Chapter 99: the act of kindness
He kept walking beside me through the narrow market street, his large hand still resting on my head like I was something small, fragile, and his to protect.
Snow wasn’t falling here, but the cold breeze brushed against my skin. I shivered before I could stop myself.
Without a word, he slipped off his suit jacket and draped it around my shoulders. I caught the faintest scent of him—warm, expensive cologne mixed with something darker, something dangerous. Something that was only Lorenzo.
I swallowed. “You… didn’t have to.”
He didn’t answer. He never did when I said anything that involved softness.
Instead, he watched the people around us. Women laughing over baskets of fruit. Two elderly men arguing over fish prices. Kids chasing each other barefoot between stalls.
I didn’t know this place had people—families, lives, normality. I thought his island was only guns, guards, and shadows.
“Isla,” Lorenzo said quietly.
I turned. “Yes?”
His eyes lingered on me a moment too long. “Walk with me.”
It wasn’t a request. But for once, I didn’t mind.
We walked past a bakery where warm bread filled the air, past a row of handmade candles, and past a stall selling seashell bracelets. Everything was so ordinary… and that felt strange. Like I’d stepped into someone else’s life.
A lady approached me, smiling brightly. “It’s rare to see a beautiful lady here on our island.”
I blinked in surprise. “O-oh. Thank you.”
Before I could say more, a tiny boy ran full speed toward us and slammed into my legs. I stumbled forward with a small gasp.
“Sorry! Sorry!” he squeaked.
I steadied myself—but froze when I saw Lorenzo. He was staring down at the little boy with a look so cold and unreadable that my breath hitched. He didn’t blink. Didn’t soften. Didn’t smile.
He looked… dangerous.
My heart jumped into my throat. Lorenzo, no—don’t scare him.
The boy stared up at him with wide eyes, frozen in place.
Then Lorenzo slowly reached out his hand.
Fear blasted through me—I grabbed his wrist on instinct.
“Lorenzo—”
But he gently laid his hand on the boy’s head. His fingers brushed through the child’s hair with unexpected tenderness.
“So small and smooth,” he murmured. Then his gaze lifted to mine, steady and heated. “Just like you, Isla.”
The moment his hand settled on my head, warm and heavy, I froze.
And—God help me—Lorenzo De Luca smiled. A real one. Softer than anything I’d ever imagined on his face. Something inside my chest twisted painfully, as if my heart wasn’t ready for this… for him like this.
“Huh?” My face burned. “I—I am not that small.”
“You are.” His lips twitched. “But it suits you.”
The boy beamed at him, tugging on his sleeve. “When I grow up I’ll be tall like you! Everything about you is so cool!”
I swallowed a laugh. Oh boy… if only you knew who he really was, you’d run for your life. But I smiled anyway.
“Aww,” I said, crouching. “You can grow tall like him, but don’t be like him. Trust me.”
The boy’s mother rushed over, bowing quickly. “My apologies, sir.”
Lorenzo nodded once. No anger. No threat. Just… calm.
As she led the boy away, the child turned back to wave. I waved too.
Then Lorenzo’s voice came low beside me. “You heard him. He wants to be tall like me… not short like you.”
I spun, glaring up at him. “Hey! I’m not short. You’re just too tall!”
He hummed as if considering it.
Then, for the second time, he placed his big hand on my head.
I gasped. ““Hey! Don’t mess up my hair,” I snapped, swatting his arm.
He smiled again.
Not the cold, mocking one.
A warm one.
My chest tightened. Why does that smile feel like it could ruin me?
“Stop looking at me like that,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
“Like what?” he asked, stepping closer.
“You like more human”
He looked away first, something stormy shifting beneath his cold exterior. “Don’t misunderstand, Isla.”
“Misunderstand what?” I asked quietly.
He opened his mouth to say something—but a soft cry echoed behind us.
A small girl tripped near the fruit stall, falling to the ground. Before I could react, Lorenzo reached her first. He lifted her gently, brushing dirt from her dress.
“There,” he said, voice unexpectedly soft. “No harm done.”
The little girl smiled up at him, showing a missing tooth.
And for a heartbeat… I saw something in Lorenzo break open.
Fragile. Vulnerable. Human.
“You’re good with kids,” I whispered.
He shot me a warning look. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t try to make me something I’m not.”
“I’m not trying,” I said, stepping closer. “I’m just seeing what you don’t want anyone else to see.”
“Enough.” His voice was deep, almost shaken. “We’re leaving.”
But when I stumbled on uneven ground, he didn’t hesitate. His hands grabbed my waist, steadying me like I was something delicate.
I looked up at him, breathless.
He held me there, his grip firm, his eyes burning into mine.
“Isla,” he said quietly, “I brought you here to get your mind off things.”
“It’s working,” I whispered.
A long silence.
Then he lifted me—just picked me up like I weighed nothing and held me against his chest. I gasped and grabbed his suit.
“L-Lorenzo—”
“Don’t argue,” he said. “You’re cold.”
Wrapped in his jacket, carried in his arms, surrounded by the warmth of his body… I felt something I never thought I’d feel with him.
Safe.
His fingers brushed my cheek. “Your skin is freezing.”
“I’m fine.”
“No,” he murmured. “You’re not.”
His voice wasn’t mocking. It wasn’t cold.
It was… soft.
He looked at me like I was something he couldn’t lose.
Something he didn’t know how to handle.
Something he was afraid to want.
“Lorenzo,” I whispered, “why are you being so…”
“Careful?” he finished for me. “Because you’re mine.”
The words stole my breath.
“But you treat me like—”
“Like I’m dangerous,” he said. “Because I am.”
“But you helped that little girl,” I said. “And the boy. And you smiled—twice.”
His jaw tightened again. “Don’t look for meaning in things that don’t matter.”