Chapter 38
Lina's POV
Luca walked ahead, his silhouette stretched long by the hallway's motion-sensor lights. His footsteps were very light, like mine—a habit only people who had walked in darkness for years would have.
I followed three steps behind him, my brain already rehearsing what excuse I could use to escape if he really pulled out a math test paper.
Say I have a headache? No, I'd already used that last time.
Say Maggie sent me an urgent message? Also no, Maggie would be asleep at this hour.
I was lost in these random thoughts when Luca stopped at his bedroom door and turned to look at me.
"Go shower first," he said, his gaze sweeping over my clothes. I looked down and saw some wall dust on my sleeve. "Then come find me in the study."
"Tutoring?"
"Not tutoring." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I said it was a reward."
I stared at his face for two seconds, trying to read something from those deep brown eyes.
Clearly I failed. Luca only left me with a meaningful smile.
So I gave up investigating and went back to my room to shower first.
Hot water poured down from the showerhead. I pressed my forehead against the tiles, letting the sound of water drown out all the noise.
Today's scene in the elevator lobby flashed back frame by frame in my mind—Blair's terrified face, Mrs. Winston's hesitant eyes, that phone screen flashing "A.V."
My actions hadn't left any concrete evidence, but Verona's side would sooner or later piece together the full picture based on Blair's description.
What would Alessandro do? Would he choose to continue betting on Blair, an already exposed pawn, or lay out a new game?
These questions circled in my head a few times before I washed them all down the drain.
I finished showering and changed into loungewear. My hair wasn't completely dry yet when I pushed open the door to Luca's study with dripping hair tips.
As soon as I opened the door, a rich sweet fragrance instantly hit me in the face.
Luca sat at the desk, with several documents spread out in front of him as usual, but I immediately saw a small strawberry cake on the desk, with a crooked red rose drawn on the cream with chocolate sauce.
Next to it were two cups of steaming hot chocolate, topped with thick milk foam and sprinkled with a layer of cocoa powder.
I also noticed a small box tied with a light blue ribbon placed next to the pen holder not far away.
"Come here." Luca put down his fountain pen, pushed his chair back, and patted the spot beside him.
Not the chair across from him, but beside him.
I hesitated for half a second, then walked over and stood beside him.
"Sit." He pointed again at the spot next to him.
I chose to lean sideways against the desk, crossing my arms in front of my chest, looking down at Luca.
He sat in the chair, half a head shorter than me standing—this height difference meant he had to tilt his face up slightly to look at me.
The warm yellow light from the desk lamp fell between Luca's brows and eyes, making those deep eyes look especially gentle.
"Have a sip first." He pushed the mug to my hand.
I stared at that chocolate-drawn red rose, my heart suddenly beating very fast.
In the fifteen years at Raven, the "rewards" I'd received were only sharper knives, more bullets, and the next more dangerous mission. No one had ever rewarded me with cake and hot chocolate.
The balcony's glass door was open. The evening breeze from outside carried a chill that lifted the curtains. I looked up outside and discovered a bundle of well-packaged sparklers leaning against the balcony railing.
"This is..." I opened my mouth, my voice a bit hoarse.
"A reward." Luca looked at me with a smile. "You did very well today."
"How did you know I like strawberries?" I asked quietly.
"Last time at Maggie's house, you ate three strawberry cookies." Luca picked up the lighter next to the cake and shook it. "Go to the balcony?"
I nodded and followed him to the balcony.
Manhattan's night view spread out below us, thousands of lights like scattered stars, the top of the Empire State Building in the distance flashing red light.
The wind was a bit strong, blowing the edges of my scarf across the back of my hand.
Luca unwrapped the sparkler packaging and pulled one out to hand to me.
I looked at the sparkler and instinctively stepped back half a step—any firelight would expose one's location, this was a warning Dmitri had carved into my bones from day one.
Luca saw my tension. He didn't urge me again, but lit one himself first.
Golden sparks burst open with a "tss," tracing fine arcs of light in the darkness, illuminating his profile.
His eyelashes were very long, casting shallow shadows in the firelight. His usually cold and hard jawline was much softer at this moment.
"Don't be afraid." He held the burning sparkler in front of me, his voice very light. "It's very safe here. No one will see."
I hesitated, then slowly reached out and took the other sparkler he handed me.
Luca helped me light the sparkler. Golden sparks jumped in my hand, sparks splashing into the air and quickly extinguishing.
I looked at that jumping cluster of light and suddenly remembered the bonfire I'd seen as a child at Raven's training camp.
Back then, bonfires were for warmth and roasting compressed biscuits. They were never just for looking beautiful like now.
"These are only lit on birthdays, right?" I said softly, my eyes fixed tightly on the sparks in my hand. "I actually don't know my own birthday. Dmitri said assassins don't need birthdays."
Luca's movements paused. The sparkler in his hand had burned to the end. He threw the remaining stick into the nearby trash can, then turned around to look at me very seriously.
"I know your birthday," he said. "I saw it in your mother's diary. You were born on November 23rd, today."
I suddenly looked up. The sparkler in my hand had just finished burning, the last spark falling to the ground and extinguishing.
"Your mother wrote in her diary, 'My little Lina was born in autumn. Her eyes are like the Arctic Ocean, and she will surely see so much sunshine in the future.'" Luca's voice was very soft. "No one gave you birthdays before, from now on I'll give them to you, every year."
"This year's cake didn't get eaten in time, but it's okay. After everything is over, I'll make up for it with a bigger one, piled high with the strawberries you like."
My tears fell without warning.
I didn't cry when I killed someone for the first time at twelve. I didn't cry when Dmitri locked me in solitary confinement for two days and two nights. I didn't cry when I was betrayed and hunted by Raven.
I thought I'd long since stopped being able to cry.
But now, just because of Luca's words "from now on I'll give them to you," my tears fell like broken beads, impossible to wipe away no matter how much I tried.
Luca reached out and gently wiped away the tears on my face with his fingertips.
His palms were very rough, with calluses left from years of holding guns, but his movements were impossibly gentle.
"Don't cry." He said. "You won't look good if you cry."
My tears, which had already stopped, surged out again uncontrollably because of this sentence. I forcefully sniffled and glared at him irritably.
Luca smiled helplessly and reached out to pull me into his embrace.
His embrace was very warm, carrying a faint scent of cologne and tobacco. I buried my face in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. All the unease and grievances seemed to find an outlet in this moment.
After a very long time, I slowly stopped crying.
I lifted my head and discovered Luca's shirt was soaked through in a large area from my crying.
"I'm sorry." I lowered my head embarrassedly.
"It's okay." Luca ruffled my hair, then lowered his head and gently placed a kiss on my forehead.
His lips were very soft, carrying the sweet taste of hot chocolate.
That kiss was very light, like a feather landing on my forehead, yet it stirred up tremendous waves in my heart.
I held my breath and looked up at Luca.
His eyes were startlingly bright in the night, filled with a tenderness I'd never seen before.
"Lina," Luca called my name softly. "You're not anyone's weapon. You are Lina."