Chapter 29: Separate Sara from Luca
Sara, who had returned from the washroom ended up heading Luca’s conversation with his mother. Though she didn’t understand half of it, but most of it made sense to her.
She found him walking into the room, but before he could see her, he rushed to the washroom. Standing in the shower, the words from Luca’s mouth kept swirling in her mind.
’I was harsh on him the first time I met him in seven years,’ she thought. Closing the tap, she put on the bathrobe. ’I said he was abandoned by everyone. I shouldn’t have said that. Something was always off with his family. I thought he never truly cared because he was a spoiled brat. Turned out, the truth was something else.’
Walking out, she found Luca typing on the phone as if talking to someone.
Luca turned her head as he found Sara in front of him. "Oh, you bathed! It’s my turn finally."
He rose to his feet, placing the phone carefully on the couch. Sara watched him walk away, taking a moment to relax before changing. The roses in the room caught her attention, and a faint smile softened her expression.
"He did put effort into making the suite beautiful," Sara murmured, reaching for one of the roses in the vase. Distracted, she didn’t notice the thorn and pricked her finger. She winced as a drop of blood appeared at the tip of her finger.
"Be careful," Luca’s voice came softly. Before she could react, he stepped closer and gently took her hand. His lips met her finger, sucking it lightly. Sara froze, her eyes widening. The steady beat of her heart faltered and then began racing.
Realizing what he had done, he lowered her hand. Their gazes locked for a moment that seemed to stretch.
"I—I forgot to take my clothes in," he said, breaking the tension. With that, he strode to the cupboard and disappeared inside.
Sara bit her lower lip, a strange mixture of curiosity and confusion swirling in her chest. "What was that?" she whispered to herself.
Since last night, he had been showing a side of himself toward her she had never seen before.
~~~~~
"Dad, this is wrong! Luca has demoted my rank in the company. You have to do something!" Diego shouted as soon as he stormed into the living room. He loosened his tie and collapsed onto the couch with frustration.
Adam closed the file in his hands calmly.
"Because of your incapabilities," he replied without hesitation.
"Honey, why do you have to say that?" Marcella intervened as she stepped into the room. "Diego has been proving himself since day one. You know that well. Yes, he made mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t mean he should be treated like nothing. You should blame Sara for the mess she brought to us."
"Let it be, Mom. Dad never considered me his son. For him, I am only a stepson," Diego said bitterly, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Adam’s gaze sharpened. "What Sara brought to the company, you couldn’t."
"Honey, are you in your right mind? Sara sold your company to Luca! She married him, knowing full well you would never approve of it. Yesterday, all the evidence was against her, but Luca revoked them. You could’ve removed her from the CEO position when it all began, but you didn’t. You are biased toward my kids, despite all we’ve brought to you," Marcella said, her voice rising with anger.
Diego looked at his mother, feeling sad for her.
"Marcella, if I were biased toward him, I would have never allowed him to set foot in my company. I didn’t help Sara because it was her punishment for messing up everything. Diego should be grateful he’s not fired," Adam pronounced, glancing coldly at his son. Then, rising to his feet, he walked away without another word.
Diego’s fists clenched. His face flushed with frustration. "Did you see that, Mom?" he said, his voice heavy with resentment. "He always favors Sara. I don’t get it what good is there in my stepsister? I’m done. I’m resigning. I won’t work as an assistant."
"No, son," Marcella said firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can’t quit working in Falcone Industries. You need to prove to the employees that Sara committed fraud in her position. The pressure from them will force Luca to set up an inquiry against her. Don’t forget, the evidence is still against her."
Diego’s eyes narrowed. "Then I’ll make sure she pays for it. For everything."
Marcella smiled faintly with satisfaction.
"Don’t even think about it," Frida said, descending the stairs. "Luca is going to ruin us. He isn’t as simple as we all think he is."
"Yes, I know," Diego replied.
"No, you don’t," Frida shot back, stopping in her tracks. She glanced toward him with a glare. "Did you notice the pattern? Luca has fired almost everyone who was against Sara. He gave exits to board members and investors with high returns. He’s protecting Sara at all costs. Don’t take him lightly, brother."
Frida took a step closer, lowering her voice. "Sara had almost lost everything, but Luca built everything for her in a day. The noises on social media have died down. He’s even controlling the narrative in the media. He belongs to a powerful family, so yes, everything is going in his favor."
Diego looked at his sister with a proud gaze. "How did you observe so much? You’ve become smart," he said.
"Sara’s company obviously," Frida stated. "She’s clever. She knew none would be able to help her. That’s why she ran to her childhood crush, Luca."
"What? Did she always like him?" Diego frowned.
"Yes. But seven years ago something happened between them that they created distance from each other. Luca is helping Sara despite rejecting her seven years ago. I talked to his mother. She doesn’t want Sara as her daughter-in-law. We should consider joining their hands and separate Sara from Luca first. But before that, we need to do something about our grandmother too," Frida advised with an evil grin.
"She’s old and would die soon," Diego muttered.
"She’s in favor of Sara. Until she’s alive, she’s a threat for us, Brother," Frida stated.