Chapter 5- Training 2

“There is still a lot you need to learn… and unlearn,” the old man sighed.

For the rest of the afternoon, he taught me everything from Linux to Python to JavaScript. The lessons seemed endless.

At first, every word sounded like Greek to me, but I forced myself to understand. Giving up had stopped being an option long ago.

As dusk settled over the island, I thought the day’s training was finally over.

I was wrong.

The Old Man began another lesson—this time, about controlling my expressions.

“Your eyes speak before your mouth does,” he said. “Learn to silence them.”

“No matter what the situation is, even if a gun is pointed at your head, remain calm and composed.”

“Control your breathing.”

“Observe people before you respond.”

Then he looked directly into my eyes.

“And never let people know what you fear, what you love, or what you’re thinking. The moment they can read your face…”

“…they’ve already won.”

By the end of the day’s training, I felt like a walking corpse carrying the burden of generations.

⸻

Day after day passed, and the routine continued.

At first, it wasn’t easy. There were days when I became so exhausted that I fell sick.

Thankfully, the Old Man knew enough about medicinal herbs to nurse me back to health.

Before I knew it, an entire year had passed.

Looking back, I barely recognized the person I had once been.

I was no longer the naïve, innocent, and dignified young woman who had been thrown into the sea.

I was a survivor.

A woman who had walked through hell… and lived to tell the tale.

My hacking skills had improved beyond anything I had imagined, and my expressions had become almost impossible to read.

Sometimes, I could even tell what the Old Man was thinking before he spoke.

Over time, I also learned who Zeno Vitale truly was.

He had once been the Supreme Don of the Eclipse Syndicate, one of the most feared underground organizations in the world.

For decades, the name Eclipse Syndicate had been spoken only in whispers.

Those who opposed it disappeared.

Those who served it swore loyalty in blood.

Although the Syndicate was involved in drug trafficking and smuggling, it also operated several legitimate businesses to conceal its activities.

Zeno owned solar manufacturing companies, shopping complexes, clubs, and luxury lounges that served as fronts for the Syndicate’s operations.

Then one day, something happened that neither of us expected.

As usual, we were sparring in taekwondo.

This time…

I won.

For a few seconds, neither of us moved.

I stared at him in disbelief.

He stared back at me with the same expression.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that the fragile girl who had washed ashore a year earlier would one day overpower the man who had trained her.

I hurried to help him sit down.

To my surprise…

He laughed.

Not a quiet laugh.

A genuine, hearty laugh.

“You know,” he said between breaths, “you’re only the second woman to ever knock me down.”

He smiled.

“But trust me… you’re no match for the first.”

“She defeated me when I was still young, strong, and in my prime.”

His smile slowly faded.

“You remind me of her.”

“She was determined.”

“She learned quickly.”

“I suppose that’s one of the reasons I felt the need to protect you.”

He fell silent.

For the first time in a long while…

I saw sadness in his eyes.

“She was my wife.”

“The absolute love of my life.”

He stared into the distance.

“You know…”

“Love is a strange thing.”

“It weakens you.”

“It gives your enemies something to take away.”

“And yet…”

“It’s the sweetest curse a person can ever experience.”

“My wife was killed because of me.”

“During a conflict with a rival organization, I was taken hostage.”

“They executed her right before my eyes.”

“The queen of my heart…”

“…killed like a stray dog.”

“I destroyed every last one of them afterward.”

“But revenge…”

He smiled bitterly.

“…doesn’t bring back my l’altra metà.”

“My other half.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

He nodded.

“So whatever you do…”

“Avoid love.”

“Avoid blind trust.”

“They destroy more lives than bullets ever will.”

“If my cara mia had never loved me…”

“…she might still be alive.”

He looked at me.

“Have I ever told you how I ended up on this island?”

I nodded.

“You once said you were betrayed by someone you trusted.”

“Yes.”

“My own brother.”

“My biological brother.”

“We built the Eclipse Syndicate together.”

“For years, we ruled side by side.”

“But everything changed when he suggested we expand our business.”

“He wanted to add kidnapping…”

“…and the trafficking of women and children.”

“He claimed there was far more money in selling people than selling drugs.”

“I refused.”

“No matter how far I had fallen, children were my bottom line.”

“I could never treat innocent lives as merchandise.”

“But greed had already consumed him.”

“He made the arrangements without my knowledge.”

“By the time I found out, the buyers had already been contacted.”

“I set out by boat to stop the deal.”

“Halfway through the journey, we discovered the boat had been sabotaged.”

“Before we could repair it…”

“…we were ambushed.”

“Most of my men were killed.”

“In the middle of the fight…”

“…the damaged boat capsized.”

“We were thrown into the sea.”

“The last thing I remember was the ocean swallowing me.”

“I thought I had died.”

“When I opened my eyes…”

“…I was lying on this very beach.”

He shrugged.

“I eventually made peace with it.”

“Perhaps God was giving me a second chance.”

He chuckled.

“If He exists.”

Silence settled between us.