Can you damage someone beyond repair?
Luca plays his role as the loyal underboss. Violent, lethal, flawless. The lapdog, the starboy.
On the surface, he maintains his facade of smirks and casual charm, but beneath the mask, thereʼs a profound dark...
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THE FALL BREEZE RUSTLES THROUGH the trees, sending a few stray leaves drifting to the ground. I spot Adriana sitting at one of the stone tables near the center of the courtyard, scrolling through her phone. Her hair falls softly over her shoulders, framing her face perfectly, and the sparkle of her earrings catching the sunlight. I slide into the seat across from her.
Adriana’s eyes meet mine. “Hi, honey bunny.”
My lips lift. “Hi.”
She gives me a cautious smile. “You aren’t mad at me, right?”
I blink. “Why would I be mad at you?”
She chews on the inside of her cheek. “I let Luca take you home on Friday night.”
My heart stutters at the mention of him, but I shake my head. “Oh, no. It’s alright.”
She’d texted me a hundred times to make sure I got home safe. It still amazed me that she cared.
Adriana sighs a little in relief, then asks, “What happened after?”
I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get a word out, someone calls from the other side of the courtyard. “What up, Bratziano?!”
Joey flashes a grin at Adriana, and she rolls her eyes, unimpressed. “Please don’t talk to me in public, Joey.”
He chuckles, unfazed. “We’ll do it in private then, princess.”
“I’ll pass.”
He winks at her before pushing through the double doors of the cafeteria.
I turn my attention back to Adriana. “Did something happen between you two?”
“Ugh, he’s just being a jerk,” she mutters, her expression darkening. “He refused to let me go home alone with my driver on Friday night. Can you believe that?”
My brows meet. “He talks to you?”
She grimaces a little. “We used to be best friends. My dad does business with his older brother, Dominic.”
“How come you aren’t friends anymore?” I ask.
She shrugs, an uncomfortable look taking over her face. “We just grew up, I guess.”
As we talk, Luca walks past with his hands in his pockets as he heads for the cafeteria, and meets my gaze. He inclines his head a little, but I can’t breathe.
Because the Hello Kitty Band-Aid is still plastered to his cheek.
Slightly frayed at the edges, sure, but very much there.
“What the hell does he have on his face?” Adriana asks, sounding genuinely confused. “Guys have such strange tastes these days.”
