Chapter 7 - THE BREAKING POINTUpstairs in the east wing, Clara paced back and forth across the wooden floorboards. Bruno lay on his rug, watching her with soulful, intelligent eyes. She couldn't stay here. Matteo Moretti was dangerous, terrifyingly powerful, and too observant for her own good. If he found out her true past—why she had really run away, and what secret she was hiding from her hometown—he might cast her out to the wolves, or worse, use it as leverage.
Suddenly, the heavy oak door of her room clicked open.
Matteo stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked tired, the hard lines of his face softened slightly by the dim lamp light. In his hand, he held a single piece of signed paper.
He tossed it onto the small wooden table by the bed.
Clara looked down. It was Grant's signed divorce decree and permanent restraining order, legally binding and notarized within the hour.
"It's finished," Matteo said quietly. "He’s gone. You will never have to look over your shoulder for him again."
Clara stared at the paper, the weight of eight years of fear lifting from her chest so suddenly that her knees buckled. She caught herself against the edge of the table, tears streaming down her face—not of sorrow, but of overwhelming, unbelievable relief.
"Why?" Clara whispered, looking up at him through her tears. "Why would you do this for a maid you've known for six days?"
Matteo stepped closer, stopping just inches away. The scent of pine, cedar, and expensive cologne surrounded him. "Because I don't like trespassers on my property, Clara. And I despise men who raise their hands against women."
"You don't even know me," she breathed.
"I know enough," Matteo replied softly, reaching out. His gloved hand hovered for a second before his warm, bare fingers gently brushed a stray tear from her cheek. The touch sent a jolt of electricity straight through Clara’s body.
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Before she could pull away, the heavy security alarm throughout the estate suddenly began to wail—a shrill, deafening klaxon that shattered the quiet night.
Leo burst through the open doorway without knocking, his face grim. "Boss, we've got a breach at the north perimeter. Bianca’s private security detail just turned on us. They're making a move on the main vault."
