Early in the morning Caterina was already out of bed. She was preparing breakfast in the kitchen for several people. Of course she couldn't cook for all the residents of the mansion, so she only cooked a few portions for people she knew. The aroma of her cooking was so appetizing that Marco woke up to the smell of her cooking.The handsome man went into the kitchen shirtless. He only wore homemade trousers; his face looked rumpled like someone who just woke up from sleep; his hair also looked a little messy.“You don't have to do this, Kate.” Marco said in a hoarse voice typical of someone who just woke up. He yawned, then wiped his face with both palms.Caterina was a little surprised by Marco's sudden appearance. She turned her head, took a glance, and smiled.“I'm already staying here; I can at least do something to ease the maid's burden.” Caterina reasoned."Their pay is more than enough. You don't need to trouble yourself."“It's fine.” Caterina said with emphasis.Marco let out
Luka smiled sweetly at Caterina's words. He didn't know what Caterina's heart was like for him. He also didn't know how she looked at him, but he was really happy to hear the words that came out of her mouth. At least Caterina was serious about their marriage. It seemed that Caterina was not making their marriage just a shield to protect herself from Leonardo. However, she would also carry out her duties and obligations as a wife.“Here's the juice.” Caterina came over; she placed a glass of tomato juice on the dining table, right in front of Luka. The other glass she gave to Marco.“You just wait there; I'll serve it to you.” Caterina said softly, again taking over the cooking duties.Marco nodded gently; he accepted the glass that Caterina handed him, then moved to the dining chair. He downed the glass of juice.“I'm going to take a shower now; please call me when the food is served.” Marco got up again. He deliberately left the kitchen so that Caterina and Luka could be alone. Afte
The car Luka was driving came to a halt when a gatekeeper blocked the car's path to the mansion. The man gave instructions to lower the car windows because they had to make sure who was inside. Not just anyone could get in there.“I want to see my father.” Caterina said after she lowered the car window. She looked at the gatekeeper seriously."I can't give you permission. Mr. Bianchi has forbidden you to enter." The fierce-faced man said firmly.Just as Caterina had expected. They would not be given permission to enter. Not in the way Alex and the others had imagined, thinking they would be detained and tortured like enemies trying to enter the base.“I just want to see my father; please ask Leonardo.” Caterina was a little pushy.“Mr. Bianchi has warned me repeatedly; he'll get angry if I ask for the obvious.” The man still refused.Caterina sighed harshly. She knew very well that Leonardo's men were very obedient to her. None of them dared to break the rules he made. All of them wer
“Mr. Bianchi says you can enter, but you must beg and plead with him if you want to see your father.” The gatekeeper relayed the message he had received from his friend.Hearing those words, Caterina felt on fire. The fire of anger that she had been holding back was now burning in her chest. She did not expect that Leonardo was more cruel than she imagined. What was his purpose in saying that? Asking her to beg and plead is not tantamount to degrading her dignity, is it? Was she completely worthless in Leonardo's eyes? How pathetic.Caterina clenched her hands hard. Her face looked flushed with anger. Her jaw hardened. If Leonardo had said those words right in front of her, she would have hit him to vent her anger. No matter what consequences he would get, he just wanted to vent his anger at Leonardo.Luka squeezed the steering wheel violently. He couldn't accept Caterina being humiliated like that. He still remembered when he and Leonardo fought for Caterina's heart some time ago. He
The car driven by Luka swerved and almost hit the road divider when suddenly a car drove up and stopped right in front of them. Caterina, who was not alarmed, was shocked when her head hit the dashboard of the car. Her forehead was cut and bleeding. Luka, on the other hand, was more in control and seemed to be fine. It was just that his heart was beating very fast because he was really surprised.“Kate, are you okay?” Luka asked with great concern; he turned his head to make sure Caterina was okay.“I'm fine.” Caterina replied, holding back a cry. She wiped her forehead; there was a blood-red stain on her fingers.“Kate, you're hurt!” Luka became very panicked. If it was him who got the same injury, he would have thought it was just a minor injury. However, this was Caterina. He would not even allow a single mosquito to bite Caterina. Let alone find her injured like that. He became extremely panicked and frantic. He searched for medicine in the dashboard drawer, but it was empty.“I'l
"She said that?" Leonardo did not accept the report of his men saying that Caterina ignored his orders. She even wanted to cut ties with her father because she thought he really didn't care about her.Leonardo looked so panicked, as Caterina was not at all provoked to play his game. He was really worried that Caterina would marry Luka."What are you going to do? She already said this. She doesn't even care whether I live or die. The peak of one's disappointment is when one stops caring. You don't know how I feel as a father. If I hadn't been forced to stay here, I would have gone and looked for Caterina long ago. I refused to be invited by her because I didn't want to burden her. If she hates me this much, then what's the point of me living?" Dante said with a trembling voice when he heard the report about Caterina wanting to break the father-daughter relationship between them. He understood why Caterina was doing this, as he realized that he had repeatedly disappointed her with his b
"Taking medication? What do you mean? What happened exactly?" Leonardo asked with great curiosity. He really didn't know what had happened to Caterina that she needed a doctor for treatment."What are you looking for me for?" Caterina appeared with her forehead covered by gauze. It seemed that the injury on her forehead was indeed quite fatal, as her head hit the dashboard very hard."Kate? What happened to your forehead?" Leonardo asked with concern. He couldn't accept it when Caterina was injured by someone else. He really panicked when he saw the wound on her forehead."You'd better ask your men." Luka looked at the man who had blocked their car. He looked at the man with a sharp glare.Leonardo followed the direction of Luka's gaze. He stared at his men with a look that demanded answers. He would not give mercy when someone hurt Caterina.Receiving such a sharp gaze, the man immediately prostrated himself and begged for forgiveness. He was really very afraid that his life would be
Luka felt as if his heart had stopped beating. His face flushed and heated up. He had not expected Caterina to be so determined to kiss him just to confirm to Leonardo that she no longer liked him. This attitude of Caterina's was a bit out of line, but Luka really liked it.Caterina stopped her kiss. She turned to look at Leonardo to see how he would react. As expected, Leonardo looked furious. Leonardo clenched his hands very tightly. His jaw seemed to have hardened so that his neck veins were clearly visible. He was really holding back now. If he followed his heart, he would have kicked Luka's ass."Now do you believe?" Caterina asked in a tone that sounded so cynical,.Leonardo did not answer. He stared at Caterina very sharply, his gaze like a wild animal staring at prey. His breathing sounded ragged."Now please don't—"Before Caterina could finish speaking, Leonardo approached and immediately grabbed her mouth. Caterina rebelled when Leonardo kissed her so brutally. There was so
This morning the air felt colder than usual. Caterina put a thick jacket on Shopia's body. While in the distance, Luka came with several cups of hot coffee."For you." Luka handed the coffee cups to Leonardo and Alex.Leonardo accepted the coffee with a smile, while the corner of his eye looked at Caterina, who was busy with Shopia. He was happy to see Caterina happy. However, his heart sank when he realized that Caterina's happiness was not him. He had to let the woman he loved live with another man.Sophia turned to look at Leonardo. He smiled broadly and waved goodbye. The only reason Caterina and Luka met Leonardo this morning was because Shopia was related to him. Sophia should at least recognize her uncle.Leonardo waved back at the little girl. Just like Alex said, Leonardo has changed a lot from before.Caterina led Shopia towards the group of men."Honey, give the gift to Uncle Leo." Caterina said softly.Sophia nodded.Leonardo stared at Caterina without blinking. After six
"Kate, I want to talk seriously." Alex said with a serious look on his face. He rarely acted like this. If he said something serious, it meant it was serious."Honey, you go to your room first." Caterina said very softly.Shopia, who was lying on Caterina's thigh, got up and went to her room. That child was really very obedient."What do you want to talk about?" Caterina looked up, looking at the man with a questioning look."Leo will be out of prison tomorrow morning." The man gave information. It wasn't that he wanted to scare Caterina, but he had something else to say."You can rest assured, Kate will be safe as long as I'm with her. There's nothing to be afraid of; he already has a criminal history. If he does the same thing a second time, the punishment will be more severe than before." Luka said firmly. It was as if he was emphasizing that no one could hurt Caterina as long as he existed. Even if that person was Leonardo.This was the sixth month of their marriage, just as Leona
Caterina stood in front of the mirror. She looked at her reflection there. The beautiful face looked even more beautiful after being polished with makeup. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She tried to convince herself that this was the right move. She did not want to regret her decision to marry Luka. Here she had found so much love. This was the place where she could get what she wanted.There was a knock on the door from outside.Caterina invited him to enter. Dante stepped inside with tears in his eyes. He was touched when he saw his daughter in a wedding dress. He could finally see Caterina get married.As they had hoped, the world Luka offered was far from the hustle and bustle of crime. There were no enemies, no gunshots, no danger lurking every time they left the house.It was the kind of peaceful life that Dante and Caterina had always wanted. They had intended to escape to Sydney and start a new life in the city. However, they never imagined that they would mee
Leonardo looked at Dante very seriously. His eyes showed as if he was asking what was wrong. He wanted to know what Caterina thought of him."She doesn't hate you like you think. Kate is very forgiving." Dante said with affirmation.Leonardo was silent. In fact, even though Caterina had forgiven him, he still had no chance to get back Caterina's heart. His love story had ended there."Her wedding to Luka is in a fortnight. Come if you can." Dante informed.It seemed that the man's affection for Leonardo ran deep. Of course he did. He had taken care of the man since he was a baby until he grew up like this. The time he spent with Leonardo was far more than the time he had spent with his own daughter. Naturally, he felt that his bond with Leonardo could not be broken. Moreover, Leonardo has realized and regretted everything he has ever done."I'm not sure I can attend her wedding. I can't bear to see her married to another man." Leonardo said with a trembling voice. His eyes looked tear
The party finished just before 1am. Caterina felt very tired and sleepy. She was used to staying up late and sleeping early in the morning; it was just that she was not used to the crowded atmosphere and formal events like this. Interacting with so many people made her feel very tired. Her energy was drained very much. At this rate, she would need a few days of rest to fully recharge his energy."I'm sorry you had to keep me company until midnight." Luka felt guilty. He felt bad. He remembered when Leonardo had brought Caterina to an important event and asked her to go home first because Caterina felt uncomfortable. However, he could not do what Leonardo did, because Caterina was one of the important people in this event. It would not be good for her to leave the party in the middle of it.Caterina smiled broadly. It seemed that she had to get used to it. Because, in the future, she will attend more often in this way."It is I who apologizes for not being able to accompany you to the
"You go in first; I want to see my father first." Luka said as they arrived at an upscale hotel tonight. As Adam had said last week, tonight he would be holding an official party to announce the company's new leader, as well as to tell the public that Caterina was Luka's future wife.There will be a lot of media coming to broadcast the news. Caterina's name will become famous after this. She will be the daughter-in-law of the richest man in Sydney. Her profile and background will be explored by many people. If they knew that Caterina came from the dark world of the mafia, they would probably look down on her. She would be labeled as a bad person.Caterina nodded gently, she released her embrace on Luka's arm, and let him leave.Caterina didn't really like parties and crowds like this, so she felt very uncomfortable. She stepped very clumsily into the building where the party would be held.However, Caterina's steps were halted as the doorman stopped her. They asked her to show her inv
"Daddy is home." Caterina told Shopia that Luka had arrived at the villa. They started to get ready for the surprise. Caterina brought a big cake, while Shopia brought a small cake because she was not strong enough to carry a big cake.Today was Luka's 34th birthday. Caterina and the others had prepared a small party at home. They were celebrating with family only. No invitations, no friends. There were Alex and Dante, who joined in the festivities. Adam had only been notified a few minutes ago.They stood at the door. Waiting with their hearts racing. This was the first time Caterina had celebrated a birthday for Luka. She didn't know how he would respond. She didn't want to expect more, because she had been disappointed so many times. When she celebrated Leonardo's birthday, he didn't want to look at her at all. Let alone accepting her gift, he even threw the cake that Caterina offered.Having been hurt too many times, Catarina no longer had high hopes. Even though she knew the woun
"Why are you here?" Adam looked at his son with a probing look."Where else am I supposed to be? I need to go to the office to check my work after my two-week. There are a lot of files that I need to go through and sign off on. There's already a lot of cooperation pending. It's time for me to get back to work." Luka answered honestly."The work can be taken care of by others. There are many people who can be entrusted to take care of everything. You shouldn't have left Kate. She's still recovering." Adam seemed very concerned. Even now he was starting to be overprotective of his future daughter-in-law.Luka smiled a little. He hadn't expected that to be the reason his father had asked him about why he was at the office this morning. He thought it was something else; it was because he left Caterina for work."She's fine. She asked me to come back to work. I have Alex and Dante looking after her at home." Luka explained."That's good that you are. You check all these files and give them
Hearing Caterina's words, Dante felt very happy. He had never thought that his daughter would give him a chance. The man smiled broadly. He approached Caterina, then hugged her very tightly."I know I've made many mistakes. This time I promise I will make up for all my past mistakes. I will be a good father to you." Dante said with great tenderness.Caterina nodded; she returned her father's hug gently.Luka looked happy to see that Caterina and her father's relationship had improved. His dream of improving their relationship had finally come true. At least that was all he wanted for now."No one needs me to take you to the airport, right?" Alex asked reassuringly after he saw Caterina and Dante hugging each other. The two had made up."I guess," Dante replied as he released her hug."Daddy!" Shopia ran to her father. She clung to her father's thighs. In her arms was the doll she got from Adam. She still thought it was from Caterina."Who is she?" Dante asked as he looked at his daugh