EpilogueTen Years LaterThe wind played with the treetops that afternoon. A summery and sunny evening embraced them, surrounded by laughter and the aroma of freshly baked bread.— Lucía! —a loving voice called her name— Put on your shoes, the grass is wet.— Mom! —Lucía complained.Her laughter sounded as joyful as the ringing of a bell during a festive time. The skirt of her dress fluttered in the wind while the wildflowers bent under her feet.In the distance, Mateo launched a kite so big it challenged the wind. His eyes no longer carried the weight of the memory that had marked them as children.Now they looked toward the future with hope. Neither had forgotten their father; his memory was present in a painting on the wall.The painter: a young and talented artist, Mateo Monteiro Cohen, a twenty-one-year-old man. As handsome as his father, as imposing and strong as Alejandro once was.Isab
The suitcases had been packed since the night before, although no one in Villa Moretti had been able to sleep peacefully.The air was thick, as if the very marble of the floors had absorbed the anguish of the past days.Outside, the gardens continued to bloom with a splendor that seemed to mock the pain of departure.Isabela stood on the balcony, staring at the silhouette of the mansion that had been both her prison and her refuge. She pressed her lips together and unconsciously touched the ring on her finger.It was time to go. She couldn’t afford the luxury of looking back, of crying, of doubting.At the first light of dawn, the children descended the grand marble staircase. Lucía clutched the teddy bear her father had given her on her first birthday. It was her favorite, and the only thing she would take with her.It was old and worn, but she held onto it like she used to
The news of Alejandro Moretti’s death spread through the media like wildfire—much like the many blazes he himself had once orchestrated.Flowers began arriving quickly, filling every corner of the mansion. The Villa was covered in blooms, in tributes honoring Alejandro Moretti.Isabela and the children had fallen asleep in the bed she and Alejandro had shared until the night before. His scent still lingered in the sheets.That scent embraced them as they wept his loss, comforting them with the memory of him.The final goodbye would come in the morning. Alejandro’s lawyer and close friend handled all matters related to the funeral while she and the children regained some strength.While they slept, they were guarded by four heavily armed men—Alejandro’s bodyguards and Isabela’s personal security.Four rugged men who, that night, stood with their heads bowed in sorrow. Alejandro had not only been their leader, b
Time seemed to stretch into an unbearable spiral after the final shot.As if the universe held its breath… and then shattered into a thousand fragments of chaos.Alejandro Moretti's body lay motionless, his face buried in the blood-soaked grass. His arms were outstretched, as if he had tried to protect something… or someone.The white shirt he had worn that sunny afternoon was now soaked in a deep red, a red that kept spreading beneath him.—“Dad! Dad!” —shouted Mateo, his little voice cracking with confusion and terror as he tried to move the body with his small hands— “Daaad! Wake up!”Lucía fell to her knees beside her brother, hugging their father's back as she sobbed like her soul was coming undone.—“Daddy, no…! Don’t fall asleep!”Isabela felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. Not from the gunshots. Not from the chaos. But from the pain.A dry, brutal pain, as if her insides had been torn out with
The clock read 2:37 a.m. when Dino finally managed to slip out of the alley he had run into from the train station.He had gotten rid of the uniform and the stolen motorcycle from the Black Scorpion’s mansion. He needed to find a safe place to hide for a while.One where no one could look for him.His lungs burned. The dampness of the early morning crept through his shirt, soaked in sweat. He had run without a clear direction, with only one thought pounding in his temples: disappear.He had to hide, but not just anywhere. Not in hotels, not at the homes of acquaintances, and certainly not in his apartment, already marked by the eyes of those who wanted him dead.His people were no longer an option. He was alone in the middle of this war.As the echo of his steps faded into the distance, a memory slipped through the folds of his mind. The time when he was happy. Or at least when he seemed to be.— Vanessa.
Dino had been transferred to a cell—a cold, shadowy rectangle with damp walls and a yellowish light that flickered as if afraid to go out.A place without windows. No clocks, no natural light. Dino hadn’t seen the sun in weeks. A heavy silence settled between the cell walls like a motionless specter, watching everything.Dino sat on the rusted metal cot, resting his elbows on his knees. Pretending to be desperate.He had mastered the art of pretending. Of hiding his emotions. In the mafia world, no one could know what was going on inside the leader’s mind.So now Dino would pretend with greater cunning. With more depth.— If they want to see me broken, I’ll give them a show... a perfectly calculated one.The game had begun for Dino. And in that game, there was only one winner. Him.They were using a psychological tactic on him—twisted but effective: threats, emotional manipulation, mind games.The