MasukThe celebration ended long after midnight.One by one, the luxurious cars disappeared through the massive iron gates of the old wolf’s estate. The music faded. The laughter died away. The grand reception hall that had been overflowing with powerful men and women only hours ago slowly returned to silence.Servants moved quietly through the room collecting empty wine glasses and half-finished plates while security men resumed their normal positions around the mansion.Outside, the night air had turned colder.Inside, however, Lidia felt anything but calm.She stood beside Tony’s crib, watching her son sleep peacefully.His tiny chest rose and fell steadily beneath the blanket.Completely unaware.Completely innocent.And perhaps standing at the center of a storm that was about to explode.Lidia gently brushed a finger through his soft curls.The same curls Bruno had stared at tonight.The same curls that had made her heart nearly stop when Tony ran into Bruno’s arms without hesitation.
The applause still echoed across the grand hall as Lidia slowly walked toward Gennado.The heavy file rested inside the old wolf’s hand like the weight of an empire itself.Every eye in the room followed her movements.Some with admiration.Some with envy.Others with calculation.Because tonight—Everything had changed.Lidia stopped in front of Gennado, her fingers trembling slightly before reaching for the document.The file felt heavier than expected.Not because of paper.But because of what it meant.Power.Protection.A name.A future.Her throat tightened painfully.For years she had begged life for scraps of kindness.Tonight—An entire kingdom had been placed in her hands.Slowly, she lifted her eyes toward Gennado.The old wolf smiled at her softly.Proudly.Like a father finally getting the chance to love his child openly.Without thinking—Lidia stepped forward and hugged him tightly.The room erupted into applause again.Louder this time.Longer.Gennado closed his eyes
The mansion had not slept all day.Servants moved quickly through the hallways carrying trays of flowers, ribbons, wine glasses, decorations, and expensive fabrics while voices echoed softly from every direction.The once quiet estate had transformed completely.Lidia stood near the center of the large reception hall, holding a roll of silver ribbon while supervising the final decorations. Purple and black flowers lined the long marble staircase, soft golden lights wrapped around the pillars, and crystal chandeliers cast warm reflections across the polished floors.Everything looked elegant.Carefully planned.Erika walked down the staircase carrying wrapped gifts in both hands.“You know,” she muttered breathlessly, “for someone who said she didn’t want a big party, this looks like a royal celebration.”Lidia laughed softly for the first time that day.A real laugh.Short.But warm.“I blame Gennado.”“You should,” Erika replied immediately. “This man invited half the mafia world.”L
Dawn stretched quietly across the city.The sky carried soft shades of orange and gold, the cool breeze brushing gently against the garden trees as Lidia and Erika walked slowly toward the mansion.The house stood glowing softly beneath the fading evening light.Safe.Silent.Tony sat comfortably in his stroller, tiny fingers wrapped around the edge of his blanket while soft baby sounds escaped his lips every now and then.Lidia held Erika’s hand tightly.Not because she was afraid.But because she needed the warmth.The reminder.That despite everything—She still had something left.A calm smile rested on her lips as she glanced down at Tony.Life had taken so much from her.Her childhood.Her dreams.Her innocence.Yet somehow—She was still here.Still breathing.Still capable of smiling.And beside her stood the two people who mattered most now.Her son.And Erika.Lidia’s grip on Erika’s hand tightened slightly.Then she turned toward her.“Thank you.”The words came quietly.Bu
The garden was alive with movement.The sharp sound of shoes striking stone.The crack of fists against padded shields.The low, firm instructions of the trainer cutting through the cool morning air.Lidia moved like someone trying to outrun her own thoughts.Every strike.Every turn.Every breath—Carried something deeper than effort.Sweat clung to her skin, dampening the loose strands of hair stuck to her temples. Her arms burned. Her lungs tightened. But she didn’t stop.She couldn’t.Stopping meant thinking.And thinking meant feeling.Across the lawn—Erika appeared.Tony balanced gently on her hip.Her smile came first.Small.Forced.Fragile enough that Lidia saw through it instantly.The moment their eyes met—Lidia stopped.Without hesitation, she walked toward her.Fast.Erika barely had time to adjust Tony before Lidia wrapped her arms around her.Tightly.Warmly.Desperately.Erika stiffened for only a second.Then softened.Her free hand moved slowly to Lidia’s back.Hol
The room felt smaller after Lidia returned.Not because of the walls—But because of the silence sitting between the two women.Erika looked up immediately the moment the door closed behind Lidia. One glance at her face was enough to know something had changed again.Lidia moved slowly across the room, her expression unreadable, her thoughts too loud behind her quietness.Tony slept peacefully on the bed, unaware of the storm growing around his mother.“What happened?” Erika asked softly.Lidia stopped beside the window.For a second—She said nothing.Then she turned.“I spoke to Gennado.”Erika sat up straighter immediately.“And?”Lidia inhaled slowly.“I told him I want to investigate my mother’s death.”Her voice hardened slightly.“And punish Rosa and Luca myself.”The words dropped heavily into the room.Erika’s face drained slowly of color.“No…”She shook her head instantly.“No, Lidia.”Lidia remained standing still.“I also agreed to continue training.”That broke whatever
Rosa walked through marble halls with Luca beside her, her chin lifted as though she had not arrived in worn shoes and borrowed courage.They were taken into a quiet sitting room.Gennado Deluca entered moments later, leaning lightly on his cane.He studied Rosa without speaking.“You asked for Lid
The next day broke with no mercy.Rome woke beneath gray skies, sirens still echoing from the night before, smoke rising from burned warehouses like ghosts that refused to rest. The newspapers screamed of war. The streets whispered Bruno Deluca’s name in fear and reverence.And inside the Deluca es
Erika had not slept.The chair in the police station waiting area was hard and smelled of disinfectant, and every time the door opened her heart jumped—only to fall again when another stranger walked out instead of an officer calling her name.She rose and approached the desk for the fourth time th
The phone rang just as Blanca poured herself a drink.Not her private line.The other one.The one that never rang unless something dangerous was happening.She stared at the screen a moment before answering.“Speak.”A man’s voice came through, distorted and low. “The report was delivered to Genna







