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CHAPTER EIGHTY SEVEN: TRUST TO EARN Louis was still slumped against the hospital wall, his hands shaking, his breath shallow. The door to Lorenzo's room was closed. The chaos inside had faded, but the silence that followed was worse. The door opened. The doctor stepped out, his face tired but calm. Louis forced himself to stand. "How is he?" The doctor removed his gloves. "He's stable. The seizure stopped. We've flushed the substance from his system." Louis's legs almost gave out. "He's going to be okay?" "He's going to be okay because of you." The doctor's voice was firm. "If you hadn't stopped that injection when you did…if you hadn't noticed it was the wrong time, the wrong medication…" He paused. "You saved his life, Signor Volterra." Louis blinked. He didn't feel like a hero. He felt like he was going to collapse. "Can I see him?" "Give us a few minutes to monitor him. Then you can go in." Louis nodded. He leaned against the wall, his head spinning. An
CHAPTER EIGHTY SIX: HOLDING THE LINE Days has rolled into weeks had passed. The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and stale coffee. Louis sat beside Lorenzo's bed, his fingers wrapped around Lorenzo's hand, his eyes fixed on the pale face that hadn't opened its eyes in days. Lorenzo's chest rose and fell with the help of machines. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound that kept Louis sane. The door opened. Anya walked in, her face tight, her tablet tucked under her arm. "Louis." He didn't look up. "Any change?" "Not yet. But that's not why I'm here." Anya sat across from him, her voice low. "Lorenzo being in this state is dangerous. I can feel something stirring between the higher ups. They're testing boundaries." Louis finally looked at her. "What do you mean?" "Lorenzo has extended family overseas. Cousins, uncles, people who have been waiting for a moment like this. They've never had power before…but now they see an opening." Anya pause
CHAPTER EIGHTY FIVE: WHO IS GOING TO TAKE THE FALL? Lorenzo stepped out of the station, his jaw tight, his eyes scanning the street. The car was there. The guards were there but William wasn't. Louis followed close behind, his phone already in his hand. "Where is he?" Lorenzo's jaw tightened. He walked to the driver's side and motioned for the driver to step out. "I'll drive." He slid behind the wheel, and Louis climbed into the passenger seat. The guards scrambled into the car behind them, ready to follow. Lorenzo pulled out, his hands gripping the wheel. "What is he thinking? We just got him out of the station…only for him to disappear. Where would he even go? How would we find him?" Louis's voice was calm, steady. "Calm down, baby. If he's with his phone, we can get a hang of his location." He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. "I put trackers on both Chloe and William's phones. After the attack. I wanted to make sure I could find them if anything happened."
CHAPTER EIGHTY FOUR: INTO THE NIGHT William couldn't stay still. The hospital bed felt like a cage. The white walls felt like they were closing in. He had been lying there for hours, staring at the ceiling, replaying the attack, the kiss, the way Matt had pulled away. He was an idiot. He was a fool. But he had to see Matt. He didn't care about the rules. He didn't care about the warnings. He didn't care that Matt had told him never to come to his house. William had already broken every other rule…what was one more? He managed to get out of bed, his body screaming in protest. His arm throbbed. His ribs ached but he didn't stop. He pulled on his clothes, slipped past the nurses, and made his way out of the hospital. The night air hit him like a slap. He hailed a cab, gave Matt's address, and tried not to think about what he was doing. When he reached the house, he found the gate locked. He didn't hesitate. He climbed over it, ignoring the pain that shot throu
CHAPTER EIGHTY THREE: A LINE CROSSED The hospital room was white and sterile, the kind of place that smelled like antiseptic and quiet fear. William lay in the bed, his face bruised, his arm in a sling, a bandage wrapped around his forehead. He looked smaller than usual…fragile in a way that made Louis's chest ache. Louis sat beside him, his hand gently stroking William's hair. "You're going to be fine. The doctors said you're going to be fine.” William tried to smile, but it came out lopsided. "I know. I'm tough." "You're an idiot," Louis said, but there was no heat in it. "What were you thinking? You should have stayed in the car. You should have…” "I was protecting Chloe." William's voice was quiet. "I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. She got a strong Uncle”, he taps his chest lightly. Louis's throat tightened. He squeezed William's hand. Lorenzo stood by the window, his arms crossed, his jaw tight. His eyes were fixed on William, but his mind was elsewher
CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO: SHADOW AND SILENCE Louis waited for the bullet…his eyes were closed. His face was pressed against Oliver's chest. He could feel the man's heartbeat..fast, erratic, desperate. He could feel the cold metal of the gun against his skull. He could feel Oliver's finger tightening on the trigger. This is it…This is how I die. Lorenzo…Chloe The click. Then….blood. Warm, wet, sudden. It splattered across Louis's face. Oliver's grip went slack. His body crumpled, his weight falling away from Louis's back. Louis's eyes snapped open. Oliver was on the ground, a dark stain spreading across his chest, his hand still reaching weakly toward the gun that had fallen from his grip. Louis didn't think. He kicked the gun away. Men burst through the door…security, police, armed and shouting. They formed a shield around Louis, their bodies blocking him from the chaos. Then Lorenzo was there. His hands were on Louis's face, turning it left and right, checking for wou
CHAPTER FORTY: EXCEPT YOU. Louis dragged himself out of the pool with water dripping down his body and cameras clicking from every angle. Assistants rushed toward him with towels and robes, their hands fussing over his hair and his skin and his makeup. Matt appeared from behind a light reflect
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: BREAK AND THE DARK The yacht swayed gently beneath him with the Mediterranean sun warm on his skin, and Louis was trying very hard to focus on his book. But the sea was making him drowsy…the rhythm of the waves, the salt in the air, the weight of the past few days catching up
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US. The mansion felt different with Chloe in it…brighter, louder, like someone had turned up the volume on a song Louis didn't realize had been playing too low. She sat in a wheelchair, not because she couldn't walk but because she tired easily, her bod
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BLOOD ON THE STREET The private jet sat on the tarmac, engines humming, ready to take him to Zurich. Lorenzo stood at the bottom of the steps, one foot on the first stair, when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. The estate. "What." The voice on the other end wa







