"What the fuck is going on?" I ask Teo who is guarding the lift. He's a good shooter and it'll be hard for anyone to get past him. "Boss, they came out of nowhere and started shooting" "Do we know who they are or what they want?" "No, sir. They haven't said a word" "I need only one alive. Kill the rest" I say moving forward and opening fire. It doesn't take me long to realize they're amateurs. There is no coordination between them whatsoever. They're in black outfits, wearing ski masks -but unlike last time, it's clear they are men-, have a lot of ammo, and know how to pull a trigger. But that's as far as their expertise goes. On the other hand, my men are highly trained. This is part of the reason I let them live in the same building. So if we're ever under attack, no one will be cornered. I motion for them to surround the remaining guys and all too soon, only one is left alive. Gabe has the bottom of his boot pressed on the back of the guy's head. Having already taken off his

What is happening? We came here to have dinner with Dante's family. It was supposed to go well. He promised me everything would be alright. So what is this? What just happened? I feel paralyzed. I want to move and check on papa but it's as if every part of my body has shut down. I can only sit and watch as Leo scrambles up, screaming. Mama has placed the gun on the table and is joining Dante on the floor, where papa's body is. His body. Is he alive? The way he slid off the chair... Oh God, someone please wake me up from this nightmare. Someone, please turn back time to that day at church. Yes, that would be the perfect time to start over. I would convince papa to go back home and he would start a war with Romeo. Everything else be damned. This reality where Gisella shot him and mama shot her doesn't have to exist. If I close my eyes, can I wake up to a different timeline? "Emilia!" I shift my eyes to mama "Call an ambulance" "Dr. Mendes is on his way," Javier says, standing to the

The plates were empty. Leo says he didn't know what she was planning but I find that hard to believe. He was here the entire time she set up empty plates. Even if she didn't tell him, he must have suspected something was not right. Because he didn't bother telling me, he's just as guilty as she is. Besides, they tell each other everything. I'm not buying anything Leo says. You'd think I'd be happy about Vito's demise but all I feel is dread. Seeing Emiliana's face before she left made me realize that I wouldn't have gone through with it. I can't stand seeing her in pain. Another loud crash echoes around the house. Lifting my glass, I take a sip of the amber liquid. It's been hours since everything went down and Leo is destroying things upstairs in the name of mourning our mother. I wonder what she was thinking. What did she expect would happen after she shot Vito? Did she think she could get away with it? If she'd talked to me, I would have told her not to underestimate Aida. But as

"Javier" "Yes sir?" "Go dark and wait for my instructions" "Yes sir" The problem with Cecilio is that he doesn't know when to attack. He's reckless. Something that will get him killed today. If he'd stopped to think, he'd know the mansion was the worst place to corner me. Unlike him, I waited for years before going after Romeo. I dismantled everything he'd built, sent in my men to work undercover while the ones he'd hired happened to die during an operation. I double-checked my moves, collected intel, and came up with plans B's and C's. By the time I walked into that church, the only thing I hadn't accomplished was finding my father's ring. If I'd wanted to take him out at any moment, I could have done it. Because I planned meticulously. But this moron? He couldn't even wait for a year before showing up here. He didn't even bother to scout this place before coming. I built this house and installed cameras in every corner. There's a basement where we keep prisoners sometimes o

A year later "You didn't have to come. I can handle this""I do not doubt that," Giulia says checking her gun even though we're both aware that there's nothing to check. She's done it twice already. We also agreed that there was no need to bring weapons to this mission because we wouldn't need them. We're only going to pick Anila up and take her to an apartment where she'll stay for two days before leaving the country. But Giulia isn't the type to follow rules. And truth be told, neither am I. Since I have my gun tucked in my bra holster "I'm only here to make sure there's no repeat of what happened with the Nichols""It was one time and we had it under control. Right, Constanza?""What she said" Constanza murmurs, her eyes still closed. The corner of my mouth lifts in a sneer. I'm still not over the fact that she didn't tell me she was working for my mother. I thought we were friends. Clearly, I thought wrong."You exposed yourselves""We improvised, jeez. When