LOGINCarlino's POV
The hallway felt too small, its narrow walls pressing in on me like the anger coiling in my chest. Beside me, Dr. Valenti hurried to keep pace, the rattle of his medical bag a domestic rhythm that felt absurd here, in the house of the Lacentra Don.“She collapsed, you said. Can you tell me what happened?” Valenti asked, voice tight, careful.“I don’t pay you for a history lesson, Valenti. I pay you for a diagnosis.” My eyes didn’t leave the oak door aLina’s POV I needed to feel him, badly. I didn't just want you him to be close, but I want to really feel him. His warmth was right there, his body so close to mine, yet he just looked at me with those calm, steady eyes.How can he be this calm?My thoughts wouldn’t stop. He didn’t look like he wanted me the way I wanted him. Not even a hint. Has he changed? Did he not love me the same anymore?The questions kept looping in my head, making everything feel heavier.I forced myself to sit up, even though my head felt light. The room tilted slightly, but I ignored it and spoke.“Carlino…”“Yes, Tesoro?” he answered immediately, his full attention on me.I hesitated, but then said it anyway. “Don’t you want me anymore?”The words came out weak, almost slurred. “I… I…”I didn’t get to finish.His lips crashed into mine.The kiss wasn’t soft, it was intense, hungry, like he’d been holding back for too long. His hands moved quickly, unbuttoning my shirt, his fingers brushing my skin. I didn
Lina’s POVHe didn’t reply.Not a single word.And somehow, that silence felt louder than anything he could have said.“I think you’re Carlino,” I murmured, my words slipping over each other as he steadied me. My fingers curled into his shirt like I needed something solid to prove he was real. “You are, aren’t you?”The world tilted again, but his grip didn’t loosen. If anything, it tightened—firm, unyielding, like he wasn’t going to let me fall no matter how much I tried to.“Where are you taking me to, Carlino?” I asked, blinking up at him. My vision blurred at the edges, but his face… his face stayed frustratingly clear. “Huh? You think I don’t know?”No response.Just that same unreadable expression. That same quiet presence.“My heart tells me you’re Carlino,” I went on, my voice softening, cracking in places I couldn’t control. “And I love you. My heart can’t lie to me. It won’t lie to me.”A laugh burst out of me suddenly, too loud, too sharp. It echoed weirdly in my own ears,
Lina’s POV A week. Seven full days. And somehow, life had the audacity to feel… normal. Orders came in on time. The clients were satisfied. My team didn’t mess up any major event. The office smelled like fresh prints and brewed coffee instead of stress and panic. I sat behind my desk, flipping through a finalized event layout, barely reading the words in front of me. My pen tapped lightly against the paper—once, twice, three times—until even that small sound started to irritate me. Because my mind wasn’t here. It hadn’t been for a week. A shadow moved behind the frosted glass door. My hand stilled. It was subtle. Just a shift. A figure passing by. But something in my chest tightened instantly, like a string being pulled too hard. Slowly, I lifted my head. Another shadow. Closer this time. My pulse spiked. No… it couldn’t be— The door opened. And everything inside me dropped. Him. Ace like he claimed his name was. Standing there like he belonged. Like he hadn’t unknowi
Lina’s POVI couldn’t move.I just stood there, staring at him like if I blinked too hard, he would disappear—or worse still, change into someone else entirely. It didn’t make sense. Nothing about it made sense. The resemblance wasn’t just close. It wasn’t similar. It wasn’t coincidence.It was exact.My chest rose sharply, but the air didn’t feel like it was reaching my lungs.The two men were talking—voices low, casual—but their words barely registered. It sounded distant, like they were speaking from the other end of a tunnel.All I could see…Was him.That face.That same face I had memorized years ago.“Excuse me, ma’am—”A hand touched my forearm.I snapped. “Don’t fucking touch me.” My voice came out sharp, edged with something raw. My arm jerked away like his skin had burned me.The man froze immediately, both hands shooting up in surrender.“Woah… okay,” he said quickly, eyebrows lifting. “I didn’t mean any harm. I was just asking—”“You can ask,” I cut in, my voice tight, m
Lina’s POVFor a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Everything around me, the chatter of people, the passing cars, the distant hum of the city, it all faded into a dull, muffled silence, like someone had submerged my head underwater.My fingers tightened unconsciously against his shirt.No.That wasn’t possible.I pushed myself upright, my hands still lightly gripping his arms as if I needed him to stay still long enough for me to understand what I was seeing.My chest rose sharply.“Wait…” My voice came out thinner than I intended. “What am I actually seeing?”I took a small step back, my eyes scanning his face like I was searching for a flaw. A mistake. Something, anything, that would tell me I was wrong.But there was nothing.Same sharp jawline.Same eyes—dark, intense, unsettling in the way they held you without asking for your permission. Same presence. It wrapped around me like something familiar… and dangerous.“Carlino?” I whispered, the name slipping out before I could stop it
Lina’s POV I didn’t even bother bathing. The thought crossed my mind for half a second, just enough to feel ridiculous for even considering it, before I shoved it aside and yanked open my wardrobe. My hands moved faster than my thoughts, pulling out the first decent thing I saw. My fingers fumbled with the fabric as I dressed, my heart pounding too loud in my ears. We have him. The words replayed over and over. They had him. Ruciano. I dragged my hair into a loose tie, not caring how messy it looked, and rushed out of my room, my footsteps heavy against the stairs as I practically ran down. “Lina?” My mother’s voice cut through the air. She was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hands deep in soapy water. The moment she saw me, she froze. Her expression shifted instantly—confusion first, then fear. “Why are you running like that?” she asked quickly, rinsing her hands in a hurry, soap still clinging to her fingers. I didn’t stop moving. “Mom, I’m being called at the statio
Carlino’s POVBy the time we sealed the estate, I trusted no one.Not the guards on the gates. Not the men in the control room. Not even the ones who had bled for me before. Damien’s absence sat in the air like smoke you couldn’t see but still tasted.“Lock internal com
Carlino’s POVBlind.That was the word that stayed in my head as the screens went dark. Not attacked. Not threatened. Blind.The operations room had a handful of people, but the silence made it feel empty. Phones had no signal. Feeds were gone. Every system we trusted h
Carlino’s POVThe lights didn’t come back. Backup generators should’ve kicked in within ten seconds. It had been thirty.Smoke drifted past the shattered upper windows, thinner now, but the air still carried that burnt-metal bite of explosives. Radios were dead. Cameras blind. H
Lina’s POVDarkness swallowed the hallway. For half a second, no one moved. Then everything exploded.“Backup power— now!” someone shouted.Boots thundered across marble. Radios crackled. The emergency lights flickered on in strips of dull red along the floor, turning e







