Masuk~MARCELLA~The moment I step out of my house, everything inside me explodes into motion.The hallway blurs around me as I rush forward.The elevator is right there.I slam the button, once, twice, three times, but it's too slow.“Fuck!” I breathe out, already turning away.I don’t have time for this, so I take the stairs, and I run.My feet hit each step hard, fast, almost slipping as I descend too quickly.My breathing becomes uneven, matching the wild rhythm of my heart.Stephanie’s face flashes in my mind….her tears, the ropes, the fear in her eyes.“Please don’t hurt her…” I whisper desperately, over and over again like a prayer. “Please don’t hurt her… please don’t hurt her…”My hand grips the railing so tightly my knuckles ache, and for a second, my foot misses a step.I stumble forward, catching myself just in time.“Shit…” I gasp, panic clawing up my throat.My mind betrays me with worse images now….Stephanie screaming, begging… bleeding.“No… no… no…”
~MARCELLA~I just got home not quite long from a breakfast date with Lucas.Lucas had free lessons today, and I…I decided to skip classes to go on a breakfast date with him.I got a message from Stephanie in the car on our way back home asking that we have lunch together because she's starving.But I was too lovey dovey to respond to her immediately.Now, I'm relaxing at home.I’m sitting on my bed, one leg tucked under me, the other dangling lazily off the edge, my back resting lightly against the headboard.The room is quiet… too quiet… especially compared to the warmth, the soft laughter, and the lingering tension I just left behind with Lucas.For a moment, I just sit there, staring at nothing.There’s still a faint smile on my lips… the kind I don’t even realize is there.My fingers absentmindedly trace the edge of my phone, my thoughts drifting back to him…the way he's being such a sweet gentleman earlier.Now, he's currently using the bathroom, and he's al
Albert doesn’t go far.He stops at the end of the hallway, standing in the dim light, Stephanie’s muffled cries still echoing faintly behind him.For a second, he just stands there… breathing slowly… steadying himself.His fingers twitch slightly at his side, like he’s fighting something internal… something he refuses to name. His jaw clenches, unclenches, then tightens again.Then, he pulls out his phone.His thumb hovers over the screen for a brief moment, just one second of hesitation, before he taps a contact.Xavier.The line rings once, twice, then…“Yeah?” Xavier’s voice comes through, low, amused… like he’s been expecting this call.There’s faint background noise….music, laughter, the clink of glasses….like Xavier is somewhere lively, completely unbothered.Albert’s expression hardens.“It’s done. I carried out my plans with the third person involved.”There's a pause, then a soft chuckle from the other end.“Already? That was fast.”“I have her,” Albert says coldly. “Stephani
The drive starts easy and calm…too calm.Stephanie leans back, relaxing.Her guard lowers… just a little.She even glances out the window, watching the streets pass by.The city slowly fades behind them, replaced by quieter roads, fewer cars… fewer people.Her eyes flicker toward Albert.He’s focused on the road, and he's calm…too calm.His fingers tap lightly against the steering wheel—slow, controlled… almost like he's counting something in his head.“Okay,” she says. “So… talk.”“Not yet.”She frowns. “Why not?”“Better in person,” Albert replies.“We are in person,” Stephanie counters.“You know what I mean,” Albert insists. “I don't like talking while driving.”She sighs.“Albert…”“You’re being weird,” she adds, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Since when do you care about ‘how’ you talk?”But she lets it go….for now.An hour passes, then her brows slowly pull together.“We haven't gotten to the restaurant yet? You've been driving since ages,” Stephanie says and squints her eyes to
The decision is made the moment Albert walks out of that bar.It's not written, but sealed somewhere deep in the cold, calculated part of him that no longer hesitates when it comes to getting what he wants.And because he doesn't rush or act on impulse, he plans every move, every action, every second.It takes him three days to actually carry out his plan.Three days of silence.Three days of watching Marcella laugh with Lucas.Three days of his jaw tightening every single time.~~~~The bell rings loudly across the school hallway.Students spill out of classrooms in waves….laughing, arguing, dragging bags behind them, completely unaware that something dangerous is already unfolding among them.Albert stands at the far end of the corridor, still, silent and watching.One hand tucked into his pocket. The other resting loosely by his side, but the slight flex of his fingers gives him away. He’s not calm. He’s controlledHis eyes move slowly, calculating… scanning faces until he sees
Albert sees the car approaching him, but it's too late to avoid, and too deliberate to ignore.His instincts kick in instantly.He slams his brakes hard, and the tires screech slightly against the road.Silence follows….a dangerous kind, and for a second, nothing moves.Then, Albert’s car door swings open hard.He steps out, and the air around him shifts instantly.It's dark, heavy and explosive.His jaw is tight, and his eyes are burning.His footsteps are measured as he walks toward Xavier, but every step carries weight….like he's already decided how this ends.“Who the hell do you think you are?” Albert’s voice is low, but laced with fury.He doesn’t wait for an answer.He grabs Xavier by the collar fast and violently, pulling him forward.“Blocking my path like that….are you looking to die?”But Xavier doesn't react. He doesn't even flinch.Not even a flicker.Instead, he chuckles low, soft and amused.And that…That is what snaps something in Albert.His grip tightens instantly, h
~VINCENZO~The world ends when Riccardo’s body goes still.For a second… a horrible, impossible second… none of us breathe.Then Elena’s scream tears through the warehouse.It isn’t human. It’s raw, broken, animal.“No—no, no….RICCARDO!” she sobs, thrashing against the chai
~ELENA~The gun is still pressed to Lorenzo’s chest.Vincenzo’s arm is locked, solid, unyielding….pure control wrapped around fury so cold it terrifies me more than rage ever could.Lorenzo’s fingers loosen around my throat when Vincenzo slams him to the wall. Air rushes back i
~ELENA~“I'll take the throne,” Vincenzo declares.The words hang heavy.Riccardo nods once. “Long live the new Mafia Lord.”Nico bows his head slightly.I swallow hard.Vincenzo has taken after his father and I just hope he doesn't turn out to be like his father.Just then,
~ELENA~The house is quieter than usual.Not empty—just hushed, like it’s holding its breath.Gianna and Valentina are downstairs, laughing softly over something stupid on their phones, giving me space without saying they are. I linger in the hallway, barefoot, heart thudd







