19. Claire

CHAPTER 19

CLAIRE

THE SAME DAY – PRELIMINARY HEARING

B ail had been granted. Relief washed over me, and I beamed at Luca. He grinned back, making my insides melt. God, the man was gorgeous! The scowl on Elizabeth’s face said it all. She didn’t like being put in her place, but if she was going to play with the law, then she deserved no less.

I wasn’t called the Ice Queen for nothing, and if she thought she could intimidate me—well, screw you, Lady Frost. This newer, younger, better version is out to get you! And I’d learnt from the best: her.

Elizabeth Traynor had once been a figure I admired—a force to be reckoned with, the epitome of a woman who clawed her way to the top in a world dominated by men. I’d been inspired by her growing up, watching her in court as a young barrister, studying every cutting remark and icy glare, hoping one day to be half as formidable. She was proof that a woman could hold power and command respect without losing her edge.

Now, all I saw was a woman who’d sold her soul for influence, hiding corruption beneath that frosty veneer. Lady Frost wasn’t the role model I’d once idolised; she was a warning —a reminder of the cost of ambition when you start playing dirty. And today, I’d shown her that she wasn’t untouchable.

As I gathered the defence paperwork, the courtroom around me began to empty, leaving me in a bubble of my own thoughts. The crisp rustle of paper grounded me, a reminder that this wasn’t just another case—this was Luca’s life on the line. The echo of my heels against the marble floor was the only sound that filled the silence as I walked to the prosecution office, but inside, my mind was anything but quiet. I’d just bested Elizabeth Traynor—Lady Frost herself—in a game she thought she’d mastered. And it felt damn good.

But as the adrenaline of victory began to fade, thoughts of Luca took over. His grin from across the courtroom had sparked a flutter in my chest that was impossible to ignore. For so long, I’d kept him at arm’s length, convinced that getting involved with him was reckless, foolish—dangerous.

Recent events had shaken that conviction. The so-called pillars of justice, people I once held in high regard, had shown their true colours. Elizabeth and the MP—two people I once believed were the epitome of power and respectability, people who should have been upholders of the law and defenders of the legal system—were nothing more than empty shells wrapped in lies and corruption.

Luca was complicated, but there was something unmistakably genuine about him that set him apart. Unlike Elizabeth or the MP, who cloaked their corruption in the trappings of respectability, Luca’s world was layered in shades of grey. His public persona as a Russian businessman was polished and refined, but it wasn’t a lie—it was a necessary mask in a world where wearing your true face could get you killed. Yet beneath that facade, Luca wasn’t hiding his flaws; he was simply navigating the reality he was born into. He never pretended to be virtuous or played the victim. He didn’t try to justify his choices with excuses or self-righteousness.

Where others schemed in shadows, Luca stood firm in the light he allowed himself. His life had been built on violence and loyalty—two forces that often dictated his actions—but he didn’t dress them up as anything else. It wasn’t just the crimes he committed that defined him; it was the fierce protectiveness, the unwavering loyalty to those he cared about, and the unapologetic way he fought for what was his. In a world full of masks, Luca was at least honest about the lines he’d crossed, and that was more than could be said for most. He was flawed, certainly, but he was also real, unfiltered, and fiercely protective of those he loved.

The sound of rustling paper snapped me back to the task at hand and the black-and-white text of Luca’s case staring back at me. All those legal arguments were just formalities, a means to an end. It was hard to believe that something so clinical held the power to determine the future of someone like Luca—a man whose life was anything but black and white.

Yet, as much as the legalities mattered today, the real battle was taking place inside my head. Could I really accept him, knowing everything he was? The violence, the bloodshed, the Bratva ties that defined so much of his existence—these were things I’d been trained to condemn, not embrace.

A deep breath steadied me and I flipped through the remaining forms, barely seeing them as my thoughts continued to race. Luca had never hidden who he was. He’d hurt people, crossed lines, and broken laws that couldn’t be bent back into shape. But he also fought for his family, stood by his word, and protected what was his. There was a code in that, twisted as it might be—a kind of honour that Elizabeth and the MP would never understand. They were the reason I had believed in the system, and now, they were the reason I was questioning everything. Luca was better than them, not because he was a saint, but because he made no pretence about his sins.

Just a few scant months ago, I would never have believed it possible for me to seriously consider a relationship with Luca, no matter how attractive he was. But the more I learned about the world I’d dedicated my life to, the more those judgments felt misplaced. The court system I’d believed in was flawed, tainted by people who wore the right suits and said the right things, but were just as dirty as the men they condemned. And Luca? He didn’t pretend to be clean. Not to me. He was honest in a way that none of them could ever be.

The folder snapped shut with a decisive thud, my decision solidifying with it. No more pretending. No more hiding behind excuses or clinging to fears that had long since lost their hold on me. Luca was more than a client, more than a reckless fling. He was the man who looked at me and saw past every defence, every carefully constructed barrier. He saw me—the woman who was more than just her career, more than the Ice Queen title she’d earned. And maybe, just maybe, that was worth risking it all for.

As I walked through the foyer, I caught sight of Miki talking to Glowacki near the exit, their conversation a low hum that blended into the background. They were waiting, just like me, for the doors to open and for Luca to walk through them. But this time, it wasn’t just a legal victory I was anticipating. It was the chance to finally let down my guard and see where this could lead.

My gaze drifted to the doors as my heart raced at the thought of Luca on the other side. Today wasn’t just about Luca walking free; it was about me stepping into the unknown. The old Claire, bound by rigid rules and unyielding principles, would never have entertained this risk. But today, I wasn’t that woman anymore. What mattered was that Luca was real in a way no one else was. He didn’t need to be perfect; he just needed to be him.

The thought of seeing him, touching him, feeling that electric pull between us again made my breath hitch. He’d be out soon, and I’d let him know that I was ready to give us a chance and see what came next. And as much as I feared the risks, the thought of letting him go scared me more. Would we really be able to make a go of things? I’d no idea, but one thing was clear: I wanted to find out. I was done running from it.

The courtroom’s walls, usually a place of certainty, now felt like a threshold to something new, something I was finally ready to embrace. Luca was more than just the Bratva enforcer with a dangerous past—he was the man who’d fought his way into my heart, whether or not I’d wanted him to. And today, for the first time, I was ready to admit that he was worth the fight.