The room was still, heavy with unspoken challenge. Jason stood with arms folded, eyes fixed on his father like a hawk watching its prey.Antonio, cool as ever, reached into his jacket, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his contacts until he landed on the name: Captain Rainer.He smirked as he pressed the call button. “Watch closely, Jason. This is how men make things move.”The phone rang once.Then again.Then... the call canceled.Antonio’s eyebrows twitched.Jason tilted his head, a slow smirk forming. “That doesn’t look like bowing to me.”Antonio ignored him and redialed.Call canceled again.A third time.Jason took a small step forward, arms still folded, eyes sharper now. “You were saying?”Antonio sat up straighter, jaw tightening, lips drawn into a thin line. His fingers hovered over the screen, then stabbed the button again.Call canceled.Again.This time, his face changed. The glass of wine on the table remained untouched as Antonio stared down at his phone, blin
Staring at the look of disbelief on his son's face, Antonio laughed.“That’s because it was easy.” He leaned forward, setting his glass down with a soft clink. “It only seems effortless to you because I’ve been playing in this game long before you even understood it.”Jason narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means everything seems to fall in place smoothly when you plan... when you think ten steps ahead, not two. That’s what it means to be a man in this world, Jason. Not a boy reacting to fire, but a man who saw the match being lit two weeks before.”Jason raised a brow. “So what… I should just think like you now?”“I suggest it. Strongly.” Antonio tapped the table twice. “Because if you don’t, you’ll always be ten steps behind someone like me. Or someone worse.”Jason shifted uncomfortably, pushing his hands into his pockets. His voice was quieter now. “So what did you get? For making Juan hand over his rights? What did you trade for all that power?”Antonio tilte
The office was silent, save for the steady ticking of the wall clock and the low hum of the city far below. Antonio sat behind his desk, composed as ever as he watched, Juan by the window, arms crossed, jaw locked, still reeling from what he’d agreed to.A knock broke the silence, sharp and deliberate.“Enter,” Antonio called, already knowing who it was.The door opened to reveal a sharply dressed man in a deep navy three-piece suit, his black briefcase gleaming under the chandelier. His presence was crisp, polished, every step purposeful.“Mr. Rossi,” he said with a nod. “As instructed.”“Over there, Dean,” Antonio said, gesturing to the table between their seats. “Let’s get started.”Dean DeCasso, Antonio’s personal attorney, snapped open his briefcase, the locks clicking, and with meticulous care, he laid out a stack of documents, his fingers moving patiently.“Full inheritance forfeiture,” he said without looking up. “This draft covers the immediate transfer of all rights to the R
The silence in Antonio’s office was thick, sticky with tension. Juan stood near the window, his knuckles pressed to the glass, forehead down, chest still heaving as the weight of his brother’s ultimatum sank into his bones.Antonio remained seated, legs crossed, hands steepled beneath his chin as he stared at Juan like a chessboard he’d already won.“I’m not saying it again,” Antonio said, voice well polished. "That’s the final bargain. Your son’s freedom... in exchange for your family stepping aside. Sign away your claim to the inheritance, yours and your children’s. That’s the cost.”Juan’s breath came out uneven. His throat bobbed. “You’d really do it. You’d really leave Alejandro in there to rot.”“If you say no?” Antonio shrugged. “Yes. I would.”A beat passed.Juan didn’t answer right away. His jaw worked furiously, like he was chewing on the taste of betrayal itself. He spun around, eyes sharp with something between grief and hatred.“I raised him to be strong,” Juan muttered.
The silence between them stretched, brittle and cracking at the edges.Antonio stood by the window, back to his brother, watching the skyline through slits in the blinds as Juan’s voice echoed behind him, low, hoarse. “... I beg of you... Help me with Alejandro’s case. They’re going to throw him to the wolves.”Still, Antonio didn’t turn.Juan’s voice tightened. “You know what they’ll do to him in there. This isn’t some tabloid scandal or slap on the wrist. If they convict him, if the state gets involved, we both know... he won’t walk out of there anytime soon.”A long breath filled the space between them.Finally, Antonio exhaled.“You realize what you're asking me to do would put me in direct defiance of our father.”Juan said nothing.“He disowned Alejandro. Said anyone who tried to protect him would face the same fate. That’s not a warning. That’s a promise.”Still, Juan didn’t speak.Antonio finally turned, his face cold and impassive. "You want me to risk everything I’ve worked
The Rossi convoy pulled up to the curb like royalty in exile... black SUVs with tinted windows, and the moment the engines humming grew lower, the cameras were already flashing before the doors even opened."They’re here! That’s them!"The reporters swarmed like bees to honey, microphones held out like weapons, voices overlapping in a chaos of questions:"Is it true Alejandro tried to have Kia killed?""Does the Rossi family take responsibility for the shooting?""Why aren’t Maria and Kia with you today?""Are they distancing themselves from you?"Princess stepped out first, eyes hidden behind massive sunglasses, lips tight. She tugged her blazer straight and ignored every question as if they were beneath her.Behind her, Antonio and Juan emerged, both tall, both stiff-jawed, their matching frowns making them look like carbon copies of each other... only with different levels of simmering rage.Carlo was last.He took his time stepping out of the car, leaning on his cane like a scepte