LOGINDANTE POV Raven Hollow Hospital was unusually quiet, the kind of silence that pressed heavily against the chest. The soft beeping of machines filled Emily’s room as Danika sat beside the hospital bed, her trembling fingers wrapped tightly around her daughter’s smaller hand. The doctors had already run several tests on Emily, but the results were still pending. Every passing second felt unbearable. Danika had barely moved from the chair since they arrived. Her parents stood nearby, equally tense, though they tried to remain strong for her sake. Her mother occasionally wiped away silent tears while her father paced the room, his expression dark with worry. Outside the room, Dante leaned against the wall with Cat and Jaden beside him. None of them spoke much. Dante’s mind was elsewhere. The moment at the airport replayed endlessly in his head. “I need to go back to Raven Hollow. My daughter is there.” At first, he had thought he misheard her. Daughter. Danika had
Dante was just about to kiss Danika when the door suddenly burst open. Both of them quickly turned toward the entrance, only to see Cat and Jaden walking in. Jaden immediately realized the room was already occupied, but Cat’s eyes landed directly on Danika. “Danika?” Cat called out in surprise. Danika instantly pulled away from Dante’s embrace, her cheeks burning as she hurried over to Cat. Cat looked completely confused. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought I left you at home.” Dante soon walked over to them, calm and composed despite the interruption. He opened his mouth, clearly about to introduce himself, but Danika quickly cut in before he could speak. “This is Dante,” she said nervously. “He’s my co-worker.” Dante froze for a brief second, visibly surprised by her introduction, but he smoothly played along and simply nodded. “Nice to meet you,” he said casually. Trying to ease the awkward tension, Danika forced a smile. “You guys can join us if you
The black SUV finally came to a stop in front of the luxurious cinema hall, its bright lights illuminating the dark evening. Danika stared out the window in confusion as Dante killed the engine and stepped out of the car. Before she could even react, Dante walked around the vehicle and opened the door for her like a perfect gentleman. Danika blinked at him suspiciously. “A cinema?” Dante simply raised a brow. “Problem?” “No… I’m just surprised.” Dante ignored her comment and held out his hand impatiently. After hesitating for a second, Danika placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her inside. The moment they entered, the smell of buttered popcorn and sweet caramel filled the air. People crowded around the lobby while movie trailers echoed from the giant screens overhead. Danika looked around curiously, still confused about why Dante had suddenly brought her there. A mafia lord taking someone to the cinema felt so unreal that she almost laughed. Meanwhile, Dante
Dante stalked around the house, his sharp eyes scanning every corner as if he were searching for something. The moment Danika shut the door behind her, she crossed her arms and frowned at him. “What exactly are you doing in my house?” she demanded. Dante ignored the question completely. Instead, he turned toward her with that unreadable expression of his and said calmly, “Go get dressed.” Danika let out a mocking laugh, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Excuse me? You barge into my house uninvited and start giving me orders? Who do you think you ar—” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Dante suddenly grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. “Dante!” she shrieked, slamming her fists against his back while wiggling furiously to escape his grip. But he didn’t budge. He carried her effortlessly through the house as though he already knew every corner of it by heart. “Put me down right now!” Ignoring her protests, Dante pushed open the bedroom door and walked
Danika’s POV After the conference meeting, the entire team decided to have a small outing together. It wasn’t anything too fancy—just dinner, drinks, laughter, and conversations after a stressful week—but what shocked everyone the most was the presence of Mr. Ethan. Mr. Ethan was never the type to attend outings or socialize with employees. The man barely even stayed long enough for casual conversations during office hours before disappearing back into his office like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Yet there he was that night. Sitting quietly at the far end of the table with a glass of whiskey in his hand while the others exchanged confused glances. I noticed the way everyone acted around him—careful, almost nervous. Even the loudest members of the team toned themselves down. But despite the uncomfortable tension, I couldn’t stop stealing glances at him. He looked… lonely. Not lonely in the ordinary sense, but the kind of loneliness that settled deep inside a person
The harsh vibration of the phone against the nightstand rattled the silence, a jarring mechanical drill that bored into Dante’s skull. He peeled his eyes open, the room swimming in the hazy, grey light of early morning. His hand fumbled blindly over the wood, knocking over a half-empty glass of water before his fingers closed around the vibrating device. The screen blared, MAX. He swiped to answer, pressing the cool glass to his ear, his voice a deep, gravelly rumble that hadn't yet found its waking pitch. "Yeah," Dante grunted, his throat dry. "Get up," Max’s voice came through, crisp and entirely too awake. "I’m on my way to get you. We need to see your mother. Now." Dante groaned, a low sound of protest vibrating in his chest. He let the phone drop onto the mattress and pushed the heavy duvet aside. The air in the room was cool, raising gooseflesh on his skin as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood up, completely naked, the hardwood floor biting into the sol







