로그인The black limousine pulled away from the deserted roadside, its engine humming softly as it merged onto the highway. Behind them, another convoy followed closely, carrying Bruno’s men and the captured attackers to another destination. The late afternoon sun painted the sky in warm shades of gold and crimson, but inside the car, silence settled like a heavy blanket. Lidia sat beside the window, Tony sat in their middle playing with a toy, completely unaware that only minutes earlier his life had nearly been stolen from him. She looked down at him and gently brushed the hair from his forehead. A long breath escaped her lips. Then, almost timidly, she turned toward Bruno. “Are… are we going back home?” Her voice was soft. Careful. Though shaken by everything that had happened, a small part of her still longed to see Erika before the day ended. She had promised to visit her, and after such a terrifying experience, she suddenly needed the comfort of her best friend’s presence. Bru
Scarlet sat frozen on the cream-colored sofa, her fingers trembling around her mother’s phone.The video played again.And again.Each replay felt like another blade sinking into her chest.It was the confrontation at the restaurant.Every slap.Every insult.Every word she had thrown at Lidia.Every humiliating second of Bruno defending another woman instead of her.The comments beneath the video multiplied by the second.“The Ice King chose another woman.”“Who is Lidia?”“Scarlet Mancini exposed.”“Justice for the servant girl.”“Bruno Deluca publicly humiliates his former fiancée.”Millions of views.Thousands of shares.The internet had turned her worst day into entertainment.Her breathing became shallow.She already knew what was coming.Her mother would never overlook something like this.“Tell me, Scarlet…”Blanca’s cold voice shattered the silence.Scarlet slowly lifted her head.Blanca stood near the window with the phone still in her hand, disappointment written across eve
The afternoon sun bathed the Deluca Mansion in a warm golden glow as the grandfather clock in the hallway struck two.Lidia stood before the mirror inside her room, smoothing the soft fabric of her light lavender dress. It was elegant without being extravagant, flowing gently around her ankles whenever she moved. Her long dark hair rested loosely over her shoulders, and a pair of pearl earrings completed the simple look.She wasn’t dressing to impress anyone.She was only going to visit Erika.Tony stood beside the bed, giggling as he struggled to put on one tiny sneaker by himself.Lidia smiled softly.“My little prince needs help?”Tony pouted dramatically before lifting his foot toward her.“Mummy…”She laughed quietly and crouched before him.“Come here.”Within moments she had both of his tiny shoes fastened.“There.”“You look so handsome.”Tony’s face brightened with pride before wrapping his tiny arms around her neck.“I love you, Mummy.”Lidia closed her eyes for a brief mome
Lidia nodded quietly.She did not trust herself to speak again.Her emotions had already been stretched too thin, and one more word from Bruno might have shattered the fragile wall she had spent months building around her heart.Without another glance, she turned and slowly climbed the grand staircase.Each step echoed softly through the silent mansion.Bruno remained exactly where he was.His dark eyes followed her retreating figure until she reached the second floor.Lidia paused briefly outside her bedroom.For one fleeting second, Bruno almost believed she would turn around.She didn’t.The bedroom door opened.Then quietly…It closed behind her.The soft click sounded far louder than it should have.Bruno lowered his gaze.A heavy sigh escaped his lips.He rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning toward the hallway leading to his office.Patience.That was all he had left.He had spent years breaking the woman he loved.If it took years to earn back even a fragment of her tru
The restaurant remained cloaked in silence long after Scarlet had been dragged away.Broken wineglasses glittered beneath the warm chandelier lights. Half-finished meals sat forgotten across the room while whispers drifted through every corner like wildfire.Bruno still stood in front of Lidia.His chest rose slowly as he fought to suppress the fury still boiling inside him. If not for Lidia and Tony, Scarlet would not have left that restaurant alive.Carefully, almost hesitantly, he stepped closer.Without warning, he wrapped one arm gently around Lidia’s trembling shoulders and drew her against his chest.She stiffened instantly.Her first instinct was to pull away.But she was exhausted.Too exhausted to fight.Bruno lowered his head.“I’m sorry…”His voice came out rough.“I’m truly sorry for today.”“I should never have allowed anyone to humiliate you in public.”“I promise you…”“It will never happen again.”The sincerity in his tone stunned the entire restaurant.Forks stopped
The entire restaurant held its breath.Bruno’s hand closed firmly around Scarlet’s wrist before she could reach Lidia.His grip was steady, unyielding.Scarlet struggled, her perfectly polished nails digging into his sleeve.“Let me go!” she shrieked.“I see you’ve lost your mind”Without warning, Bruno released her wrist and stepped back just enough to put himself completely between Scarlet and Lidia.Smack! Bruno's hand landed on Scarlet's swollen cheek.Scarlet let out a piercing cry of agony, her hand instantly pressing against her throbbing cheek. She stumbled backward, her eyes blazing with pain and humiliation as the sting of the slap echoed through the silent restaurant.“That’s enough.”Bruno’s voice, when it came, was low enough to silence every corner of the restaurant.Scarlet laughed bitterly.“Enough?”“You humiliate me in front of everyone and you call it enough?”Her eyes shimmered with angry tears.“I was your fiancée, Bruno.”She pointed accusingly at Lidia.“Before
Gennado held the phone to his ear, his fingers stiff around it, as if the device itself carried weight.“Speak,” he said.Silvano’s voice came through the line, steady but heavy. “I finished the comparison.”Gennado moved closer to the desk without realizing it. Elena’s photograph lay there, her ey
Lidia did not cry again.Tears were useless now.She tightened the scarf around her head, folding it low over her brow until only a thin line of her eyes showed. Erika watched as Lidia tore a strip of cloth from the edge of her torn dress and wrapped it across her bruised cheek, not to hide the wou
Bruno received the message just before sunrise.Lorenzo lost the girl.She is missing.The city is being searched.For a long moment, Bruno only stared at the screen of his phone.Then—He laughed.It was low at first, barely a sound, like air escaping his lungs after years of pressure. Then it gre
Lorenzo stood alone in the darkened room of his coastal hideout, the windows open to the salt wind, the curtains breathing in and out like wounded lungs.The smell of gun oil and blood still clung to the air.A thousand men.That was the number whispered to him that morning—lost in ambushes, raids,







