Chapter 2 - The Night of the Solstice
To understand why Luca Moretti had breached the apartment at this life-or-death moment, Claire had to look back twelve weeks—to the night of the exclusive, invitation-only charity auction aboard The Siren, a luxury yacht floating just off the coast of New Jersey.
At the time, Grant was drowning in gambling debts accumulated at the Moretti family's underground casinos. Desperate to save his career and his life, he had devised a ruthless plan: bring Claire, a newly graduated nurse, to the high-society event to gain the favor of wealthy political brokers. In truth, he was using her as a human bargaining chip, a commodity to wipe his massive financial slate clean.
Claire vividly remembered the numb, dizzying sensation that washed over her after drinking the champagne Grant had handed her that night. When she finally woke up in a VIP suite on the yacht’s upper deck, she was surrounded by masked men bidding hundreds of thousands of dollars for her.
"Three hundred thousand."
A deep, commanding voice had silenced the room, cutting through the vulgar laughter. It was Luca Moretti. He had stood up, refusing to wear a mask, and walked over to drape his warm wool coat over Claire's trembling shoulders.
That night, Luca hadn't touched her. Instead, he pulled up an armchair opposite her bed, lit a cigarette, and stayed awake to protect her until the yacht docked at dawn.
"Why did you help me?" Claire had asked him as the first rays of morning light hit the ocean.
Luca had looked at her through a thin veil of smoke. "I don't like seeing chess pieces used poorly. Your husband signed away his honor. You didn't."
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Back in the present, Luca stood like a wall between Claire and her husband. He raised a hand, signaling his two bodyguards to step forward and restrain Grant Mercer.
"Take him," Luca ordered flatly. He turned to Claire, his icy gaze softening slightly as he took in her pale, exhausted face. "It's time for you to leave this cage."
