I sat beside my father’s bed, my hands wrapped around his limp fingers, as if I could will warmth back into them if I just held on tight enough.
Niccolo’s estate was quiet tonight, the hallway outside the medical wing dimly lit with soft golden lamps. The gentle hum of the monitors was the only proof that my father was still here with me–somewhere beneath the silence, beneath the coma that had stolen his voice. “I’m sorry, Papa,” I whispered, my words thick, trembling. I pressed my forehead to the back of his hand. “I should’ve known. I should’ve protected you better. I let them destroy us–I let him destroy us.“}
My tears fell, darkening the blanket at the edge of the bed. I felt small in this sterile room, so different from the grand halls of the estate that had once been ours.
“I’m so tired,” I breathed out, my voice cracking. “But I promise… I’ll get it back. I’ll get everything back. For you. For me. For Mama. I’ll ruin Treston for what he did. For the company he stole. For the baby 1 lost because of him. I swear it.”
No response, just the soft beep of the machines. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, but he felt so far away.
I kissed his knuckles and lingered there until my shoulders stopped shaking.}
When I finally stepped out into the hallway, I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. The night air drifting in from the open veranda pulled me forward, like it had been waiting for me.
I spotted Niccolo leaning against the stone, his sleeves rolled up, a glass of whiskey balanced on the railing beside him. His gaze flicked to me as I stepped outside, but he didn’t say anything–not right away.
We hadn’t spoken properly since he’d brought me here. He’d been buried in meetings, phone calls, locked doors. I’d spent the days hiding in my father’s room, avoiding him.
Tonight, there was nowhere else to hide.
M
W
W
Niccolo’s voice broke the silence. “I managed to pull the investors,” he said. His tone was calm, like he was talking about a minor inconvenience instead of the storm that had taken down Treston’s empire piece by piece. “I’ve got most of them on our side now. They know what he did. They know what he is.”
I nodded, stepping closer, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. The air between us buzzed with everything unsaid.
We just… stared at each other.
I clenched my jaw, forcing out the words that had been festering in the back of my throat. “If you’re going to laugh at me,” I muttered, “then do it now. I know you’ve been dying to. After all those years we spent at each other’s throats, after I called you my enemy–I came crawling to you for help like a fool.“}
Niccolo’s brows arched, and a spark of something dark and hungry flickered across his face. “Laugh at you?” he said softly, stepping closer. “Is that what you think I’m waiting for?”
He reached for my chin, tilting my face up. Before I could blink, his lips crashed against mine–hard, stealing the breath from my lungs. It wasn’t gentle or sweet. It was a claim.
My eyes flew open. I shoved him back, breathless, my fingers brushing my tingling lips. “What the hell was that?!”
Niccolo laughed, the sound low and sharp. “What else? I’m claiming what’s mine.”
I stared at him. “Yours?”
He stepped in again, closing the space I’d just made. “Didn’t I tell you back then?” he murmured, his hand sliding around the back of my neck, pulling me closer until our foreheads almost touched. “You’ll always be mine, Amber. And I’m done watching you get dragged through hell for people who never deserved you.”
He kissed me again, slower this time–like he was making a promise. My chest tightened, my hands hovering between pushing him away and pulling him closer.
When he pulled back, his eyes were alight with a dangerous glint. “Let’s start now, hmm? The wedding plan. I’m not giving Treston a single breath to get near you again. I should’ve killed that bastard for what he did.”
My voice came out small, raw. “You still like me? After everything?“M
Niccolo’s mouth curved into a smirk that made my pulse stutter. He leaned in, his lips grazing mine. “Hell, I do. I always did. Even when I hated you, I wanted you Maybe especially then.”
A tiny laugh escaped me, shaky and disbelieving. “You’re insane.”
“Only about you.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, just to prove it. “So? Ready to belong to me for real?”
I stared at him–at the man who had once been my rival, then my savior, now something else entirely. My heart twisted in my chest, not out of fear but relief, Rope. Maybe even something warmer.
“Fine,” Lbreathed.
Niccolo’s grin was pure wicked delight. “Say it again.”
“Thank you…” I added, my throat tightening. “For saving my father. For saving me. I’ll do whatever you ask. Anything.”
His eyes darkened with heat and something deeper. “Anything, huh?” He tilted his head, teasing. “You dare say everything so easily. Are
you sure?”
