"We can’t just stay here forever, Noel."Noel stared out the window of the penthouse suite, arms folded, eyes distant. The skyline glimmered under the soft light of the setting sun, but his chest was a storm of anxiety.Vincenzo walked up behind him, wincing slightly as he moved. His healing stomach wound made walking more painful than he let on, but he refused to show weakness, not in front of Noel."They hate me," Noel whispered. "Your father, the council... they all hate me."Vincenzo reached out and touched Noel’s shoulder, firm and reassuring. "They hate what they can’t control. And they’ll hate me more if they try to take you from me."Noel turned around to face him. His eyes were glassy, red-rimmed. "You’re going to get yourself killed, Vincenzo.""Then I’ll die fighting for you."The intensity in his voice made Noel’s breath catch. There was nothing romantic about it.. it was terrifying. Real. Final.Before either of them could say another word, the doorbell buzzed.Noel stiff
"We're here. Where's that stubborn son of yours?" Isadora's heels clacked against the marble floors of the De Luca estate as she entered with Leontis beside her. Her black shades stayed on, not because of the sun, but because it was a power move. Always."In the drawing room. He said he had something important to say," Alessia said, her voice hesitant but kind. She gestured them forward.Noel stood beside Vincenzo, nervously toying with the hem of his sleeve."They came," he whispered.Vincenzo nodded, rubbing soothing circles into the small of Noel's back.When they entered, Vincenzo stood straighter, arms wrapping protectively around Noel's waist. "Thank you all for coming," he began. "I wanted to say this clearly, with everyone present."Don Ramon folded his arms across his chest, his cold stare already locked on his son.Vincenzo's voice was steady. "I want to marry Noel."A pin could have dropped and echoed.Don Ramon's expression didn't change at first. It was the silence that f
"I think it's time you invited your parents over," Vincenzo said, voice low but steady.Noel blinked, sitting up from where he was curled on the plush couch in the sun-drenched De Luca bedroom. "My parents?""Isadora and Leontis," Vincenzo clarified, turning slightly from the window where he’d been standing. The afternoon light poured across his bare shoulders, the bandages still snug across his stomach. "I want to talk to them. Something important."Noel shifted, fingers curling into the hem of his soft shirt. He hadn't exactly made peace with them yet. Isadora had tried, true. Leontis too, in his own rigid way. And they had helped him when it mattered... but it still didn’t erase the years they were absent. The years he spent thinking Carlton was his only family."Okay," he said finally. "I'll call them."He did, voice even but clipped. The moment the call ended, he stayed silent, eyes staring out blankly until his phone buzzed again.A message.From Carlton.Noel, please. I’m dying
Carlton's office was a mess of scattered documents, shattered glass, and cigarette smoke. He stood at the window in a wrinkled shirt, eyes sunken, jaw twitching with the kind of anxiety he hadn’t felt since prison in his youth. His desk, once neat and polished, was buried under folders of fake financials, shredded check stubs, and a half-finished glass of whiskey. For three days straight, he hadn’t slept. Not since Olivia vanished with those files. Not since the syndicate that used to trust him began sniffing around like wolves sensing weakness.The door slammed open with a bang that echoed through the house.Carlton jumped, nearly dropping the whiskey glass.Matteo.Dressed in black from head to toe, his broad figure blocked the light from the hallway. The thick bandage peeking through his unbuttoned collar was stained with red. In his hand, a Glock.Carlton blinked. "Matteo…""Where the fuck is my money, Carlton?" Matteo growled, voice low, seething.Carlton raised his hands slowly.
The sunlight streaming through the tall windows warmed the edge of the bed, tracing golden fingers over the white sheets tangled around Vincenzo and Noel.Noel stirred first.He blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the room…the rich wood, the gold-framed portraits, the subtle scent of leather and cologne. Then the weight beside him shifted. Vincenzo’s arm was still draped around him."You’re awake?" Noel whispered.Vincenzo didn’t open his eyes. “Have been for a while.”Noel’s throat tightened. “You scared me, y’know.”Vincenzo finally turned his head. “Scaring you wasn’t the plan.”Noel sighed, sitting up slowly. “You almost died.”“I didn’t.”“Because Lucas gave his blood. And I passed out trying to do the same.”Vincenzo’s hand found Noel’s waist under the sheet. “You always try to do the most dangerous thing to protect me.”“Because you always do the stupidest shit to protect me.”They sat in silence for a moment.Then Noel asked quietly, “Where do we go from here?”Vincenzo arched a
The television flickered in the corner of the smoke-filled bar, its grainy screen catching the attention of the man hunched over his whiskey. Hooded and half-shadowed, he looked up slowly, glass paused at his lips.BREAKING NEWS: OPERA SHOOTOUT TURNS BLOODYThe footage was shaky, captured by a panicked bystander, but it was enough. The camera caught a brief glimpse of a woman collapsing to the floor, her head jerking violently with the impact of a bullet.The caption read: *Elene Ricci presumed dead in the aftermath of the Opera House ambush.*The man’s grip tightened on the glass until it cracked. His eyes, a cold storm beneath his disguise, didn’t blink.Don Vittorio Ricci.Alive.He muttered, barely audible beneath the music and chatter, “You killed my daughter...”And then, like steel being tempered in flame:“I’ll burn the De Lucas to ash.”Meanwhile, in the De Luca estate...The return was a slow procession.Noel supported Vincenzo with gentle hands, guiding him up the marble st
The air was suffocatingly still.It had been thirty-seven hours.Thirty-seven hours since Noel had walked into that room and refused to leave Vincenzo’s side.Doctors had come and gone. Nurses whispered in corners. The rhythm of machines continued its haunting lullaby, every beep a breath stolen, every silence a cliffhanger.Noel hadn’t moved.Lucas had stabilized, resting in another room with Nico refusing to leave his side.Aria had gone to get clean clothes and food. She cried when she hugged Noel but left quietly, promising she’d return soon.But Noel...He stayed.He slept curled on the edge of the bed, his arms around Vincenzo’s waist, his cheek pressed lightly against the cold hospital gown.He hadn't said a word since last night.Not even to Isadora, who had come with a bowl of soup and a fresh change of clothes.She stood by the door now, Leontis beside her, both of them silent."He's still not speaking?" Leontis asked quietly.Isadora nodded. "He's holding it all in."Leonti
The hospital lights burned too bright, too sterile.Noel sat crumpled on the hard bench outside the operating room, his face buried in his trembling hands.His body shook violently, silent sobs wrecking through him.Aria sat beside him, arms wrapped tight around his shoulders, tears streaming down her own face.Nico crouched in front of him, gripping his knees, whispering something..anything…but Noel couldn’t hear him.He couldn’t hear anything over the deafening roar in his ears.The image of Vincenzo collapsing in his arms played again and again behind his eyelids.Blood.So much blood.Hot, sticky, soaking his fingers.The doors to the OR burst open.The doctor…young, sweat beading his forehead…rushed out, removing his gloves."His condition is critical," he said, his voice clipped and urgent. "The bullet tore through an artery. We’ve managed to stabilize the bleeding, but he’s lost too much blood."Noel's head snapped up."I’ll donate," he said immediately, voice cracking. "Take m
The opera house ruins loomed like a carcass in the night.Fog curled over the broken steps, swallowing the splintered marble columns and shattered stained glass windows.The SUVs crawled to a silent stop a block away.Vincenzo sat in the backseat, staring out the tinted window.Beside him, Noel shifted, his legs bouncing with nervous energy he couldn't suppress.Lucas spoke first, keeping his voice low. "Visual confirmation. Ten of their men outside. Unmarked vans. Heavily armed."Vincenzo nodded once. "Positions?""East and west entrances covered. Main hall's open." Lucas paused. "But it's a kill box. They want to herd us through it."Vincenzo’s lips curved into something that wasn't a smile."They think we're that stupid."Lucas shrugged one shoulder. "They think you're desperate."Vincenzo leaned back, turning his head toward Noel."You ready?"Noel swallowed hard, nodding."I'm not leaving without them," he said."You won’t have to."Noel hesitated. "You’re not either."Vincenzo r