They Never Cross His Path

“It won’t happen,” Paolo said firmly.

His calm voice made both Natasha and Luisa look at him in confusion. Natasha was still on the floor, her eyes swollen with tears, while Luisa stood beside her, trying to steady her own trembling nerves.

Both of them stared at Paolo, waiting for him to explain.

“If we take help from Renata,” he said after a moment, “Giovanni can be stopped.”

Luisa’s brows knitted together in disbelief.

“Renata?” she repeated. “We don’t even know where she has been taken.” Her voice carried both irritation and anxiety. “And even if we did, do you really believe she would help us after everything we did to her?”

She crossed her arms tightly, recalling the events of the morning.

“We tried to force her to marry Giovanni,” Luisa continued bitterly. “We treated her like a burden and tried to sell her off for money. Why would she help us now?”

Natasha slowly shook her head, her face pale with fear as she stood up.

“Dad… she won’t help me,” she said weakly. “Renata hates me.”

The realization only made her panic grow stronger. She wiped at her tears, though they continued to fall.

“I have no choice,” Natasha muttered desperately. “I will leave this country tonight if I have to. That is the only way to save myself.”

Her voice trembled as she looked up at Paolo, hoping he would agree with her plan.

“Have you lost your mind?” Paolo snapped. “Giovanni is not some ordinary man you can simply run away from.”

His voice grew colder as he continued. “If Natasha disappears, he will not sit quietly. He will come after all of us. And when he does, he will not hesitate to shoot every single one of us.”

“Did you both not see what happened today?” Paolo went on, his eyes moving between Luisa and the direction where Natasha had been standing. “The moment Giovanni realized who Domenico was, he nearly collapsed from fear. That man is not just another mafia leader. He is the mafia of mafias. His name alone terrifies men like Giovanni.”

He paced slowly across the room, thinking out loud.

“If there is anyone in this world who can protect us from Giovanni, it is Domenico Veronesi,” Paolo said with certainty. “And the only way to reach him is through Renata.”

Luisa nodded slowly, the logic of his words settling in her mind. “Paolo is right,” she said.

But Natasha shook her head stubbornly, disbelief and panic still controlling her thoughts.

“You both have lost your minds,” she said bitterly. “Did you not hear what Giovanni himself said? We do not even know where Domenico lives.”

Her voice grew louder with frustration.

“And let us assume we somehow find him,” she continued. “Why would he help me? Renata will never allow it. She will enjoy watching me suffer after everything that happened.”

The bitterness in her voice turned into anger as she looked at her mother.

“Mom, why did you even take money from that disgusting old man in the first place?” Natasha demanded, her eyes filling with tears again. “You have completely ruined my life!”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran upstairs. Her footsteps echoed through the house as she rushed to her room, slamming the door behind her and leaving Paolo and Luisa standing in the uneasy silence of the living room.

Luisa hurried to the study, her hands still trembling as she logged into the bank account. Without wasting a second, she transferred the entire amount Giovanni had given them back to him. Her fingers moved quickly across the screen, driven by panic and desperation. Once the transfer was complete, she exhaled slowly and turned to look at Paolo, who had been pacing the room restlessly.

“I will beg Renata,” Luisa said. “I will fall at her feet if I have to. I will ask her to help us just this once.” Her eyes searched Paolo’s face. “But first we have to find where she is. We only have tonight.”

Paolo nodded with worry. If Giovanni returned the next morning and found Natasha gone, or worse, found out they had tried to deceive him, the consequences would be disastrous.

“You’re right,” Paolo muttered under his breath. “Everything has to be done quickly.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After scrolling through his contacts, he stopped at a familiar name and pressed the call button. It was an old friend of his, someone he had known for years who now worked as a police officer. If anyone could quietly gather information about Domenico Veronesi without drawing attention, it would be him.

Paolo lifted the phone to his ear and waited as the line rang. Each passing second made his anxiety grow stronger. Luisa stood beside him, watching his face nervously, hoping the call would be answered soon.

At last, the line connected.

Paolo immediately straightened, forcing a polite tone into his voice despite the growing tension inside him.

“Hello, my friend,” he said, greeting the officer warmly as though this were an ordinary conversation. "How have you been?"

“I’m doing well,” Carlo replied from the other end of the line, his voice relaxed and unhurried. “Just enjoying my retirement these days. But tell me, Paolo… what made you call at this hour?”

Paolo forced a faint chuckle, though the tension inside him had not eased in the slightest. He glanced briefly at Luisa, who stood nearby, watching him anxiously.

“I need a favor,” Paolo said carefully.

There was a short pause before Carlo responded.

“A favor?” Carlo repeated. “Is everything alright on your end?”

Paolo hesitated for a moment. Even saying the name felt dangerous.

“I need to find where Domenico Veronesi lives,” he finally said. “Can you help me with that? And it has to be done quietly. No one else should know about it.”

On the other end of the line, Carlo went completely silent for a few seconds.

When he finally spoke again, the easy tone he had earlier was gone.

“Paolo…” he said slowly, his voice now heavy with concern. “What kind of trouble have you dragged yourself into?”

“You do realize that people avoid even mentioning that name,” Carlo continued. “Domenico Veronesi is not someone you go looking for. In fact, most people pray they never cross his path.”

His words carried a clear warning.

“You should be asking how to stay away from him… Not how to find him.”