Se connecterRaffaele Ricciâs POV I sat in my clubhouse, anger simmering beneath the surface. The air was thick with cigar smoke, its heavy scent mixing with the tension that never quite left these walls. âBossâŠâ my second-in-command, Paolo, began carefully, breaking the silence. âShould we launch a raid and search for the kids?â I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl into the dim light. âAnd when I find them?â I replied, my voice edged with irritation. âHow exactly do I explain it to Alessia?â I let out a dry scoff. âWhat do I say? âAlessia, your kids were conveniently dropped at my school, so I brought them back?ââ The absurdity of it all only made my frustration worse. It was already bad enough that the children had been taken right under my nose⊠and had remained missing for two weeks. If I suddenly found them without a believable explanation⊠It would unleash whatever suspicion Matteo Rinaldi still had left. If he survived long enough to act on it. I leaned back in my chair,
Matteo Rinaldiâs POV As the masked man dropped dead, Alessiaâs expression shatteredâlike her last hope of finding our children had been swallowed by a raging sea. She looked at me, fear flickering in her eyes. It pierced straight through my chest. I couldnât bear that look. But almost immediately, she tore her gaze away from me and turned back to the man lying lifeless in his own pool of blood. Her cries dissolved into frantic whispers. âNo⊠no, no!â She slipped out of my arms and collapsed to her knees beside him. âWake up!â she cried desperately. âTell me where my kids are!â âAlessia, we have to go,â I urged. She clung tightly to me. âBut my children, Matteo⊠we have to get them back.â âOur children,â I corrected firmly. âAnd we will. I promise.â Her desperation broke something inside me, and anger surged through my veinsâanger directed at Giulia for orchestrating this nightmare. As I pulled Alessia away from the body, something caught my eye. A small camera in the
Giuliaâs POV I stood beside my father on the presidential floor, our eyes fixed on the television screen showing the live feed from the room where Alessia was with the kidnapper we had hired. I felt a surge of satisfaction watching how miserable Alessia looked. All we needed was her damned signature on the documents. Was that so hard for her to do and finally remove her pathetic self from my life? Instead, she remained in the room, her eyes red and swollen from crying, constantly demanding to see her children first. I felt a twisted pleasure watching her suffer. She deserved this. Every bit of it. We couldn't give her the children yet because they were still unconscious and just as miserable as their mother. Then, suddenly, Matteo Rinaldi appeared on the screen. My heart dropped instantly, and rage boiled inside me. âWhy canât he just stay away from Alessia?â I shouted, unable to contain my frustration. âWhat is it about her that makes him love her so much? Why does he alwa
Matteo Rinaldiâs POV âDrop any fucking weapon you have on you,â they commanded. I reached behind me, pulling out the two silencers hidden in my back pocket and tossing them onto the floor in front of them. They picked them up cautiously as they approached, patting me down in search of any other weapons. Of course, they carried out only a blind search. That was the moment one of them recognized me. âMr. Rinaldi?â he asked, surprise evident in his voice. I smirked slightly. âSeems like I have some fans down here.â âDoesnât matter,â another man sneered. âYou may not make it out alive.â They pushed me forward into the room, unaware of the small shotgun carefully hidden in my boots. The moment I stepped inside, I saw Alessia standing over some papers laid out on a table. Tears streamed down her face. Relief washed over me instantly, and I rushed to her side. âAlessia,â I said softly, pulling her into my arms. âThank heavens youâre okay.â She looked up at me, her eyes red and s
Matteo Rinaldiâs POV We arrived at the warehouse just as the sky was darkening. We had to be very discreet to avoid being caught by the men involved. Anything that could lead to a shootout before securing my kids was something I had to avoid. Arriving at the doorway leading into the warehouse, I felt a strange chill in the air. The place was eerily quiet, and as I stepped inside, my heart sank. The warehouse had been cleared out completely. There was no sign of Giulia or anyone else. I walked further in, the emptiness echoing my footsteps. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath, pulling out my phone. I dialed my fatherâs number, needing his guidance. "What's the situation?" he answered, his voice stern and filled with authority. "The warehouse is empty," I reported, frustration seeping into my tone. "It looks like they just moved out. The place is freshly cleaned." There was a pause before he responded. "They couldnât have left town. We can use this to our advantage. Look for a
Alessia's POV Grateful that I acted calm around Arianna and Camellia, making them believe I had resigned myself to wait for Matteo Rinaldiâs return, I went into the shower and had a cold bath. As I stepped out of the shower into my room, I noticed Arianna standing there. "Sorry, I heard the sound of water and decided to come see what's up." "Thank you, but I was just having my bath," I replied and looked away. "Alessia, are you sure you're okay?" Arianna asked, her eyes filled with concern. I nodded, forcing a smile. "Yes, Arianna. I just need to rest. Maybe sleep will help." Arianna squeezed my hand. "We'll be here if you need anything." "Thanks," I replied, feeling guilty for deceiving her. "I appreciate it." I walked to my bed and pretended to sleep. I lay still, counting the minutes until the house grew silent. When I was certain everyone was asleep, I slipped out of bed and quietly grabbed my phone and the note the driver had given me earlier. My hands trembled as I dial







