Chapter 6 - Return to the Shelter
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The transition back to normal life felt like waking up from a bizarre, adrenaline-fueled fever dream.
The next morning, Hannah was back at the Second Chance Animal Rescue, her pale green volunteer shirt replaced by a slightly faded navy one. The shelter smelled of bleach, wet dog, and stale coffee. It was loud, chaotic, and entirely devoid of billionaire mafia bosses.
She spent the morning scrubbing kennels, walking hyperactive pit bulls, and trying to ignore the dull ache in her knees from dropping to the marble patio the day before.
But no matter how hard she scrubbed, she couldn't get the image of Lorenzo Moretti out of her head. The way his tailored suit fit his massive frame. The terrifying, effortless authority he commanded. The way his dark eyes had roamed over her body as if she were a feast and he was starving.
"Earth to Hannah," her coworker, Sarah, said, waving a clipboard in front of her face. "You've been staring at that empty food bowl for three minutes."
Hannah blinked, her cheeks flushing. "Sorry. Didn't sleep well."
"I wouldn't have slept either if I went viral," Sarah grinned, pulling out her phone. "Have you seen this?"
Sarah showed her a shaky, zoomed-in video taken by one of the gala guests. It showed Hannah on her knees, the massive wolfdog burying its head in her chest, while Lorenzo Moretti stood over her like a dark guardian angel.
"They're calling you the 'Dog Whisperer of the Underworld' in the comments," Sarah laughed.
Hannah groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Please tell me you're joking. I don't want any part of that world. The man terrifies me."
"He didn't look like he was terrifying you," Sarah pointed out with a smirk. "He looked like he wanted to eat you alive."
"Sarah, please," Hannah sighed, grabbing a mop. "He's a billionaire. I'm a plus-size girl who cleans up dog poop for a living. Men like him don't look at women like me."
"You'd be surprised," Sarah muttered, looking out the front window of the shelter. "Because a very expensive black SUV just parked in our loading zone."
Hannah froze. She slowly turned and looked out the glass doors.
Two massive men in dark suits stepped out of the vehicle, scanning the street. Then, the rear door opened.
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Lorenzo Moretti stepped onto the cracked sidewalk, looking entirely out of place and absolutely breathtaking.
He locked eyes with Hannah through the glass, and her heart gave a violent, treacherous thump.
