Chapter 10 - THE PROMISE KEPT
Two weeks later.
The Duca estate was quiet, but it was no longer a tomb.
The heavy iron gates remained open during the day, letting the warm autumn breeze sweep across the manicured lawns. In the east wing, a crew of interior designers had finally unlocked the heavy oak door of the nursery, stripping away the dust covers and preparing the room for a new chapter.
Hannah Bennett still worked on the estate, but her title had changed. She was now the estate’s chief administrative director—a position that came with a generous salary, a private cottage on the grounds, and a college trust fund set up in Emma’s name.
It was a Friday evening.
Lorenzo sat in his third-floor study, looking out the large arched window at the gardens below.
A soft, familiar tap sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Lorenzo said.
The door pushed open, and six-year-old Emma skipped into the room, holding a brand-new, perfectly square piece of pink construction paper in her hands.
She walked right up to his desk, looking up with her big brown eyes.
“Mr. Duca?”
“Yes, Emma?”
“Mom says I have to start piano lessons next month,” she announced solemnly. “And she said I need to ask you if you want to come to my first recital. I already drew a heart on the ticket so you know it’s for you.”
Lorenzo looked down at the pink paper. There was no crayon this time; it was drawn with a neat, pink marker, featuring a remarkably straight heart and a smiley face in the corner.
May you like
He reached out, taking the paper with a rare, genuine smile touching the corners of his mouth.
“Tell your mother,” Lorenzo said softly, “that my calendar for next month is entirely clear.”
