Chapter 50
Amber looked like a deer caught in headlights, frozen in place while Luca remained half-sitting on the bed, wearing only his shorts. His piercing gaze scanned her as if she’d lost her mind. Maybe she had. She gulped, suddenly unsure of herself. Maybe she had lost her mind—but she couldn’t take the full credit for that. This man had a knack for driving her to the brink every single time.
“I’m sorry. I had no right to say that,” she conceded quietly, averting her eyes.
“Maybe not,” Luca replied with a slow nod, his gaze unwavering. “But I have a feeling you needed to say it.”
Amber didn’t answer, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. Instead, she blurted, “I just came to wake you up and remind you to pack your bags.”
Her voice wavered slightly as she tried to leave the room, her steps faltering. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at the wardrobe anymore. Not when her mind was suddenly flooded with images of Carlotta Forentino—the blonde, Barbie-like woman—touching and folding Luca’s underwear.
Goddamn it. Amber clenched her fists, resisting the urge to bang her head against the nearest wall.
“Hey!” Luca called after her, a teasing grin playing on his lips. “I’m leaving my job, my country, my family—to live with you in a foreign country. The least you could do is help me pack my bags!”
Amber paused at the door, throwing him a scathing look over her shoulder. “Maybe it’d be better if I left you here,” she snapped, her voice dripping with irritation.
Luca didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, hey. I’ve already lost my job as CEO. I’m a jobless man now! If you leave me here, a struggling single dad, I’ll sue you for child support!”
His laughter filled the room as Amber stomped down the stairs, muttering under her breath.
It was a crisp, clear day as they drove toward the airport. The roads were blissfully empty, the morning sun casting a golden glow over the city. Luca and Nico were as giddy as children, their excitement contagious—at least to each other.
“Papa, I can’t believe you’re going to live with us now,” Nico exclaimed, his voice brimming with joy. “In our home! Like Peter Martin’s mummy and daddy do. Isn’t that amazing, Mummy? Isn’t it?”
Amber forced a smile, glancing back at her son. “Sure, my love,” she replied, her tone light but distracted.
Nico continued, undeterred. “Peter’s mummy and daddy even sleep in the same room. Are you going to share a room with my mummy now, Papa?”
Amber choked on her breath, her cheeks flaming as Luca’s eyes flicked to hers in the rearview mirror, a devilish smirk spreading across his face.
“Of course,” Luca said smoothly. “If Peter Martin’s—whoever that is—mummy and daddy sleep in the same bed, we should do the same, shouldn’t we, darling?” He winked at Amber, his tone dripping with playful mischief.
“Luca!” Amber hissed, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.
“What?” Luca asked innocently, his smirk widening.
“Tell me more about Peter Martin, Nico,” he added, shifting the conversation just enough to keep Amber on edge. “Does his daddy ever buy his mummy flowers? Or cook her dinner?”
Nico giggled, wrinkling his nose in exaggerated disgust. “No! But his daddy says his mummy is the prettiest lady in the world, and they always kiss before bedtime. It’s gross.”
Luca chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Gross, huh? Well, I guess Peter Martin’s daddy knows how to keep things exciting.”
Amber folded her arms and sank deeper into her seat, silently willing the car ride to end before Luca’s suggestive comments made her combust.
"Interesting stuff, kiddo. Tell me more about this Peter Martin person," Luca said, his tone dripping with playful curiosity. "Say, does he have a little brother or sister? Maybe we could get you—"
He stopped abruptly, the words hanging in the air as he cleared his throat awkwardly. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, where Amber's reflection glared back at him, her expression a mix of fury and disbelief that promised imminent murder.
Luca gave a sheepish smile, raising one hand in mock surrender. "Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything," he added quickly, but the damage was already done. She was ready to kill him.
At the airport, they bypassed the bustling crowds, escorted directly to the sleek, gleaming private jet waiting for them. Luca’s casual confidence as he guided them aboard only served to remind Amber of how different their worlds were. She tried to focus on Nico’s excitement instead, the way his eyes sparkled as he explored the spacious cabin.
“This is so cool!” Nico exclaimed, running to the oversized window. “Mummy, look! We can see all the other planes!”
Amber smiled at his enthusiasm, but her attention shifted as Luca came to stand beside her, his hand brushing hers as he offered her a glass of champagne.
“To new beginnings,” he said, his voice low and intimate, the weight of his gaze making her stomach flutter.
She hesitated before clinking her glass against his. “To Nico,” she replied pointedly, keeping her tone neutral.
The flight was smooth and luxurious, with Luca indulging Nico by showing him around the cockpit and letting him pretend to “fly” the jet under the pilot’s supervision. Amber tried to relax, but every time Luca’s eyes met hers across the cabin, her pulse quickened. There was a tension simmering between them, one she wasn’t sure how to handle.
Hours later, they pulled up outside her old apartment building. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the familiar structure, and Amber felt a mix of relief and apprehension as they parked.
“I’ll get the keys,” Luca announced, stepping out of the car with Nico bounding after him.
Amber sat in the car, shifting through the luggage in the back seat, muttering under her breath as she searched for her purse. Between Nico’s toys, a duffel bag stuffed with Luca’s clothes, and her own meticulously packed suitcase, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Where did I put that thing?” she grumbled, pushing aside a blanket that Nico had insisted on bringing.
From her position, she could hear faint laughter drifting toward the car, cutting through the stillness of the afternoon. She glanced up, her brows furrowing as she caught sight of Luca standing on the porch with Mrs. Talbot, her former landlady. Nico was at his side, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his small hand tugging at the hem of Luca’s shirt.
Amber rolled her eyes as Luca leaned casually against the doorframe, that signature smirk of his firmly in place. Mrs. Talbot giggled, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face, clearly charmed by whatever Luca was saying.
Typical. Amber sighed, turning back to her search. But her hands stilled when she heard Mrs. Talbot’s voice carry over.
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing!” the older woman said, her tone filled with warmth. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a politician, the way you’re buttering me up!”
Luca’s laugh followed, low and rich. “Only for the most important people, Mrs. Talbot. Besides, anyone who looked after Amber and Nico deserves my undivided attention.”
Amber froze, her stomach twisting as her fingers clenched around the edge of a bag. What the hell is he doing? She strained to hear more, but Nico’s voice cut through next.
“That’s my daddy!” he declared proudly, his voice bright and excited. “He’s going to live with me and Mummy now.”
Amber’s breath caught. She quickly glanced up, her heart lurching at the sight of Nico grinning up at Mrs. Talbot, who looked momentarily surprised before her expression softened.
“Oh, well, isn’t that wonderful?” Mrs. Talbot cooed, bending down slightly to Nico’s level. “You’ve got yourself a proper little family now, haven’t you?”
“You must be Amber’s husband,” Mrs. Talbot said, her voice tinged with curiosity. “I didn’t know she’d remarried, but it’s about time, I’d say. That previous one—well, he wasn’t much use, was he? Never showed up for the boy, not even once.”
Amber felt a sharp sting in her chest, her grip tightening on the armrest.
Mrs. Talbot continued, her tone growing conspiratorial. “I’d heard some story from my granddaughter about him being some big-shot overseas, already set to marry a wealthy heiress after the divorce. Poor Amber, left to pick up the pieces.”
Amber wanted to leap out of the car and stop her, but before she could move, Luca spoke, his voice low but firm.
“Well,” he said, with a polite but icy smile, “whoever that man was, he’s out of the picture now. And I’ll make sure Amber and Nico have everything they need.”
There was something in his tone that made Amber’s breath catch, a steely undercurrent of possession and finality that she hadn’t heard from him in years.
Mrs. Talbot seemed taken aback but quickly recovered, nodding in approval as she handed over the keys. “Good luck to you, then,” she said, ushering him toward the car. “They deserve it.”
Amber’s jaw tightened as her grip on the bag in her lap grew firmer. She turned her attention back to the luggage, though her hands moved mechanically, her thoughts elsewhere.
Moments later, the car door opened, and Nico climbed in, settling into his booster seat with a happy sigh. Luca followed, sliding into the driver’s seat with a casual ease that grated on her nerves.
“Got the keys,” he announced, dangling them in front of her. “Mrs. Talbot says hello, by the way.”
Amber didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the street ahead. She wasn’t sure what irritated her more—the way Luca had effortlessly charmed her former landlady or the fact that Nico had so freely declared him as “Daddy.”
“Everything okay?” Luca asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
“Just peachy,” Amber replied tersely, finally locating her purse. She pulled it onto her lap, her movements sharp. “Can we go now?”
Luca glanced at her, his smirk returning as though he could sense exactly what was going through her head. “Of course, darling,” he said smoothly,