Chapter 265: THIS LITTLE LIFE.

\~~~RAINA.

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that Luciano wasn't in bed, and the second thing I realised was that it was my birthday.

I smiled immediately, then frowned, because those two things did not belong together.

For the past couple of days, Luciano had somehow become even more Luciano, which I hadn't thought was possible. Ever since we found out about the baby, the man had transformed into something between a husband, a bodyguard, and an overprotective grandmother.

I couldn't carry anything, couldn't walk too fast, and couldn't stand for too long. At one point yesterday, I had reached for a chair and he'd looked at me like I was attempting a dangerous stunt. So yes, the fact that he wasn't in bed on the morning of my birthday was suspicious, very suspicious.

I pushed myself up slowly and glanced around the room, but there was nothing, no flowers, no Luciano, no giant surprise, and no husband.

"Interesting," I muttered as I climbed out of bed and headed downstairs.

The moment I reached the last step, I stopped because the entire dining area had been decorated. It wasn't excessive, but just enough, filled with flowers, candles, a ridiculous amount of breakfast, and standing in the middle of it all was Luciano.

His head lifted immediately, his face softened, and then he smiled. God, that smile still did things to me.

"Happy birthday, baby."

My heart squeezed, and I walked toward him, or at least attempted to, because Luciano immediately crossed the room and met me halfway, as if I was incapable of covering the remaining distance myself.

"You know I can walk."

"I know."

"Then why are you doing that?"

"Because I wanted to."

It was reasonable, annoyingly reasonable by the way. His hand settled against my waist before he kissed me softly and slowly, like he had all the time in the world. When he pulled away, I smiled.

"You've become so clingy."

"I've always been clingy."

"You absolutely have not."

"I have."

"No."

"Ask anybody."

I laughed. "Nobody would support this lie."

He looked deeply offended, then kissed my forehead. "Sit."

"Bossy."

"Birthday girl."

I immediately sat because those were different things, and Luciano seemed pleased by that. He took the seat beside me and started filling my plate before I could even reach for anything, making me narrow my eyes.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Treating me like I'm fragile."

He didn't even look guilty, not remotely. Instead, he handed me a fork. "Eat."

I rolled my eyes, then ate because the food smelled amazing. For a while, we simply enjoyed breakfast by talking, laughing, and stealing food from each other's plates despite having identical meals. They were normal, comfortable things, and the kind of things I never imagined I'd have when I first met Luciano Moretti.

Then eventually, I noticed the folder. It sat near his elbow, looking simple, dark, and unremarkable, which immediately made it suspicious. I pointed. "What's that?"

Luciano followed my gaze. "Oh."

That was all he said, so I narrowed my eyes further. "What's in it?"

"Open it."

My suspicion doubled. "You look nervous."

"I am not nervous."

"You're nervous."

He looked offended again, which was a recurring theme in our marriage. "Open it, baby."

I stared at him for a moment, then reached for the folder, and the second I touched it, Luciano sat straighter. He was definitely nervous, which was interesting. I opened it slowly, and the first page appeared, showing legal documents. I blinked, then blinked again because that wasn't what I expected. I looked at Luciano, and he nodded toward the papers.

"Keep reading."

So I did, and then I frowned.

In it was ownership transfer, corporate restructuring, executive authorization, share transfer, and board approval. The words started to blur together, not because I couldn't understand them, but because I could, all too well.

My eyes moved back to the company name once, twice, then a third time, and suddenly I froze completely.

My heartbeat stumbled. No, there was no way. I looked back down, read it again, then again, and then one more time as my throat tightened. "Luciano."

His gaze never left mine. "Keep reading."

I swallowed and continued, and by the time I reached the last page, my hands were shaking so bad.

I slowly looked up. "Is this..." My voice failed, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Is this my father's company?

Luciano nodded once like the answer was obvious and like he hadn’t just turned my entire birthday upside down. I stared at him, then back at the papers, and then at him again, completely unable to process what I was seeing.

Because it wasn’t just shares, it wasn’t a percentage, and it definitely wasn’t partial ownership. It was everything.

The entire company, every controlling share, every voting right, and every executive power… all of it belonged to me.

My eyes dropped to the final page again, Chief Executive Officer, Owner, Raina Moretti. My throat tightened immediately.

“Luciano…”

His expression softened. “It belongs to you.”

The words hit harder than they should have, not because of the money, not because of the power, and definitely not because of my parents.

If anything, my parents had been the reason I’d convinced myself years ago that I would never truly have it. The company had never represented them to me, instead, it represented everything I could only dream of.

Everything that could only belong to a person like Talia, and not me.

And somehow, somewhere along the way, I’d accepted that it would never be mine, not while they were busy deciding what my life should look like, not while they kept making choices for me, and not while they kept choosing everyone except me.

I blinked rapidly, trying and failing to stop the tears gathering in my eyes. “When did you do this?”

“A while ago.”

My mouth fell open. “A while ago?”

He nodded. “I wanted everything finalized first.”

I looked back down at the documents, then back at him. “Why?” The question came out smaller than intended.

Luciano was quiet for a moment, then he reached across the table and took my hand.

The gesture was familiar, grounding, and steady, like he knew exactly where my mind was trying to go.

“It should have been yours from the beginning.”

The words shattered whatever composure I had left. A tear escaped immediately, followed by another, while Luciano’s thumb brushed slowly across my knuckles.

“Your parents lost the right to decide what belonged to you a long time ago.”

My chest tightened painfully because he understood. God, he actually understood. He wasn’t giving me my father’s company, he wasn’t honoring my parents, and he wasn’t trying to repair their mistakes. He was looking at everything they had taken from me and then saying it had always been mine.

“I know I seized it from them,” Luciano continued quietly, “but I never intended to keep it.”

I stared at him. “What?”

His jaw tightened slightly. “I wanted them punished.” There was no hesitation in his voice, no regret, just honesty. “They deserved it.”

A shaky laugh escaped me. “You’re saying that on my birthday?”

“I’m saying it because it’s true.”

That only made me laugh harder through the tears. Luciano watched me carefully, then his expression softened again.

“The company was never about them, Raina.” His fingers squeezed mine gently. “It was about you.”

My vision blurred completely because he was right. The company wasn’t one of the things I remembered fondly because of my parents.

It was one of the things I remembered despite them, the way they had been certain I could never get it, and the years I’d spent preparing for a future I wasn’t sure I’d ever get.

And now,  it was mine with no conditions, no strings, and no one standing over my shoulder making decisions for me. Mine.

I laughed through the tears, a ridiculous, watery sound. “You’re unbelievable.”

A faint smile appeared on his face. “I know.”

I shook my head. “No, seriously,” I said as another tear slipped free. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Good.”

I frowned immediately. “Good?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

His mouth twitched. “Because if you’re speechless, then I finally bought the correct gift.”

I stared at him for two seconds, then burst out laughing and it was the kind that made tears continue falling. Luciano smiled immediately, and somehow that smile told me exactly what I already knew, making me happy was his favorite thing in the world.

Slowly, I stood from my chair, walked around the table, and climbed directly into his lap. His arms wrapped around me instantly and naturally, like they belonged there. I buried my face against his neck and held him tightly.

The documents were forgotten, the company was forgotten, and everything was forgotten except him. Because somehow, even after giving me an entire company, he was still the greatest thing I’d ever received.

“I love you,” I whispered.

His arms tightened, then his lips brushed against my temple. “I know.”

I immediately pulled back. “That is your response?”

“It works.”

I stared at him. “You’re so cocky, hubby.”

“You love this cockiness, my wife.”

I laughed despite myself, then cried again, then laughed through the tears. Luciano watched me with a look I knew too well, the one that always made my heart stumble, and the one that told me exactly how much he loved me without needing words.

Then his hand settled gently against my stomach and his gaze followed the movement, immediately softening and immediately changing, like every road somehow led back there now.

It led back to us, back to our future, and back to the tiny life neither of us could stop thinking about.

When he looked up again, his expression was warmer than before, softer, and more vulnerable.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

My throat tightened again, and then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against my forehead. When he spoke again, his voice dropped lower, more intimate, and more emotional.

“To the woman who gave me a future worth looking forward to.”

That did it completely. The tears returned instantly, and Luciano laughed softly before pulling me back against his chest and holding me there, like he was sure these tears wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Oh, how I love this little life.