AURORA:
Aurora didn't know, or notice anything, the house started feeling heavier.
or Nothing had actually changed. The same quiet hallways. The same polished floors. The same guards stand,irather thannnnnn like statues. Yet the air inside the house felt different now, like something was slowly building something and no one wanted to talk about it.
She stood in the kitchen holding a cup of tea she hadn't taken a single sip from. Her thoughts kept returning to the previous night the way Luca had walked in late, his face calm but his eyes darker than usual. He hadn't said much. He rarely did. But there had been something different in the way he looked at her.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Something else.
Aurora shook her head softly, trying to stop herself from overthinking. She was here for one reason only — Isabella. Nothing else mattered. Not the house. Not the silence. And definitely not Luca De Santis.
"Miss Aurora?"
Aurora turned immediately. Isabella stood at the kitchen entrance, still half-sleepy, hugging her teddy bear tightly.
Aurora smiled and knelt in front of her.
",Good morning Bella," she said gently. "Did you sleep well?"
Isabella nodded slowly but didn't smile the way she usually did.
"Daddy came home late again," she whispered.
Aurora felt her chest tighten slightly. It wasn't the first time Isabella had said somethYou like that, but this morning it sounded more serious than usual.
"Yes, he did," Aurora replied softly. "But that doesn't mean he didn't think about you. He just has a lot of work."
Isabella looked down at her teddy bear, quietly rubbing the ear between her fingers.
"He always has work."
Aurora didn't know what to say to that.
Breakfast was quiet.
Isabella sat beside her, slowly eating her cereal while staring at the table like she was thinking about something important. Aurora tried to distract her by asking about her schoolwork, her favorite cartoon, even the story they had read together the night before. But Isabella kept answering in short sentences.
"Miss Aurora?" Isabella asked again after a few minutes.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Do you think Daddy is sad?"
Aurora froze.
It was not a question a child should ask so seriously.
"Why would you think that?" Aurora asked gently.
Bella shrugged.
"He doesn't smile a lot anymore."
Aurora's heart softened instantly. She had noticed it too, but hearing it from Isabella made it feel worse somehow.
"I think your dad just has too many things on his mind," she said quietly. "But that doesn't mean he's sad."
Isabella didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway.
LUCA:
The office felt suffocating.
Luca sat behind his desk, staring at a file he hadn't read in the last five minutes. The meeting from the previous night kept replaying in his mind like something he couldn't escape.
Marriage.
The word alone irritated him.
He had spent years building his empire without depending on anyone. Trusting no one. Letting no one get close enough to become a weakness. And now suddenly, the same men who respected his power were asking him to do the one thing he had avoided his entire life.
Get married.
Luca leaned back in his chair slowly, running a hand across his jaw.
It wasn't the idea of marriage that bothered him the most. It was the fact that they believed it would make him easier to control.
The door opened quietly, and Matteo walked in.
Luca didn't look up.
"They're still watching us," Matteo said calmly.
"I know," Luca replied.
Matteo placed a file on the desk and remained standing instead of sitting down. That alone told Luca the conversation was not going to be simple.
"You need to think carefully about what you're going to do next," Matteo continued.
Luca finally looked at him.
"I already told you. I'm not getting married because they want me to."
Matteo didn't argue. Instead, he crossed his arms and studied Luca carefully.
"This isn't just about them," he said quietly.
Luca frowned slightly.
"Then what is it about?"
Matteo hesitated for a second before answering.
"It's about the girl."
The room went silent immediately.
Luca's expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened slightly.
"She has nothing to do with this," he said calmly.
Matteo didn't move.
"That's exactly the problem," he replied.
Matteo stepped closer to the desk, his voice still calm but more serious now.
"Ricci is not stupid. If he wants to hurt you, he won't attack you directly first. He will look for something softer. Something easier."
Luca didn't respond.
Because he already knew where this conversation was going.
"She lives in your house," Matteo continued. "She spends time with Isabella every day. She trusts you. And more importantly… you trust her."
Luca stood up slowly, irritation rising inside him.
"I trust no one," he said coldly.
Matteo didn't react.
"Then why does her name bother you so much every time I mention it?" he asked quietly.
The silence that followed felt heavier than the conversation itself.
Luca turned away from him, walking toward the window. The city looked calm from above, but his mind felt anything but calm.
"She is just a nanny," he said again.
Matteo didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he watched Luca carefully, like he was trying to understand something deeper.
"Maybe," he said finally. "But you don't look at her like she's just a nanny."
Luca clenched his jaw slightly.
He didn't like that sentence.
Not because it was wrong.
But because he wasn't completely sure it was wrong.
"Be careful, Luca," Matteo said quietly. "The moment someone becomes important to you, they become a target too."
Luca didn't respond.
But for the first time in a long time, the idea of going home did not feel peaceful.
Because now, he wasn't only thinking about Ricci.
He was thinking about Aurora.
Perfect.
AURORA:
Aurora didn't realize how late it had become until she checked the clock again.
It was almost eight.
Normally, Isabella would already be finishing dinner by now, but tonight the little girl kept asking the same question again and again.
"Is Daddy coming home soon?"
Aurora forced a soft smile every time she answered.
"I think so," she said gently. "He's probably just busy."
But the truth was, even she wasn't sure.
She stood in the kitchen, stirring the soup slowly while the smell filled the quiet room. Cooking had always helped her calm down when her thoughts became too loud. Tonight, she needed that calm more than usual. Ever since the morning, she couldn't stop thinking about Luca.
The way he looked at her sometimes felt too intense. Not cold. Not distant. Just… too real. Like he was seeing something in her that she didn't even see in herself.
Aurora shook her head softly.
This was not why she came here. She needed this job. She needed stability. And the last thing she should be doing was thinking about her employer in a way that made her heart beat faster for no reason.
"Miss Aurora?" Isabella called from the living room.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I'm hungry," the little girl said quietly.
Aurora smiled.
"I'm coming," she replied, placing the spoon down and turning off the stove.
Isabella sat at the dining table quietly, her small legs swinging slowly under the chair. She looked tired, but she was clearly trying to stay awake.
Aurora placed the plate gently in front of her.
"Here you go," she said softly. "Just eat a little, okay? Daddy will join us when he gets home."
Isabella nodded but didn't start eating immediately.
Instead, she looked at Aurora carefully, like she was trying to say something important.
"Miss Aurora?"
"Yes?"
"Will you stay here for a long time?"
Aurora froze slightly.
The question came out so suddenly that she didn't know how to answer at first. She sat down beside Isabella, trying to keep her voice calm.
"I'll stay as long as your dad needs me," she said gently.
Isabella looked down at her plate.
"I don't want you to leave," she whispered.
Aurora's heart tightened painfully.
She reached out and brushed Isabella's hair gently away from her face.
"I'm not going anywhere right now," she said softly.
The words sounded simple, but inside, Aurora wasn't completely sure they were true.
LUCA:
Luca didn't know why the house felt quieter than usual when he stepped inside.
The moment the door closed behind him, he could hear faint voices from the dining area. Isabella's voice. And Aurora's.
For a second, he stood there without moving.
He had spent the entire day thinking about Matteo's warning. About Ricci. About the families. About marriage. About decisions he didn't want to make. But hearing Aurora's voice inside the house made something inside him feel calmer in a way he didn't understand.
He walked slowly toward the dining room.
Isabella noticed him first.
"Daddy!"
The little girl jumped up from her chair and ran straight toward him. Luca bent slightly and caught her easily, lifting her into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey, princess," he said quietly.
Aurora stood beside the table, watching them silently. The scene felt so normal that it almost made her forget where she was. For a moment, it didn't look like a powerful man returning from a long day of dangerous work. It looked like a father coming home to his family.
Luca finally looked up.
His eyes met Aurora's.
The silence that followed felt too long.
Aurora looked away first.
"I made dinner," she said softly. "It's still warm."
Luca nodded once.
"Thank you."
Dinner was quiet.
Isabella sat between them, happily talking about her drawings while Luca listened more than he spoke. Aurora tried to focus on Isabella's stories, but she kept feeling Luca's presence beside her. He wasn't saying anything, yet the silence between them felt louder than words.
"You should see what I drew today," Isabella said proudly.
Luca smiled faintly.
"What did you draw?"
"A family," she replied immediately.
Aurora felt her hand freeze slightly on the table.
Luca looked at Isabella calmly.
"And who is in this family?"
Isabella pointed proudly.
"Me. Daddy. And Miss Aurora."
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything that had happened before.
Aurora looked down quickly, pretending to adjust the spoon in front of her. Her heart was beating too fast, and she didn't understand why something so simple could make her feel so nervous.
Luca didn't say anything for a few seconds.
But he didn't look away either.
Isabella suddenly yawned softly and leaned closer to Aurora, resting her head gently against her arm.
"I'm tired," she murmured.
Aurora smiled softly and brushed her hair back gently.
"You should finish your food first," she said.
Isabella nodded sleepily.
"Mama, can you help me?"
Aurora froze completely.
The word echoed inside her head like something she wasn't supposed to hear.
Mama.
She didn't move. She didn't speak. She didn't even breathe properly for a second.
Luca froze too.
The room became completely silent.
Isabella didn't even realize what she had said. She simply looked up at Aurora with sleepy eyes, waiting for her to respond.
Aurora finally forced a small smile.
"Yes… I'll help you," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
But her heart wouldn't stop racing.Aurora didn't move for a few seconds after Isabella said it.
The word still echoed in her head like something fragile that could break if she reacted the wrong way.
Mama.
It wasn't the first time a child had confused her with a parent. It happened sometimes when she worked in private homes. But this felt different. This didn't feel like a mistake. It felt natural. Too natural.
Aurora forced herself to breathe slowly and helped Isabella finish eating, pretending nothing had happened. But her hands felt slightly unsteady, and she kept wondering if Luca had noticed how her heart was racing.
She didn't dare look at him.
Instead, she focused completely on Isabella.
"Come on," she said gently. "Let's clean your hands."
Isabella nodded sleepily and lifted her arms without complaining. Aurora wiped her fingers slowly, then helped her drink a little water. Every movement felt careful, like she was trying not to disturb the silence around them.
"Miss Aurora?" Isabella whispered.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can I sleep in your room tonight?"
Aurora hesitated.
"That depends," she said softly. "Why don't you want to sleep in your own room?"
Isabella looked down at her lap.
"I don't like when Daddy comes home late," she murmured. "The house feels too quiet."
Aurora's chest tightened instantly.
She brushed Isabella's hair away from her face again, her touch gentle and slow.
"You're not alone," she said quietly. "I'm right here."
Isabella leaned against her immediately, like she had been waiting to hear that. Aurora wrapped one arm around her carefully, not even thinking about how natural it felt.
For a moment, the world outside the dining room disappeared completely.
It felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
And that was exactly why Aurora suddenly became aware of Luca again.
She could feel his eyes on them.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Just… watching.
She didn't know how long he had been looking, but the moment she felt it, her heart started beating faster again. Slowly, she lifted her head — and their eyes met.
Something shifted in his expression, but she couldn't explain what it was. It wasn't irritation. It wasn't distance. It looked almost like confusion. Like he didn't understand what he was feeling either.
Aurora looked away first.
"I think she's really tired," she said softly. "I'll take her upstairs."
Luca nodded once but didn't say anything.
Aurora stood up carefully, lifting Isabella into her arms. The little girl wrapped her arms around Aurora's neck instantly, resting her head against her shoulder like she had done it a hundred times before.
Aurora froze slightly.
It felt too familiar.
Too comfortable.
And that scared her more than anything else.
She walked slowly toward the stairs, trying not to think about the way Luca was still watching her. Every step felt heavier than it should have been, like she was walking away from something important without understanding why.
After Isabella finally fell asleep, Aurora stood in the kitchen, washing the plates slowly. The silence in the house felt deeper now, like something had changed and neither of them wanted to say it out loud.
She heard footsteps behind her.
She didn't need to turn around to know it was Luca.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
Aurora turned slowly.
"For what?"
"For taking care of her."
Aurora nodded slightly.
"She's a sweet child," she replied softly.
The distance between them suddenly felt smaller than it should have been. Luca stood closer than usual, and Aurora could feel her heart beating faster again. Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
Luca's eyes dropped slightly to her lips before returning to her eyes again.
Aurora felt her breath catch in her throat.
For one dangerous second, it felt like the world had gone completely silent.
Like nothing else existed except the two of them standing too close in a quiet kitchen.
Aurora didn't know who moved first.
But suddenly, the distance between them was almost gone.
Then Luca stopped.
He stepped back slightly, running a hand through his hair like he was trying to clear his thoughts.
"This shouldn't happen," he said quietly.
Aurora didn't answer.
Because she already knew it was true.
Ending Scene (strong emotional ending)
Aurora stood there long after he left the kitchen, her heart still racing.
She didn't understand what had just happened. She didn't understand why being close to him felt so dangerous and yet so impossible to ignore at the same time.
Upstairs, Luca stood in his office, staring at the city lights again.
Matteo's words repeated in his head.
The moment someone becomes important to you, they become a target too.
For the first time in years, Luca realized something he didn't want to admit.
Aurora was no longer just someone working in his house.
She was becoming something far more dangerous than that.
And if Ricci ever discovered it…
Everything would change.