ログインDespite herself…A small smile tugged at the corners of Lidia’s lips.She shook her head, though warmth quietly bloomed beneath her guarded heart as the two women walked toward the entrance to await the delivery.“I have served that boy for over thirty years,” she murmured. “Never—not even once—have I seen Bruno Deluca kneel before anyone.”Lidia lowered her eyes to the floor.Neither had she.The image of Bruno kneeling before her refused to leave her mind. The man who had once ruled her life with nothing but cold commands had lowered himself willingly, asking instead of demanding.It unsettled her.“Come,” Flaviana said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. “We don’t have much time.”Lidia blinked.“For what?”“For dinner, of course.”“I…” Lidia hesitated. “Maybe I should change my mind.”Flaviana immediately hooked her arm through Lidia’s.“No backing out now.”Before Lidia could protest, Flaviana was already leading her toward the grand entrance.A long line of luxury garment b
Bruno remained on the cold floor for several long moments after Lidia and Flaviana hurried out of his room, their laughter still echoing faintly through the hallway.He let out a long, defeated sigh and rubbed a hand over his face.“So much for making a good impression,” he muttered under his breath.Embarrassment burned across his cheeks as he remembered the expression on Lidia’s face after reading the search results on his laptop.How to win back the woman you hurt.How to rebuild trust after betrayal.He groaned.“I should have closed the laptop.”Eventually, exhaustion overtook his thoughts. He climbed onto the bed without bothering to change his clothes, reached for his phone, and dialed Romano.“Cancel every appointment I have today.”Romano paused in surprise.“Boss? Even the board meeting?”“Everything.”“But—”“I said everything.”His voice carried no anger, only quiet determination.“I have something more important to do.”Romano understood immediately.“Yes, Boss.”The call
The morning sun spilled across the garden, bathing the roses in soft golden light. After breakfast, Flaviana led Lidia and Erika outside with a pot of freshly brewed tea. The three women settled beneath a white gazebo wrapped in blooming vines, where a cool breeze carried the sweet scent of jasmine through the air.For a long moment, no one spoke.Flaviana wrapped both hands around her teacup before finally lifting her eyes to Lidia.“My child…”Her voice trembled.“There are many things you don’t know.”Lidia looked at her quietly.“When you disappeared…” Flaviana continued, “…this house became empty.”She smiled bitterly before shaking her head.“I couldn’t sleep. Every night I sat by the front gate waiting for you to walk back through it. I cried until I had no tears left. Eventually I became so sick the doctors ordered me to stay in bed.”Lidia lowered her eyes.Guilt slowly settled over her heart.“I never blamed you,” Flaviana whispered. “I blamed myself.”Silence stretched betw
“What!”The scream echoed through the unfamiliar bedroom.Lidia and Erika stared at one another for only a heartbeat before rushing toward the door.Neither bothered fixing their messy hair.Neither cared that they were still wearing the comfortable clothes someone had changed them into the night before.The only thing on their minds was getting out.Their hurried footsteps thundered down the grand staircase.Lidia’s breathing quickened as the familiar marble floors came into view.The crystal chandelier.The polished wooden railings.The enormous family portraits.Recognition struck her like lightning.Her feet slowed.“No…”Her voice was barely audible.Erika followed her gaze.“This is…”Before she could finish, a warm, familiar voice drifted from the dining room.“My child?”Lidia slowly turned.Standing beside the enormous dining table was Flaviana.The elderly woman wore her usual apron, carefully arranging plates while humming softly to herself.The table before her overflowed
The following morning, golden rays of sunlight slipped through the sheer curtains, painting soft patterns across the bedroom floor.Lidia stirred first and then stood.Across the room, Erika shifted beneath the blanket before lazily opening one eye.She watched Lidia disappear into the bathroom and smiled to herself.Moments later the bathroom door opened again.Fresh from her shower, Lidia stepped out wearing a simple cream-colored sweater and black trousers. Her damp hair rested over her shoulders, and for the first time in a long while, the heaviness that usually clouded her face had eased.Erika blinked.“You look refreshed.”Lidia paused before the mirror.A small smile curved her lips.“I feel refreshed.”She picked up a towel and gently dried her hair.“I stayed awake for a long time last night after Father spoke to me.”Erika quietly listened.“I kept asking myself one question.”She looked at her own reflection.“How long am I going to keep carrying the past?”Silence settled
The words lingered between them long after Gennado finished speaking.The fire in the corner crackled softly, filling the silence that neither of them seemed willing to break.Gennado rested both hands on his cane, his eyes never leaving Lidia’s face.Years of reading people had taught him when someone was fighting a battle inside themselves.Lidia wasn’t simply listening.She was breaking.“When you went missing,” Gennado said quietly, his voice carrying none of the authority that usually commanded an entire underworld, “Bruno lost himself.”Lidia’s fingers tightened around the edge of the chair.“He became reckless.”A bitter smile crossed the old wolf’s lips.“The Bruno the world feared disappeared.”His eyes drifted toward the window as memories resurfaced.“He tore cities apart looking for you.”“He questioned anyone who claimed they had seen you.”“He barely slept.”“He stopped eating properly.”“He even started making mistakes during meetings.”Gennado chuckled softly.“A thing
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,
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
Blanca Mancini did not believe in accidents.She believed in control.As her black sedan rolled away from the Deluca estate, her gloved fingers tightened slowly around her purse. The leather creaked under the pressure. From the outside, she looked composed—an offended matriarch leaving a hostile vi







