LOGINThe air still smelled like smoke and dust as Lorenzo stood over the wreckage, Matteo held close against his side, his grip firm and unshaken.“Can we go home now?” Matteo asked quietly, his voice small after everything.“Yes,” he said as they walked to the car. Lorenzo looked down at him as his eyes flickered with softness for the first time in forever. But his tone carried something darker beneath it because “home” didn’t mean safety anymore as long as Marco was still breathing.Inside the car, Lorenzo sped back into the glittering city of Milan with his grip firm on the stirring wheel. Matteo had fallen asleep in the backseat, all the exhaustion from the night had finally claimed him.His small body curled slightly, unaware of the storm still building around him. Lorenzo drove in silence in the front with focused unblinking eyes.“I’ve got movement.” Sofia’s voice filled the car through the comm.“Talk." Lorenzo didn’t turn.“Ive been able to trace Marco’s last signal bounce, and i
“DAD!!!” Matteo shouted as his scream tore through the night. The ground had finally gone still and dust settled slowly in the air.The response that followed was a thick, heavy silence. The tunnel was gone, collapsed and buried under layers of concrete and steel.And Lorenzo was still inside.“No… no, no…” Matteo’s voice broke as he rushed toward the rubble, his small hands desperately trying to move pieces far too heavy for him. “Daddy, get up! Please…!”But still came nothing, no sound or movement. Just silence.******Sofia stood frozen in the control room as she stared blankly at the screen. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard but she wasn’t typing because the feed had been flatlined.“No…” she whispered.Isabella’s heart stopped.“What do you mean no? Where is he?!”” she demanded, grabbing her arm. ““I lost his signal.” Sofia said as she shook her head slowly.“But that doesn’t mean he’s dead,right? It just means you lost the signal.” Isabella snapped instantly, her voice tre
The first explosion hit like thunder beneath their feet as the ground cracked and the concrete split, dust burst into the air in thick, choking clouds.“Lets go!” Lorenzo barked. He grabbed Matteo and ran away as fast as he his legs could carry him, his every of his instinct screaming danger.Behind them, the ceiling groaned and then collapsed with a loud thud as chunks of concrete slammed down where they had been seconds before.“Dad!” Matteo screamed as he clung tightly to him.“I’ve got you,” Lorenzo said, his voice steady despite the chaos. “Don’t let go, never let go.”******Sofia’s screen lit up in red with structural failure warnings, collapsing zones and signal interference spiking.“Shit! Shit!! Shit!!!” Sofia screamed.“ What's going on? Talk to me!” Isabella demanded.“The whole structure is coming down,” Sofia said quickly. “there were multiple detonation points. That bastard! he rigged the entire underground!”Isabella’s blood ran cold.“Could he get Matteo out?” she ask
The beeping got faster, sharper and louder. Matteo’s eyes widened as he looked down at his wrist.“What is that…?” Matteo asked making Lorenzo’s heart slam hard against his ribs.A small, deadly bomb has just been strapped to his son's wrist.“Don’t move,” Lorenzo said, his voice low but urgent.Marco’s footsteps kept echoing toward the exit, unhurried and unbothered because he knew exactly what would happen next.“Time’s running out, Lorenzo,” he called casually over his shoulder.Lorenzo ignored him, his focus locked entirely on the device. It was blinking red and counting down with three seconds between each pulse and was gradually accelerating“Sofia, I need you now,” Lorenzo snapped into his hidden comm.“I see it,” Sofia’s voice came through after a little static, sharp and focused. “That small device is likely a motion-triggered failsafe, if you rip it off, it detonates.” “Then tell me how to disarm it.” he said.“I’m trying,just give me a visual… so I can judge better” she r
Lorenzo didn’t turn or even acknowledge the breath at his back.“You talk too much for someone who hides in shadows,” he said calmly.A soft chuckle echoed behind him as Marco stepped into view, circling slowly until he stood face-to-face with him.“There are no guards or backup, so you actually listened. That's impressive” Marco observed as he gave a faint smile.“I came.” Lorenzo’s gaze remained steady.Marco studied him carefully looking for any sign of hesitation or doubt but he found none. Interesting.“Walk,” Marco said, gesturing toward the open entrance of the underground facility.Lorenzo didn’t hesitate, he moved forward on controlled and measured steps as if he wasn’t walking into a trap but into something he already owned. ******Now inside the facility, the air was colder and damp underground. Every footstep echoed.Marco walked slightly behind him now, with his gun raised behind Lorenzo, always ready.“You’re quieter than usual,” Marco said. “No threats
The silence that swallowed the room after the call ended, heavy and suffocating. No one moved or said a word because the decision sitting in front of Lorenzo wasn’t just dangerous, it was final. “There's no way you’ll be doing what I think you want to do, Lorenzo, absolutely not.”Isabella’s voice broke through first, sharp and yielding. But Lorenzo didn’t look at her as his gaze remained fixed on the dark screen. “He has given us his terms,” he said simply. “And you don’t need to follow them, for all we know, it could be a trap!” she snapped, stepping in front of him. “I know it’s a trap,” he replied. “Then why are we even discussing this?!” she asked, Isabella just stood speechless in the background. Finally, he turned and looked at her and the look she saw in his eyes made her pause, it wasn’t anger or recklessness. It was a certainty. “He killed a man in front of him, in front of my son who's barely out of kindergarten" Lorenzo said quietly. “Matteo saw that.” Isa
The dull, heavy thud of his body hitting the floor echoed through Villa Nero, followed by silence. The kind that made breathing feel too loud. Isabella’s heart slammed against her ribs as she stared at the man on his knees. “No…” she whispered, blinking to make sure she wasn't seeing things. B
The car didn’t stop until they were deep to Villa Nero on the quiet outskirts of Milan. It was sleek, dark, and untouchable. Built with black stone and glass, it carried the cold, commanding elegance that mirrors Lorenzo himself. For Lorenzo and every other person who has connections with it, Vil
The gunshot cracked through the night, shifting everything. Lorenzo turned fast, too fast for the eye to fully catch as his arm tightened around Matteo, pulling the boy hard against his chest as he twisted his body…shielding him.Then a sharp impact hit as a bullet tore into Lorenzo’s side, he let
The night air was cold and deadly. Lorenzo stepped out of the car without hesitation or fear just like a man who had already decided how this would end. Behind him, doors slammed open in unison as his men followed, armed, silent and waiting for the command that would turn tension into violence. Ac







