Chapter 79 The bail
Luca stood there tall, calm, and dangerous in the way quiet people are when they’ve finally had enough.
His eyes met Dante’s first, then moved to Isabelle, and finally landed on Sienna. She looked small and broken between two officers, her wrists still bound.
“I said release her,” Luca repeated, this time his tone was calm.
The lead officer hesitated. “Sir, we were instructed to…”
“You heard me,” Luca interrupted, his voice low but firm. “Release her now.”
He stepped into the room, each word laced with authority that didn’t come from a title but conviction. “I’ll post her bail and handle the charges privately.”
The officers exchanged uncertain looks. No one moved.
Dante’s voice finally broke the silence. “Luca, this isn’t your business.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. “It is when it has to do with justice.”
“She stole from me,” Dante snapped.
“No,” Luca said, his gaze cutting through the tension. “She’s being set up. And you’re too blind to see it.”
Isabelle, who had been standing quietly beside Dante, stepped forward, her face painted with delicate sorrow. “Luca please, don’t do this.”
Her tone was soft, almost trembling, the way people sound when they know how to make others bend. “She’s dangerous. You don’t know what she’s capable of.”
Luca turned his head slowly toward her. “The only dangerous thing in this room,” he said, “is you.”
The words landed like a slap.
Isabelle froze, the faintest flicker of rage flashing in her eyes before she masked it with another tearful look at Dante.
Dante glared at his brother. “You’re crossing a line.”
“Then maybe the line was drawn wrongly,” Luca shot back.
The air felt thick and heavy for words, too sharp to breathe.
Sienna stood there, motionless, staring at the floor. Her heart thudded painfully. None of this felt real.
Luca turned to the officers again. “Take off the cuffs. I’ll handle everything from here.”
Finally, one of them stepped forward and unlocked the restraints.
The cold metal slipped from her wrists, leaving faint red marks.
Sienna rubbed her arms, still shaking. “Why… Why are you helping me?” she whispered.
Luca didn’t answer right away. He simply signed the release forms handed to him by an officer, his expression tight.
When the paperwork was done, he looked at her eyes softening just slightly. “First, let’s get out of here.”
They stepped outside into the hot afternoon sun.
Sienna drew in a deep breath, her lungs burning as if she hadn’t breathed in hours.
The city noises, the hum of engines, the distant chatter felt too normal for how her world had just collapsed.
Luca walked beside her quietly. He didn’t try to touch her or talk, he just matched her pace, keeping close enough to guard her from the heat and the cold stares of strangers.
They turned onto a quieter street, their footsteps echoing softly.
Sienna finally spoke, her voice shaking. “Why are you doing this?”
Luca slowed his pace. “Because someone should’ve believed you.”
She let out a small laugh. “And you're that someone?”
He flinched at that because it was true.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “You know I've always believed you and I'll always believe you.”
Sienna looked away, her eyes glistening. “It doesn’t matter now. Dante’s made up his mind. They all have.”
“Dante’s angry,” Luca said, choosing his words carefully. “But he’s not..”
“He’s not the man I thought he was,” she interrupted.
The words came out raw, almost bitter. “He kissed her, Luca. In front of me. Like I meant nothing.”
Luca stopped walking. For a moment, he couldn’t find anything to say.
She turned toward him, tears streaking her cheeks, her voice barely above a whisper. “I begged him to believe me. I told him everything. He didn’t even look at me.”
Luca swallowed hard. “He’s being manipulated.”
Sienna shook her head. “No, he’s choosing not to see what's happening. He's closing his eyes to the truth.”
They stood in silence for a while, the only sound heard was the voices of kids playing around the street.
Finally, Luca sighed. “You should come with me. And stay somewhere safe tonight.”
Sienna’s laugh was hollow. “Safe? You really think anywhere’s safe for me now?”
Her voice trembled, but there was strength beneath it, the kind that only comes when someone’s lost everything.
Luca looked at her carefully. “I can protect you.”
“No, Luca,” she said, shaking her head.
“You can’t.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
She stared at the ground. “Because protection always comes with a price. And I’ve already paid too much.”
Her words hit him harder than she realized.
They started walking again, slower this time. Her mind was flooded with thoughts and she wished she could talk to him about it. She had promised herself that she wouldn't trust anyone again, not after what happened to Clara and not even someone from the Varon family.
Luca spoke quietly, almost to himself. “You didn’t deserve any of this.”
Sienna didn’t respond.
They walked for several blocks in silence, their footsteps the only sound between them.
Finally, she stopped.
He turned back, confused. “What is it?”
“I don’t want your help,” she said softly.
Luca’s brow furrowed. “Sienna.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with exhaustion and sadness. “I just want my license reinstated. Then I’ll disappear for good.”
He stared at her, stunned. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m tired, Luca. Every time I try to fix something, it only gets worse. I lost my father, my brother, my career, and now, him.”
Her voice cracked on the last word.
“I can’t keep fighting people who’ve already decided who I am. I just want peace even if that means giving up everything.”
Luca looked at her for a long moment. The way she stood with her shoulders slumped, eyes dull that broke something inside him.
“You don’t deserve to disappear,” he said softly.
She gave a small, tired smile. “Then maybe you haven’t been paying attention.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped.
She looked too fragile for more words. And too tired for promises.
So he said nothing.
They walked again more slowly now, both lost in thought.
Sienna wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly from the sudden wind, carrying the faint sound of traffic and sirens in the distance.
Luca’s guilt sat heavy in his chest.
He thought of all the times he’d seen her at Dante’s side, quiet, patient, and loyal. He remembered how his father would sneer whenever her name came up. She’s a distraction, Jean-Paul would say. A woman with no place in our world.
And Luca cowardly, compliant Luca never said a word.
Now he wished he had.
“Luca?” Sienna’s voice was soft.
He turned to her.
“Do you think I’m lying too?” she asked.
The question stopped him cold.
He shook his head slowly. “No.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because,” he said quietly, “I’m trying to figure out how we got here.”
She looked away again, her expression unreadable.
The silence stretched between them was heavy but not uncomfortable.
For the first time, Sienna didn’t feel afraid around him. She was just tired.
They reached a crosswalk. The light turned red.
As they waited, Luca’s phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, frowning.
The message on the screen made his stomach twist.
“Come home immediately. We need to talk before you ruin everything.”
“It took you so long,” Luca muttered under his breath
Of course, he knew if his father knew about the arrest and how he bailed her, he'd call or text him.
He closed his eyes for a second, then looked at Sienna. “I have to go.”
Sienna nodded faintly. “Of course.”
Luca hesitated. He wanted to say something but the words refused to come.
Finally, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small card, and handed it to her.“Call me if you need help. Any time, day or night.”
She took it but didn’t look at it. “Thank you for today and for believing in me.”
He gave a small nod, his throat tight. “Don’t thank me yet.”
The light changed.
He stepped off the curb, walking toward the waiting car at the corner.
Sienna watched him go, his figure growing smaller until it disappeared into the traffic.
She stood there a moment longer, her fingers tightening around the card until it bent.
Then she turned and walked in the opposite direction, swallowed by the noise of the busy London City.