Lucian Valtieri

Everyone in business circles knew who Lucian Valtieri was. They called him the King of Steel: young, handsome, millionaire, ruthless. Owner of a global network of corporations that grew like wildfire. His suits were handmade in Tokyo. His meetings were brief and lethal. His expression was always the same: an icy stare that made tycoons, presidents, and bankers tremble.

They said he had loved once, and that woman had left him without a word. From then on, none of them lasted more than one night.

Up to her

No one understood how such a noble woman, with a soft voice and eyes as big as moons, could have conquered the most closed-minded man on the planet. But there she was, always by his side. Walking one step behind him, but with the sole power to make him take two steps back to walk with her.

She wasn't a model or an heiress. She was an art teacher before she met him. She loved gardens, children, stray dogs. And she loved him. Madly. Despite his silence, his coldness, his perpetual shadow*

They married in a discreet ceremony, without cameras or guests beyond the essentials. From then on, they lived among private planes, quiet penthouses, and mansions where only the ticking of a Swiss watch could be heard.

The only pain they shared, deep down, was emptiness

Ever since they got married, Ella wanted to be a mother. Lucian did too, though he never said so. They underwent tests, treatments, prayers. Everything turned out well. They were young, healthy. But month after month, the result was the same: nothing.

One afternoon, sitting on the balcony of her house in Florence, Ella wept silently. Lucian watched her from the threshold. He said nothing. He didn't know how to console her with words. But this time... he walked toward her, knelt down, and rested his forehead on her stomach.

"It doesn't matter if it never happens," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I already have everything I want. You."

.