

Luca’s voice dropped an octave. “You’re not even going to ask why I’m saying no.”

“Because I know,” Nick snapped. “It’s about that model. Audrey, or whatever she called herself.”

Luca’s body stiffened.

M

His father half–sneered. “You think I didn’t keep tabs on you, Luca? You wouldn’t be this spun out if she didn’t mean something. So let’s say she’s more than a fling–maybe you even convinced yourself it was real. But it wasn’t. If she mattered, you wouldn’t have said yes to the wedding to start with.”

Luca looked away, jaw clenched so tight it could’ve shattered. His father had twisted his arm before surgery–what was he to do?

Nick shook his head like they were both exhausting him. “You’re not serious about her. You just feel guilty.”

And that was the final blow.

Luca’s voice cracked–quiet, but sharp–edged. “She’s pregnant. He hadn’t meant to tell them. He wanted to find her first.

But at his words, everything stopped.

Nick froze mid–motion.

Antonio stilled, like he hadn’t heard right.

Luca dragged in a breath. “She’s having my child.”

Silence.

さ

Then Nick rounded the desk slowly. Walked up close. Too close.

“What did you say?”

“I said she’s pregnant

Nick’s mouth opened, then shut

it again before asking the question Luca knew was coming. “Are you sure it’s yours?”

Luca didn’t stop.

“I didn’t believe her,” he said roughly. “Didn’t even hear her out. That night I told her we were done… that I was marrying Bella… I ripped into her. Called her a liar. A whore. I didn’t listen. And she walked.”

Nick’s voice was low. “Where is she?”

“No idea. She left. Cleared out her apartment. Canceled her modeling contract. Disconnected her phone. I have people looking into it.”

“So you didn’t just let go of the girl, you let go of your own child?” Nick roared.

“I didn’t fucking mean to!”

“Jesus Christ, Luca.” His father’s voice was shaking now. “You need to fix this, Luca. That is my grandchild.”

“I’m trying to fix it now,” Luca said, voice hard. “You think I’m proud of what I did? That I sleep easy at night? I see her face every time I close my damn eyes. I hear the way her voice cracked when I didn’t believe her.”

Nick ran both hands down his face. Then cursed. Loudly. “Goddamn it!”

Nick turned away, rubbing the back of his neck.

Antonio glanced between them, completely silent now.

“I don’t care about the merger anymore,” Luca said. “I don’t care about Bella. Or your promises. Or anyone’s expectations. The only thing that matters now is finding her and finding my child.”

“And when you do?”

Luca’s voice went quiet. “I beg for forgiveness. Then I’ll marry her if it’s the last thing I do.”

Nick stared at his son for a long moment–like he didn’t recognize him. Or like maybe this was the first time he actually did. “Antonio will stand in your place for Bella.”

Luca saw how happy this made his younger brother.

Without another word, Luca turned and left the study.

That done… He needed to find Audrey and his child. He hoped he would have answers soon.