LOGINAdrianoMy body ached.Every step pulled at something torn, bruised, battered. But I barely felt it. Not really. Not with everything else raging inside me. Adrenaline. Anger. And something heavier… something I didn’t want to name.The study had left its mark. Not just the words. Not just the truth about Liam. But the look on my father’s face. On Zio’s. Disappointment. Not anger. Not fury. That would have been easier.No… this was worse. This was knowing I had fallen short of everything they had ever taught me. Everything we stood for.And then—Luca. My cousin. My elder brother really in everything including blood. And I couldn’t even turn to him. Not now. Not with him sitting beside *him.*I was already running on fumes when I got to my room. But I didn’t hesitate. Didn’t give myself time to think. I plugged in the drive. Pressed play.And I broke. Worse than at the safehouse. Worse than I thought possible.Because this time—There was no rage. No drug clouding my thoughts. No adrenali
Chapter 101 LucaThe door hadn’t even stopped vibrating from Adriano slamming it when my phone buzzed. Same time as Liam’s. We both looked down. And I knew. This was it. “Mason,” I answered immediately, pushing up from my chair and pacing a few steps away. “Talk to me.”There was a pause on the other end. Then—“I’ve got good news and bad news.”My jaw tightened. “Start talking.”“The area?” he said. “Worst part of the Bronx. Coverage is shit.”I stopped pacing. “Define shit.”“No direct street cams,” he replied. “Nothing from the actual safehouse street. Too many dead zones.”I swore under my breath.“Closest we’ve got is entry points into the area,” he continued. “And even those are patchy.”Of course they were. “Numbers?” I pushed.“After Adriano entered—twenty-three vehicles came through,” he said. “After he left—seventeen.”I turned slightly, glancing at Liam. He was still on his call, listening, face tightening with every second.“I’m running plates now,” Mason added. “Looking
LiamI stayed under the shower longer than I should have.Long enough for the heat to fade and the water to turn lukewarm. Long enough to feel every bruise, every cut, every welt as it came alive under the steady stream.I braced my hands against the tiles, head bowed, letting it run over me. That fucker could fight. Not just some goodlooking fuck-boy headline or spoiled rich brat CEO the press liked to paint him as.No. Adriano Moretti knew exactly how to throw down. I winced as the water hit my ribs, my jaw, the split skin across my knuckles.But despite it—A slow, grim smile tugged at my mouth. I’d given as good as I got. Maybe better. I know he had felt it too.I was already dressed when my phone buzzed. I picked it up off the charger, screen lighting up in my hand.A message. From Luigi. *Come to the study. We are all waiting.*I exhaled once, steadying myself. One against three on foreign territory. Then I headed downstairs.A maid pointed me in the direction of the study. I pau
AdrianoWe went straight to the study after breakfast.No detours. No small talk. No one even pretended. The tension that had been suffocating the dining room followed us in, thicker now—heavier, more deliberate.The moment the doors shut behind us, it felt sealed. Like whatever was about to happen… there was no walking it back.We all took our seats. I didn’t miss the way my father and Zio Luigi positioned themselves—side by side.United. That alone put me on edge.Then my father looked at me. His expression was blank. Controlled. Too controlled. “Adriano,” he said evenly, “your Zio is going to speak, and I want no interruptions.”My jaw tightened immediately. I held his gaze. Waiting.He didn’t waver. If anything his face hardened. “What you are about to hear will be as shocking to you as it was to us,” he continued. “I am warning you now—the facts are what they are. We cannot change them.”A pause. Heavy. “For the sake of a unified family… we all need to accept it.”Something in my
Luca Everyone was already seated when I came down. The dining room—usually warm, loud, alive with overlapping voices and easy laughter—felt… wrong. Too still. Too tight. Like the air itself had weight. I didn’t say anything at first. Just moved on instinct, grabbing a cup and pouring myself coffee. The rich, bitter smell hit my senses, grounding me slightly. God knows I needed it. Barely any sleep. My father’s revelations still echoing in my head. And now that fight…I took a slow sip before finally sitting down. My mother caught my eye immediately, offering me a soft smile—relief, warmth, love all wrapped into one. It steadied something in me. But across the table—My father, my Zio. Their expressions told a different story. Red-rimmed eyes. Clenched jaws. Neither of them touched the steaming cups in front of them. Neither of them looked calm. And that told me everything I needed to know. Footsteps sounded from the hall. Measured. Careful. Adriano. Every head turned as he walke
AdrianoFuck…The adrenaline was still tearing through me. Hot. Restless. Unrelenting.My whole body felt wired too tight—like I might snap or explode if something didn’t give soon. My fists were still clenched, blood tacky on my knuckles, my chest rising and falling harder than it should have been.And none of it—None of it made any damn sense. I stared holes into Luca’s back, waiting. Demanding. He still hadn’t answered me. Hadn’t even *tried*.Nothing about this morning lined up. Not one fucking thing. Our biggest enemy walking our halls like he owned the place… my Aunt acting like this was all normal and we had a close relative visiting… Luca standing between us like—Like *he was protecting him.*For a second, I genuinely questioned my own sanity. Had I lost it somewhere between last night and now? Because this…this felt like some twisted alternate reality.“Luca,” I snapped again, sharper this time. “I’m waiting…What the fuck is going on?”He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand throu
Denton The safehouse still clung to me.The smell of it. The silence. That room. Christ… *that room*.I drove back on autopilot, barely registering the roads, the turns, the time it took to get home. My mind kept circling the same moments over and over—like it couldn’t let go.Adriano’s face. What
Luca I watched the disaster unfold in real time. No build-up. No warning. Just impact. Two forces—equal, furious—colliding head-on like neither of them had anything left to lose. Liam moved first—Or maybe Adriano did. Hell, it was so fast it blurred. They met in the middle with a solid, bone-ja
AdrianoI don’t remember much about the drive back to the mansion.Just fragments. Denton’s voice—low, cutting, relentless. The things he said. The things I *did*. And flashes…God—those flashes.Broken pieces of the night before, jagged and out of order, slamming into me without warning. Enough to
Liam I don’t know how sleep found me… but it did.And for once—it was merciful. It had been dreamless. No screams. No echo of her voice breaking apart in my head…“Liam… brother…”Just… nothing. Dark. Quiet. Empty.I woke after eight, staring at a ceiling that wasn’t mine, the weight of everything







