Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Chapter 136

Chapter 136

The surgical waiting room was quiet again now, save for the occasional shuffle of a nurse’s sneakers passing by the open door. Keira was curled in a chair cradling a cup of coffee. Luca figured it would be stone cold by now. Blair sat cross–legged by the window, thumbing through a magazine on her lap, but the way she wasn’t spending any time on each page, he doubted she was even reading it.

Roman sat beside her, his hand rubbing up and down her back as he checked his watch again.

Luca’s phone buzzed in his lap.

Nick De Santis’s name showed on the screen. Luca stared at it for a beat, thumb hesitating above the screen..

Of all the moments for his father to call!

For one brief second, he thought about letting it ring out, telling himself he would call back later. After Sutton woke up. After he saw the baby. After he knew they would both be okay.

But it wasn’t just Sutton lying unconscious in recovery. He still hadn’t been allowed to see her.

It was also Nick’s grandson in that NICU.

And if–God willing… Sutton didn’t hate him when this was all over, maybe Nick’s daughter–in–law too.

He swiped to answer.

“Ciao, Papa.”

“Luca,” Nick’s voice sounded clearer than expected.

Luca closed his eyes briefly and leaned forward in the chair.

He was bracing himself to tell his father what had happened, but before he could speak, his father went on.

“We are here. At JFK. Just landed.”

Luca’s eyes snapped open. “Wait. What?”

Antonio’s voice piped in faintly in the background. “We’re still waiting on Bella’s suitcase… they lost it.”

“We?” Luca said, chest already tightening.

Nick grunted. “Yes, we… your brother, Bella, and me. We came to meet Sutton. Your fiancée. We wanted to surprise you.”

Luca didn’t speak for a full second. Sutton wasn’t his fiancée yet.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, inhaled through gritted teeth.

“Papa, why the hell would you travel all the way here without telling me? You had a heart attack a few months ago.”

Nick gave an exhausted sigh, the kind built exclusively by disappointment carried over multiple generations. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not supposed to be flying yet.”

want from me, Luca? We are De Santis men. We don’t sit still. The doctor cleared me for travel. I figured it was time to meet this

Luca winced.

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Chapter 136

his father’s look: the dismissiveness, the tight line of his mouth that always said, ‘I

chosen.’

it’s worth,” Nick added, “I don’t trust a woman who runs. But she is

Luca’s stomach rolled.

whispered,

“What?”

“She’s in the hospital.”

Silence.

fell, and they rushed her here.

dropped, quieter

close. Sutton’s stable now. The baby’s in the NICU. He came early. Not even thirty weeks. They both made it through the night but we’re not in

my God,” Bella’s voice now clear in the background. “The baby must be so

can come to the hospital,” Luca murmured, though he was anything but calm. “We’re at Lenox Hill. I’ll meet you

GPS on my phone says forty–four minutes. We have Bella’s case now, but we would have left

call, staring down at

looked over. “Your father is

on their

“You okay?”

answered honestly. “No,

spotted the three of them moving through the revolving

His grip on the handle of his cane was firm. His tailored suit jacket was a size too big now. The doctors had told him to lose weight after his surgery. But he still held the air of a noble Italian with a long family tree that made him proud. Seeing Antonio beside Bella, Luca briefly wondered if his brother had figured out love better

tiled floor and

him up, one brow slightly arched. “You don’t

really

didn’t say any more before pulling Luca forward and resting a hand on

anything about Luca loving Sutton—maybe because, during their last conversation, Luca had claimed he was marrying her for the child,

found out.

it in

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Chapter 136

Nick suddenly slowed. Luca turned to

and a look of pain crossed his aging face. Then he pressed his hand into his chest

“Dad?” Antonio asked.

as he brought his other hand up to his chest. The cane he had been holding was forgotten as

strides; Antonio moved as well.

Come on, come on!” Luca felt his

him under the arms before he could hit the hard floor, lowering him carefully into the lobby near the

would listen. His voice cut across space, loud

“What happened?” Someone asked.

didn’t answer; instead, he yelled out. “We need help now.” He was not going to spend time answering stupid questions from