Luca Romano

Aria had started adjusting to the mansion’s daily routine. Damien Russo's intimidating presence loomed over everything, but Leo's innocent laughter brought a rare light into the house. And then, there was Luca Romano—Damien’s most trusted bodyguard, but also the only person in this house who didn’t seem weighed down by darkness.

Luca was different from the other guards, who were cold and distant.

He was always watchful, always alert, but he carried himself with an easy charm that made him approachable. His presence wasn’t suffocating—it was almost comforting.

That afternoon, Aria found herself watching from the patio as Leo ran across the garden, his tiny feet barely keeping up with his excitement.

Come on, Luca! Race me! Leo’s voice was full of challenges.

Luca, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, let out a dramatic sigh. "Leo, if I race you, you won’t win. Are you sure you’re ready for defeat?"

"Let me try!" Leo pleaded, his hands clasped together.

Luca rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you."

The moment Leo yelled, "Go!" Luca took off—except he wasn’t running. He made a show of struggling, letting Leo surge ahead with triumphant giggles.

Aria shook her head, watching it unfold. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more—the fact that Damien allowed someone as lighthearted as Luca to stay by his side or the fact that Luca, a man trained to kill, was pretending to lose a race just to make a child happy.

Leo finally reached the imaginary finish line, throwing his arms up in victory. "I won! I beat you!"

Luca bent over, pretending to catch his breath. "Impossible. You must have superpowers."

Aria chuckled, shaking her head. As Luca straightened up, he caught her amused expression. "What?" he asked with mock offense.

"You let him win on purpose," she said, raising an eyebrow.

Luca smirked. "Of course. What kind of monster do you think I am? Should I have crushed his dreams instead?"

Aria laughed softly, folding her arms. "You don’t seem like Damien’s kind of bodyguard. You’re more… big-brotherly than intimidating."

Luca placed a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. "I’m deeply offended, Aria. I am a highly trained professional, feared by many." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "I have broken bones, taken bullets, and yet—you just reduced me to a babysitter."

She tilted her head, unconvinced. "A babysitter with a soft heart."

Luca’s playful expression flickered, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. For a moment, the teasing vanished, replaced by something deeper, something darker.

"Soft isn’t a word I’d use for myself," he said, his tone quieter now.

Aria noticed the shift in his demeanor. "Then what word would you use?"

Luca held her gaze for a moment before exhaling and offering a small, knowing smile. "Let’s just say… I know when to be ruthless. And when I don’t have to be."

There was something about the way he said it that made her pause. It was as if there were layers beneath his lighthearted facade, pieces of himself he kept hidden beneath the charm.

"And when you don’t have to be?" she asked, curious.

Luca looked at Leo, who was still bouncing with excitement. Then, he looked back at her and smiled, but this time it was different. Softer. Real.

"Then I’m just a man."

Aria felt something shift inside her. The mansion was filled with shadows—Damien’s cold authority, the ever-present danger lurking in the background—but Luca? Luca was something in between.

A man who could fight when needed, smile when possible, and protect those who deserved it.

And for the first time since she had stepped into Damien’s world, Aria felt like she wasn’t alone in trying to hold onto something human.

But deep down, she also knew something else.

Everyone in this house had secrets.

And Luca Romano was no exception.

To be continued......

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