The air in the penthouse shifted the moment the man stepped out of the elevator.
Aria instinctively took a step back, her hand flying to the curve of her stomach, protective and sharp. Luca didn't move at first, but the quiet in his body was dangerous, too controlled.
The man's gaze flicked to Aria, then locked on Luca. "Didn't expect her to be here," he said, voice calm, almost amused.
"No one expects a trespasser," Luca bit out, stepping forward. "You're not welcome here, Damon."
Damon.
The name dropped like a stone in the room, and Aria felt the heat of it coil behind her ribs. Damon? As in business? Family? Enemy?
She didn't ask. Not yet. She was watching Luca too closely.
He wasn't yelling. He wasn't storming. But his jaw was set, and his arm came around her waist in one quiet motion, guiding her back without needing to say a word. It wasn't just protective, it was instinctual. Possessive. Gentle.
"You should go," Luca said, voice low. "This isn't the time."
Damon smirked. "You think I came all the way to New York to wait for your schedule to open?"
Aria's heart thudded louder. Luca's hand stayed firm on her back, his thumb brushing lightly along her side in a slow, grounding motion. She didn't want to admit how much she needed that anchor in that moment.
"I don't care why you came," Luca said. "But whatever you're here for, it doesn't concern her."
Damon looked at her again, slower this time. "Everything concerns her now, doesn't it? Considering what she's carrying."
Luca moved before Aria even registered it, a sharp step forward, fist clenched, only stopping when she pressed her hand against his chest.
"Luca," she said, her voice quiet but steady.
He stilled. His eyes were fire, but when they dropped to her, they softened by a degree. She saw the flicker of restraint, the way he breathed through his fury just to keep from frightening her.
"We're done," Luca told Damon, voice gravel. "Whatever you think this is, it ends here."
Damon shrugged, like none of it mattered. "For now," he said, then tipped an invisible hat to Aria. "Pleasure meeting you."
When the elevator doors closed behind him, silence crashed in like a wave.
Luca turned to her instantly. "Are you alright?"
Aria nodded slowly. "Who was that?"
He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "He's not your problem."
"I think the part where he shows up in our home makes him a little bit my problem."
Luca frowned. "You're shaking."
She hadn't noticed. But now that he said it, her limbs felt like they'd been rung out. She reached for the wall to steady herself, but Luca was already there, lifting her gently into his arms.
"Luca"
"You shouldn't be on your feet."
"I'm pregnant, not dying."
"You're four and a half months pregnant. And you were just startled by a man I should've kept far away from us."
His tone wasn't cold. It wasn't angry. It was guilt : thick and unfiltered.
He carried her to the couch, sitting her down carefully before kneeling in front of her. His hands moved over her legs, her arms, her belly checking, grounding. Not invasive, but careful, deliberate.
"Did he scare you?" he asked, eyes not leaving hers.
"Yes," she whispered. "But not the way you think."
He waited.
"I'm scared of how quickly you go dark," she said. "I'm scared that I don't know what I've stepped into."
Luca's face softened in a way she rarely saw. "You've stepped into my world. And I'm doing everything I can to make it safer for you than it ever was for me."
Aria blinked, throat thickening. "Then let me in, Luca. You keep saying you care, but I need more than locked doors and armed drivers. I need to feel like I still exist outside of this contract."
He looked like she'd slapped him. And then, to her surprise, he leaned forward and rested his forehead lightly against the curve of her belly.
"I never wanted to cage you," he murmured, voice low and unsteady. "I wanted to protect you. I wanted something that felt like peace."
Aria's fingers found his hair, threading gently through it. She should have pulled away. But instead, she let herself feel the truth of his weight, the sincerity in his posture.
They stayed like that for a long moment quiet, tethered by something tender and dangerous.
Then Luca pulled back, looked at her, and said, "You're going to prenatal yoga tomorrow."
She blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
He stood, already pulling out his phone. "With a registered trainer. In-home. Twice a week. You'll hate it. But your back will thank me in a month."
"You don't get to make that decision alone."
"Good," he said, flashing her a dry smile. "Because I also scheduled a maternity massage and a nutritionist."
She stared at him. "Are you… nesting?"
"No," he said, scrolling through his calendar. "I'm managing."
She almost laughed. And then she did.
***
The next day was quiet in the strangest way. Luca worked from home, his laptop and files spread across the long dining table. He looked up often. Asked if she was hungry. Told her to rest. Listened when she said no.
She caught him watching her twice.
Once when she sat with a book and absently rubbed her belly. And once when she laughed at a message from her mother, who had been texting regularly since their brief reunion.
It was the second time that caught her off guard.
Because Luca smiled too. Not the tight, polite ones he wore in boardrooms. But something real. Something open.
That night, after dinner, they sat on the balcony. She had a blanket over her lap. He brought her a warm drink ..ginger, lemon, and honey, because he remembered she hated plain chamomile.
"You're quiet," she said after a while.
Luca tilted his head. "Thinking."
"About Damon?"
"No," he said. "About you. About how to stop screwing this up."
Aria looked at him, surprised by the bluntness.
"I know I've made mistakes," he said. "But I want to learn how to love you right, even if we didn't start that way."
Her heart stuttered. "What makes you think I want that?
He turned, his gaze clear. "Because you haven't walked. And every time I touch you, you lean in instead of away." Her breath caught.
"I notice things, Aria. Especially the things I'm afraid to lose."
She opened her mouth but the elevator chimed again. They both stiffened.
Luca stood first, a protective edge already returning to his posture
But this time, it wasn't a stranger, It was Maria and she wasn't alone.
Behind her stood a woman Aria hadn't seen in years, her best friend from university. Eva.
Aria rose so quickly the blanket fell to the floor.
"Eva?"
Her friend's eyes welled. "Surprise."
Aria turned to Luca, stunned.
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You said you missed your life. I thought maybe we could bring some of it to you."
She didn't speak, she couldn't.
Because that kind of thoughtfulness… that wasn't about control.
That was care.
Later, as Eva and Maria settled into the guest suite, Aria stepped into the hallway, trying to collect herself. The penthouse was dark, soft light spilling only from the wall sconces.
She heard Luca's voice before she saw him low, commanding, but different.
"…make sure no one gets close to her again. Not Damon. Not anyone."
A pause.
Then: "If he comes back, I want to know before he even breathes her name."
Aria froze.
Because maybe Luca was learning to love softly.
But some parts of him would always be ruthless.
And that was the part she still wasn't sure she could live with.