62

62
Adriano
I sat alone in my office, staring at the ceiling. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Azalea’s smile.
I remembered how peaceful I felt when she was close to me. How badly I wanted to protect both her and Amira from all the darkness in my world.
This feeling was new. Scary. I had never felt this way about any woman before.
The truth was scary. My whole life, I had built thick walls around my heart. I told myself that love was a weakness. Love was a pain. Love was what destroyed my mother and drove her to her death.
But when Azalea touched my hair, when she let me sleep on her shoulder even though it hurt her, when she smiled at me like I was worth something... maybe that was love. Real love.
I buried my face in my hands. What was happening to me? I was Adriano Rion Giordani. I didn’t fall in love. I took what I wanted from women and threw them away when I got bored. That’s how I survived.
But Azalea was different. I never wanted to throw her away. I wanted to keep her with me forever. I wanted to wake up next to her every morning and see her face before I went to sleep every night.
Maybe Matteo was right when he said I was in love. The thought terrified me more than any enemy I had ever faced in business or on the streets.
Loving someone meant giving them the power to destroy you. And I had been hurt enough for one lifetime.
But I had a bigger problem now. My father had seen Azalea and Amira today. He knew they existed. And knowing that evil man, he wouldn’t just disappear quietly. He would find a way to use them against me.
The thought of him hurting my girls made my blood boil. I grabbed my phone and called Matteo.
“Sir?” he answered on the first ring.
“I want you to double the security around the house immediately,” I said. “My father and his witch of a wife are banned from this property. If they try to come back, I want to know the second they set foot near my gate.”
“Yes, sir. Should I also put protection on your wife and her sister when they leave the house?”
The thought of anyone hurting them made my blood boil. “Yes. But make sure they don’t notice. I don’t want them to feel scared or trapped.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll handle it personally.”
I hung up and looked around my cold, empty office. For years, this room had been my kingdom. The place where I made million-dollar deals and built my empire piece by piece. But now all I wanted was to go upstairs and hold Azalea in my arms where she belonged.
I walked to the large window and stared out at the dark garden below. Somewhere out there in the city, my father was probably already making plans.
He had always been jealous of everything I accomplished—my success, my power, my money. But now he had seen something that might be worth more to me than all of that combined. My family.
The old Adriano would have been smart. He would have kept everyone at arm’s length to protect himself.
But this new version of me, the man who wanted Azalea close and never wanted to let her go, was willing to risk everything to protect what was mine.
I thought about little Amira’s innocent smile and how she said my name with such trust. I thought about how she looked at me like I was some kind of hero, even though she barely knew me.
That little girl deserved to grow up safe and happy, not living in fear because of the dangerous world I had dragged her into.
But I would make sure that never happened. I would burn down anyone who tried to hurt them.
I turned off the lights and headed to find my girls. Amira was probably fast asleep by now, and Azalea would be waiting for me.
When I opened the bedroom door quietly, I saw them both sleeping peacefully. Amira was curled up like a little angel, and Azalea was lying next to her, one protective arm around her sister.
Looking at them together, I felt something I had never experienced before—complete and total peace. This was what I had been fighting for my entire life without even knowing it.
Not money, not power, not revenge against my enemies. Just this perfect moment, with the two people who made me remember what it felt like to be human again.
I quietly changed into my pajamas and carefully slipped into bed next to Azalea, trying not to wake either of them. Even in her sleep, she turned toward me, seeking my warmth and comfort.

I woke up before dawn, as I always did. But I had something beautiful to wake up to now.
I watched Azalea sleep for a few minutes, memorizing the peaceful expression on her face.
I carefully got out of bed and headed to the bathroom for my morning routine. I had been away from the company for weeks because of Amira’s surgery, and there was probably a mountain of work waiting for me.
But first, I had important business to take care of—finding the perfect school for Amira.
I took a hot shower, then put on my best charcoal gray suit, a silk tie, and my Italian leather shoes. I stood in front of the large mirror, making sure every detail was perfect before adding my expensive cologne.
“You’re awake,” came Azalea’s sleepy voice from behind me.
I turned to see her stretching like a cat. She looked absolutely beautiful with her messy hair and sleepy eyes.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I replied, watching as her cheeks turned pink at the compliment.
I could feel her eyes following me as I adjusted my tie. Her gaze was like fire on my skin, and I loved every second of it.
“Are you done staring at me?” I asked with a teasing smile.
“No. Not yet,” she answered honestly, then immediately gasped when she realized what she had said. “Sorry! I mean no, I wasn’t staring at you.”
“Really?” I chuckled, walking over to her. I leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, breathing in her sweet scent. “You don’t have to be shy about looking at me, honey. I’m your husband. I don’t mind if you want to stare at my body.”
Her face turned bright red as she quickly covered her face with both hands, trying to hide from me.
I couldn’t help but laugh. She was absolutely adorable when she was embarrassed. “You’re so beautiful when you blush.”
“Amira is right here,” she whispered, pointing to her sleeping sister.
“She’s still fast asleep,” I whispered back, still smiling.
“Can you please stop teasing me?” she begged, but I could see she was trying not to smile.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop,” I said, though we both knew I was lying. “I have to go to the company today.”
Her face fell slightly. “When will you be back?”
“As soon as I can, honey. Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”