Chapter 2 - The New ContractThe silence in the studio stretched on for several moments, broken only by the steady patter of rain against the glass.
The billion-dollar hotel development. The eviction notice. The intimidating suits. The five o’clock deadline.
All of it seemed to dissolve into the background.
Luca straightened up, adjusting his ruined, paint-splattered shirt with a slow, unconscious movement. He turned to face his lead lawyer, whose jaw was still slightly slack from shock.
“Mr. Moretti,” the attorney stammered, recovering his professional composure. “What... what are we doing about the building?”
Luca didn't look at his lawyer. His eyes remained fixed on Elena.
“The building stays,” Luca said flatly.
“Sir?”
“Revoke the eviction order. Clear the commercial loan balance in full, effective immediately.” Luca paused, stepping closer to Elena’s easel. “And redraft the hotel blueprints. The grand entrance will curve around this studio. Brooks and Brush is no longer part of the acquisition zone. It is a permanent historical landmark.”
The lawyers stared at him in sheer disbelief. A multi-million-dollar architectural design had just been altered on the spot because of an oil painting.
“Mr. Moretti, the investors won't like—”
“My investors will do whatever I tell them to do,” Luca cut in, his voice returning to that cold, absolute authority that made men tremble. He turned his gaze back to Elena.
“As for the artist,” Luca continued quietly, “she’s going to finish the portrait.”
Elena crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow defensively, though her heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. “And what if I say no?”
A faint, ghost of a smile touched the corners of Luca’s mouth.
“Then I’ll just have to keep finding excuses to stand in your shop and ruin my shirts.”
Elena looked down at the bright blue paint smeared across his chest, then up into his dark, complicated eyes. She realized then that the most feared man in Chicago hadn't come into her shop to destroy her legacy.
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He had come to find his.
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