Chapter 44: A bridge too broken
As the Morning light streamed the more through the tall glass windows of Morano Enterprises, casting sharp gold lines across the polished marble floor.
Luca stepped out, suit perfectly tailored, his every step radiating quiet authority.
Outside his office, Jackson and his mother waited, their postures tight with hope and worry.
He stopped when he saw them.
"Sir luca, you’re here," Jackson’s mother said, rising to greet him. "you said we should go...."
"I won’t be going anymore," Luca interrupted gently, a polite smile curving his lips.
They exchanged surprised glances. "Why? Is something wrong?" Jackson mother asked.
He shook his head, his tone calm but final. "I have my reasons. But here...." He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a sleek black business card, the Morano crest embossed in gold. "If you ever need anything.. money, help, anything at all, call me. Please, call me well." His gaze was steady, his words deliberate. "Don’t hesitate."
Jackson’s mother took the card with trembling fingers. "Thank you... thank you, Sir Luca."
With a brief nod, he turned and walked away.
But as he reached his office corridor, a shadow stepped into his path... It was bianca.
She leaned casually against the doorway, her smile calculated. "Good morning, Luca."
He didn’t return the smile. "Bianca, what are you doing here?."
*****
Across the city, Alessia stood at her bedroom window, staring at nothing.
The hours had stretched endlessly since she last saw Luca.
The house was quiet, but her mind was loud with memories, regrets, the phantom warmth of his arms still haunting her.
She really missed him.
His love, his care and the way his presence wrapped around her like a shield against the world.
Even their intimacy, the way his touch had once been a language only they spoke was something her body ached for.
The misunderstanding between them had grown like a thorn bush, twisting and sharp.
She knew she should try to explain, even if it was too late...
Even if he no longer wanted their marriage.
After all, he hadn’t sent an official letter to end it.
Her mother had called him earlier that day, though Alessia didn’t know exactly what wanted to say to him. All she knew was the faint smile her mother gave her after informing her she sent for Luca, as if silently granting permission.
"You’ll do what you think is right," her mother said softly, and before finally leaving her alone.
Alessia took a deep breath and turned to her wardrobe.
If she was going to face Luca, she would do it looking her best.
Her fingers trailed over fabrics until she chose a silver silk gown that hugged her figure, giving her the soft, luminous glow of a sweet sixteen.
Red heels and a matching bag added a sharp contrast, and she slicked on a gloss that caught the light every time she moved her lips.
She didn’t let herself hesitate.
Minutes later, she was in a taxi, the city blurring past, her heart pounding with every mile that brought her closer to him.
*****
In Luca’s office, Bianca lingered, her presence pressing against his patience.
"You should hear me out," she said, moving closer.
"I’ve heard enough from you over the years," he replied, picking up a file.
"I’m not here to fight," Bianca insisted. "I’m here because.... "
Luca’s brows tightened. "What did you want, Bianca?"
"I came to talk."... She said to him.
"You shouldn’t be here," he said flatly. "The last time I spoke to your father, he promised you all will leave me and my family alone. So why are you back?"
Her throat felt tight. "I’m sorry, Luca. I’m... even ashamed to be standing here. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look into your eyes without feeling the weight of what’s happened."
He said nothing, and waiting.
"I have one more thing to tell you, and then I’ll go." Her voice wavered. "When I was eighteen, I... I gave birth to a child. A son."
His expression didn’t change, but the air between them thickened.
"It was a pregnancy no one knew about," she continued quickly. "My body didn’t even change much, I still had my monthly periods without a protruding stomach either. Then nine months... one afternoon, on my way home from school, I went into labor.
I was terrified. I didn’t know where to go. I... I put him in a basket and set it afloat in a stream leading out of the city."
Her voice cracked. "I never saw him again."
Luca’s voice was low. "And why are you telling me this now?"
"Because..." She swallowed hard. "That same child came to your gate a few days ago. With his guardia, his mother now, I suppose.... So I panicked, I thought they wanted to expose me to you and my family, so... I sent them away."
He stared at her.
"But now I want him back," she said desperately. "Do you think I can find them again? Will you help me, find my son. I knew he was my son.?"
Luca roared out loudly. "Why will people come to look for me and you will send them away, without informing me until a need for your selfish desires before I got to know"?. I’m also willing to find them if possible Bianca". He added.
Bianca was ashamed of herself, "I’m sorry luca... Why do I feel you know this people"?.
Luca’s thought of Jackson and his mother. Could they be the one bianca is talking about? How comes they didn’t mentioned it to him? How calm Jackson mother couldn’t be. Maybe she was scared of him been hostile to bianca if she report her negative attitude to him.
He nodded at his own thought.
They have gone back to their city, if the same people were the people I had encounter with. He said and his eyes were looking red from too much anger.
"Where can I meet them again please".... Bianca asked.
And luca finally looses his patience with Bianca.
Luca rose from his chair, his eyes hard as flint. "You’re not just cruel today, Bianca. You’ve been cruel for years. Go sort yourself out and leave my sight."
She flinched as though struck, and turned quickly before he could see her usual tricky tears.
When she was gone, Luca poured himself a glass of non-alcoholic wine, the bitter taste grounding him. Then he picked up the phone and called the chief of security.
*****
Bianca finally left his office, her perfume clinging to the air.
Minutes later, At the downstairs, Alessia stepped through the company’s glass doors.
The guards straightened immediately, bowing in respect an old habit that hadn’t faded.
She managed a small smile in return.
When she reached for the handle of Luca’s office door, she froze.
Through the gap, his voice came, low and sharp.
"I don’t need her in my life again. I don’t want her. I could go as far as killing her. She was never my wife.... don’t mistake that again."
The words sliced through her.
Her breath stuttered. She let go of the handle, turned, and walked away, her vision blurring. He despised her this much?. She thought within herself.
Inside, Luca was still on the phone. "Don’t ever let Bianca in again. Like I said earlier she was never my wife."
But Alessia was already gone, carrying the wrong truth in her heart.
*****
That afternoon, Luca left work early to honour the invitation from Alessia’s mother.
When his car pulled up to the gate, a folded note was wedged into the iron bars. He tore it free and scanned the words.
"We are sorry, Sir Luca. We do not wish to see you again. Due to certain rising matters, we have made a small amendment. When we are ready to see you again, we will inform you. We regret the inconvenience".
His jaw tightened as he made his way back to the car.
"Drive immediately." he barked at Fredo as he slid into the backseat.
"Sir?".... Fredo tried to speak.
"I said drive, Drive the damn car"
Fredo gripped the wheel. "I’m sorry, sir... he said.
As Fredo drived, Luca thought within him, "Was she looking for an opportunity to hate you this much?"
Luca stared out of the window, his pulse a drumbeat in his ears.
"Sir," Fredo said carefully, i’m sorry for intruding in your privacy but what if you... Eeeeh.... "make her jealous."
Luca’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. "What?"
"Make her jealous," Fredo repeated. "If she still has feelings for you, it will bring her to you. If not..."
Luca leaned back, the idea taking root. "And how do you suggest I do that?"
"There’s a mafia daughter, her name is Hikky. Arrange a fake marriage. It would look like a peace treaty, but really... it’s bait."
Luca’s lips curved, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "A fake marriage to provoke Alessia..."
The plan was beginning to take shape. And Luca Morano never played a game he didn’t intend to win...