Chapter 13 Unspoken Desires

• The tension from the family meeting had finally subsided, and the Moretti mansion returned to its unsettling quiet. Giorgio, however, couldn’t shake the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind, thoughts that had nothing to do with the Romano threat or the upcoming shipment. They were thoughts about Rosa, thoughts that had been increasingly difficult to ignore.
• He found himself standing outside her room, the soft light spilling out from under the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked lightly and then entered.
• Rosa was seated on the edge of her bed, flipping through a book absentmindedly. She looked up, startled to see Giorgio in her doorway. His presence always seemed to stir something in her, a mixture of curiosity and a quiet yearning she hadn’t fully acknowledged until now.