LOGINMonths passed again. The twins grew stronger. Rose smiled more. Dante regained his strength, though his doctors still warned him about the bruised ribs.
The household moved with a new sense of unity…guards were more alert, staff were more respectful, and the Moretti siblings closer than they had ever been.One quiet afternoon, Dante walked into the family lounge.Bella was on the couch with her tablet. Rose was with the twins on a playmat. Elena was helping them buiRose lay half-curled against him, her cheek warm on his bare chest. Her fingers traced the black ink on his skin… the snake coiled along his ribs, the cross over his heart.Dante’s hand rested on her hip, lazy and gentle, like he didn’t want the moment to end.“Dante,” she murmured, eyes half-closed. “Why did you bring Adrian here?”He looked down at her. For a second, he didn’t answer. He only brushed a thumb along her shoulder, slow and thoughtful.Then he smiled… It was that small, guilty, older-brother smile she’d learned to read.“I brought him because of Bella,” he said softly.Rose lifted her head a little. “Bella?”“Mhmm,” Dante breathed out. “I’ve seen the way she is lately. Strong outside, but tense inside. She carries everything alone. And…” he paused, almost teasing, “I’ve seen how she looked at Adrian in Switzerland.”Rose blinked. “You think something is there?”“Oh, Rose.” His voice warme
Months passed again. The twins grew stronger. Rose smiled more. Dante regained his strength, though his doctors still warned him about the bruised ribs.The household moved with a new sense of unity…guards were more alert, staff were more respectful, and the Moretti siblings closer than they had ever been.One quiet afternoon, Dante walked into the family lounge.Bella was on the couch with her tablet. Rose was with the twins on a playmat. Elena was helping them build a soft-block tower. The room was warm, sunlit, and peaceful.He came in holding a few documents, kissed Rose’s head, ruffled Antonio’s hair, tapped Aria’s little nose, then cleared his throat in a way that meant he had something to say.Everyone looked up.“I want to tell you all something,” he said.Rose straightened, instantly alert. Bella lowered her tablet. Elena paused with a block in her hand.Dante kept his gaze calm, almost too calm.
The Moretti courtyard was silent. Not because the family was calm, but because the rage in the air was too thick for anyone to breathe through.The council members stood along the upper balcony. Soldiers lined the ground floor. Rose, Bella, Elena, and even the household staff watched with tight faces. No one dared whisper.Dante stepped forward, still recovering but strong enough to stand with authority. The bandage under his shirt tugged, but he ignored the pain. His eyes were fixed on the scene in front of him.Two soldiers dragged Luca out first.He no longer looked like the Moretti son. His face was bruised, swollen, and one eye half shut, his lips were cracked.His hair, once perfectly slicked back, was a tangled mess. His steps were slow, heavy—his body already beaten down by days in the dungeon.Bianca came next… or what was left of her.Thin. Unwashed hair. Her dress hung off her like she was disappearing inside
The Moretti convoy rolled through the villa gates later that afternoon. Engines cut off one by one, quietly falling over the courtyard like a final breath after a long night.The main doors burst open.Rose came running out barefoot, still in her robe, tears streaking her face. Bella and Elena were right behind her, both pale and shaken.Her voice cracked as she screamed—“Where are my children?! Dante—WHERE ARE THEY?!”“Signora,” Enzo said quickly, out of breath, “the children are safe. They’re safe. They’re in the second car.”Rose froze.Then she ran to the boot of the second car as soldiers opened it. Inside were two small white blankets covering the twins, both sleeping weakly, skin slightly pale from the cold night. A doctor rushed forward with a nurse and took them into his arms immediately.Rose clutched both babies, sobbing so hard her knees almost gave out. Elena steadied her. Bella stood behind them,
They finally arrived at the location. Dante stepped out first.Instantly, muffled phff sounds echoed from the shadows as Team Alpha began eliminating Luca’s outer guards with silent shots. Bodies dropped like shadows collapsing.Enzo signaled the bomb team forward.They crept around the back, shields raised.Then—A gunshot cracked loudly from above.The villa soldiers froze.“That wasn’t one of ours,” Enzo hissed.A second later, another shot rang out—Luca’s snipers fired openly.“Luca knows we’re here,” Dante said.Enzo ordered, “Team Beta, take them down!”Silent rifles pointed upward. Three soft thhhhpt sounds. One body fell. Then another. Then the third.Silence.Dante moved forward.But then a group of armed men stepped out of the factory entrance.At least fifteen.Some of them wore Moretti uniforms.Dante froze. He knew thei
He turned to Enzo.“Comb every inch of this villa. Every tunnel. Every exit. Find LUCA. NOW!”“Yes, Don Moretti!” Enzo barked.Soldiers rushed out.Bella wiped tears violently from her cheeks. “We need to check CCTV—every camera, every hallway, every exit.”Dante nodded sharply. “Do it. NOW.”Bella ran out with two guards.Rose kept shaking. Her breath came in painful bursts. “Dante, please—please find them—”“I will,” he promised, holding her tight. “I swear to you, I will bring them home.”But even as he promised, his stomach twisted.Luca. It could only be Luca.Bella rushed back into the room in less than two minutes, her face was wet, her hair tangled, and she was breathing fast.She looked wild.“Did you find Luca?” Dante demanded.“No,” she whispered, voice trembling. “But the back-gate camera was cut, the guards drugged—Dante, he planned this—”
The jet touched down in Naples just before dawn, the horizon streaked in pale gray. The cabin lights glowed warm, but Rose felt cold as the engines whined down. When the door opened, the air that rushed in was heavier, thick with salt and the faint tang of smoke from the city beyond.Two black cars
The car moved through the dark road, its tinted windows hiding Rose Blake from the city she was leaving behind. She sat still in the back seat, arms wrapped around herself, eyes burning with tears she refused to let fall. Boston’s lights had already faded, but her father’s voice stayed with her.Ro
Rose sat stiffly before the mirror as the servants powdered her cheeks, lined her eyes, and pinned her hair back in a sleek twist that made her look older and untouchable.When they slipped the deep emerald dress over her, catching against her pale skin, she was almost startled at the re
The lock snapped shut behind him. The corridor fell quiet, broken only by the steady tap of his shoes on the marble floor. He did not look back. Rose’s defiance still echoed in his ears. You won’t break me. Foolish girl. Everyone broke. It was only a matter of time. He reached the end of the cor







