Luciano closed the heavy wooden door of his private study behind them securely.
The quiet room offered immediate relief from the tense atmosphere down in the foyer.
Elena walked toward the center of the office and turned to face him directly.
She needed immediate answers about the public claim he had just made downstairs.
Elena: Why did you tell your aunt that I am your wife?
Luciano: Because it was the only way to protect you from her immediate cruelty.
Elena: But now she will try to ruin both of our lives out of revenge!
Luciano: She has been searching for a reason to control my inheritance for years.
Luciano walked over to his large mahogany desk and picked up a paper document.
He gestured for Elena to come closer and look at the official stamp on it.
It was a legal trust document signed by his father several years ago.
Luciano: My father's will states that I must marry someone genuine to claim the estate.
Luciano: He wanted to make sure I did not marry a greedy socialite like Victoria.
Elena looked down at the official legal language written across the white paper.
She realized that Luciano was facing immense pressure from his greedy relatives.
Elena: So you are using me to save your personal inheritance?
Luciano: No, Elena, my feelings for you have been real from the start.
He set the legal paper back down on the desk and looked into her eyes.
He explained how he had watched her work with grace despite her hard circumstances.
He had seen her give her own meals to struggling staff members in secret.
Luciano: I saw a level of kindness in you that I never found elsewhere.
Elena: I am just a worker trying to take care of my sister's medical bills.
Luciano: And I want to pay every single dollar of those bills starting today.
Elena covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes once again.
She had struggled for months to afford her sister's expensive hospital treatments.
This offer felt like an absolute lifeline in her darkest hour of need.
Elena: You would really do that for my family without asking for anything?
Luciano: I want us to make our arrangement official and legal right away.
Elena: What will happen when your aunt finds out the full truth?
Luciano: We will stand together as a team against whatever she tries to do.
Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded against the thick wooden door of the private study.
The head lawyer of the family estate stepped into the room with a briefcase.
He looked nervous as he glanced between Luciano and the young housekeeper.
Lawyer: Sir, Victoria has just called an emergency meeting with the board members.
Lawyer: She is attempting to invalidate your inheritance rights immediately on legal grounds.
Luciano narrowed his eyes and gripped the edge of his mahogany desk tightly.
He knew that the final battle for his family's legacy was starting right now.