Natalia decided to sit while Luca went away to greet a different set of people, trying to steady her breath, the weight of Luca's words settling into her. A threat? How could she, an outsider in this polished world of power and influence, be seen as any kind of threat to a man like Dominic Bloodthorne? Her mind raced, but Luca's grip on her hand kept her anchored. Just earlier, she was only serving drinks and catering to filthy rich people's whims but now she find herself caught in a cobweb.
"We should leave soon," Luca murmured, his voice low but steady. "The longer we stay, the more attention we draw."
Natalia nodded, though her mind was still swirling with questions. Luca started guiding her toward a quieter exit, his eyes constantly scanning the room, every sense attuned to potential danger. The ease with which he moved through the chaos, maintaining an outward calm, made her realize how often he must deal with people like Dominic.
As they approached the door, Vivienne appeared again, her eyes sharp and calculating. "Leaving so soon, Luca?" she asked, her voice laced with mock concern. She spared a glance at Natalia, her lips curling into a small, knowing smile.
"I think we've had enough excitement for one evening," Luca replied, his tone polite but dismissive. He didn't slow his pace, brushing past Vivienne without another word. Natalia, however, caught the glimmer of satisfaction in Vivienne's eyes as they left. It was as if she knew something neither Luca nor Natalia did.
Outside, the cool night air was a welcome relief from the suffocating atmosphere of the party. They slipped into Luca's sleek black car, and once the door shut behind them, Natalia finally felt like she could breathe again. But the questions, the tension—they hadn't left her.
"Luca," she started, her voice hesitant, "why would Dominic see me as a threat? I don't even know him and if he thinks I matter that much to you then I think he's got the wrong idea... " she trailed.
Luca's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and for a moment, he didn't answer. He was weighing his words carefully. Natalia could see it in his furrowed brow, the way his jaw clenched slightly. When he finally spoke, his voice was measured, but there was a flicker of something darker beneath the surface.
"It's not about you, specifically," he said. "It's about what you represent. Dominic thrives on control, on knowing his enemies, his competition. You, being close to me, means he doesn't have all the information. That unsettles him. Also, who says you don't matter to me?"
"But I'm not part of your world," she protested, frustration bubbling to the surface. "I'm just... me."
Luca's eyes flicked toward her, softening slightly. "Exactly. You're outside of his calculations. That makes you dangerous to someone like Dominic. He's trying to figure out what your presence means, whether you're a vulnerability he can exploit."
Natalia sat back, processing his words. She hadn't realized how closely she was being watched, not just by the likes of Dominic, but by everyone in Luca's orbit. She had always felt like a bystander in his world, someone who didn't quite belong. But tonight had changed that. Whether she wanted to or not, she was becoming a part of something much larger, and far more dangerous, than she'd anticipated.
"I don't want to be the reason you're in more danger," she whispered after a long pause.
Luca reached over, taking her hand again. "You're not. Dominic and his kind are always circling, looking for weaknesses. They've done this for years. The only difference now is that you're here—and that changes the game."
She didn't want to be a pawn in this high-stakes world of power and manipulation.
Luca must have sensed the shift in her, because he turned to her fully, his expression more open than it had been all night. "You don't have to be part of this," he said quietly. "You can walk away, Natalia. I won't blame you. It's not an easy life."
Natalia became quiet. Everything was happening so fast, she needed time to think it through. She just met Luca, although they already met before and spent time together, she can't just forget how glamorous and dangerous his world is and that's something she's not used to.
The drive was too quiet. Natalia gave her address to Luca - which Luca already knows but didn't want to scare her so he kept quiet.
He knows the neighborhood she's living in and it's in the most dangerous part of the city. It has a pretty straight forward name, "The Slums".
As much as he wants to drag her out of that area he didn't want Natalia to feel like he's intruding that might scare her away. No, he has to make her move out of her own accord. He has to do something so subtle yet effective so she won't suspect that he has something to do with it.
When they arrived at Natalia's run-down small apartment that she can barely keep.
Luca pulled up to the curb, his expensive car looking out of place among the dilapidated buildings and graffiti-covered walls. Natalia hesitated, her hand on the door handle, suddenly embarrassed by the stark contrast between Luca's world and her own.
"Thank you for the ride," she said softly, not quite meeting his eyes. "And... for everything else."
Luca's eyes scanned the street, taking in the broken streetlights and the shadowy figures lurking in doorways. His jaw tightened imperceptibly. "Natalia," he began, his voice gentle but firm. "Are you sure you'll be alright here?"
She forced a smile, trying to inject some lightness into her tone. "I've managed so far, haven't I? Don't worry about me."
"I'll walk you to your door," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
As they made their way up the cracked concrete steps, Natalia couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She fumbled with her keys, her hands trembling slightly as she unlocked the door.
As the door swung open, Natalia felt a rush of mixed emotions. Relief, because she was home. Embarrassment, because she knew how humble her small apartment must look to him. But most of all, gratitude — gratitude that Luca didn't seem fazed by any of it.
Stepping inside, she hesitated, looking back at him, searching his face. "You can go now," she said, a little too quickly, trying to reclaim some semblance of independence.
But Luca remained rooted in place. "I'd feel better if you let me check things over before I leave," he murmured, his voice low, almost apologetic. Natalia couldn't bring herself to argue. She simply nodded, feeling a mixture of warmth and exasperation at his insistence.
He followed her inside, his presence filling the small, cramped space, making it feel somehow smaller and yet safer at the same time. The peeling wallpaper, the worn furniture, the faint aroma of old coffee — none of it seemed to bother him. Instead, Luca's expression softened as he took it all in, his gaze resting briefly on a collection of photos on a cluttered shelf, faded but lovingly framed. He recognized her younger self among her family at the system and friends, the life she'd built from scratch.
"Thank you, Luca, for making sure I'm safe" she said quietly, catching him in a rare, unguarded moment. Her voice softened. "This means more to me than you know."
He turned to face her, his eyes steady and warm. "I'll always be here if you need me, Natalia," he said, his voice firm, as though he was making a promise to himself as much as to her. And with that, he stepped back into the hallway, lingering just long enough to catch her small smile before he disappeared into the night, leaving her with a strange but comforting sense of security.
As Natalia closed the door behind Luca and took a deep breath, the gravity of the evening finally settled over her. She went to the window and watched Luca walk to his car, his figure disappearing into the misty darkness of the early hours. The quiet of her apartment felt heavier now, laden with the memories and new revelations of the night. She had come so close to walking away, distancing herself from the threats and complexities of his world, yet something held her in place—perhaps Luca himself, and the feeling of safety he somehow inspired, despite everything.Moving to the kitchen, she made herself a cup of tea, hoping the warmth would calm her enough to get some sleep. But her thoughts kept circling back to Dominic's veiled threat, Vivienne's scrutiny, and Luca's words that still hung in the air. She was an outsider, yes, but she was more deeply entangled now than she'd ever intended to be. And even though part of her still wanted to run, she knew that walking away would likely paint an even bigger target on her back.
Hours passed in restless contemplation as she lay in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. Her neighborhood was never silent; voices echoed faintly in the street below, mixed with the occasional blare of car horns and the shouts of people arguing. Normally, she could tune it all out, but tonight, each noise seemed amplified, every creak in her apartment too loud, too close.
When she finally drifted off, her sleep was fragmented, filled with shadows of unfamiliar faces and memories of Luca's hand in hers. She felt herself sinking, drawn into dreams that seemed to twist into nightmares, where Dominic's voice echoed in dark corridors, and she found herself always searching for Luca in an endless maze.
She woke suddenly, heart pounding as pale light filtered through the small, grimy window beside her bed. Morning had come, soft and hesitant, as if the world itself was reluctant to shake her from the memories of the previous night. For a moment, she felt the surrealness of it all—the lavish party, the danger, and Luca's last words to her. But the daylight only brought everything into sharper focus, each detail of the night before flooding back with startling clarity.
Pushing herself up, she rubbed her eyes and took in her familiar surroundings. The chipped paint, the cluttered bookshelf, the half-drawn curtains—everything here was so distinctly hers, so ordinary. Yet her life felt as if it had changed in some indefinable way, as though she were standing on the precipice of something far bigger than she had ever imagined.
As she dressed, Natalia found herself checking the window repeatedly, as if expecting to see Luca's car waiting outside. But the street below was empty, the quiet punctuated only by the sounds of the city coming to life around her.
She poured herself a glass of water, her thoughts drifting back to Luca's words. You're part of this now, like it or not. There was no easy way out, no returning to her quiet, predictable existence. Dominic would see her as a vulnerability to exploit, someone who could be used as a weapon in whatever game he was playing. And Luca… his promise still echoed in her mind, soft and certain, as though he'd meant every word: I'll always be here if you need me.
But what did that mean? She didn't want to be dependent on anyone, least of all him. Her life had been shaped by self-reliance, by learning to protect herself. Yet, Luca's presence had become an anchor in a storm she wasn't sure she could navigate alone.