Semua Bab The Wrong Kind Of Right: Bab 111 - Bab 120

The eggs were cold now, but neither of them cared. Luca had just said something ridiculous, a mock toast to “burnt coffee and war torn love”.. and Asher was still grinning into his mug when his phone started to buzz on the counter.He glanced at the screen.The smile dropped instantly.Hartwell Estate – Landline.His chest tightened. The ringing cut through the calm like a blade.Luca noticed the shift in his face and straightened in his seat. “You don’t have to answer.”But the call kept coming. Persistent. Relentless. Like a knock from a past that refused to stay buried.Asher exhaled through his nose, rubbed at his temple, and finally pressed Accept.“Hello?”There was silence at first. A shaky breath. And then, her voice.“Asher?”His jaw tensed. “Mrs. Hartwell.”She sounded panicked, like she’d been crying for hours. Her words came in breathy fragments.“Where is she?”He blinked. “I.. what?”“Serena. Don’t play games with me. I know you took her.”His brow furrowed. “What are yo

The phone rang only once before Asher picked up.He didn’t say hello.He didn’t have to.On the other end, Serena was quiet for a beat. The silence stretched, but it didn’t feel awkward. Just... necessary.Then:“I’m going to Chile.”Asher leaned against the balcony of his apartment, eyes closed, the wind catching the hem of his shirt. “With Vivienne.”“Yeah.” Her voice was soft, but sure. “We’ve talked about it for months. I was just too much of a coward to make the call.”He opened his eyes, looking out at the city. “You weren’t a coward. You were just surviving.”“No,” she said, a brittle laugh escaping. “I was hiding. Like I always did. Hiding behind the Hartwell name. Hiding behind my marriage. Hiding behind... you.”She paused. “You always took the fall for me. Always.”He exhaled. “It’s over now.”“Not really. Not for you. You’re still in it. Still fighting them.”“I chose to. And I’d do it again.”Serena’s voice cracked. “I don’t deserve that.”“Yes, you do,” Asher said withou

The morning light filtered through sheer linen curtains, casting warm streaks of gold across the bedroom.It was quiet.Asher stirred first, blinking at the soft brightness. His body was still tangled in the linen sheets, bare skin warm from the body beside him.Luca’s arm was slung across his waist, and for a split second, Asher didn’t breathe, like any movement might shatter the moment.He turned slowly.Luca slept deeper than he had in years. His face was soft in sleep, the angles of his jaw relaxed, the faint lines of exhaustion and legacy worry temporarily erased.Asher eased out of bed carefully, grabbing a tee from the floor and pulling it on before padding quietly to the kitchen.The espresso machine hissed to life, the aroma grounding him more than he liked to admit. As he sipped, he stared out the window, not at the city skyline, but at the horizon beyond it. The unknown.Behind him, footsteps. Bare. Familiar.“You didn’t wake me,” Luca murmured as he joined him at the count

Traffic was unusually sparse for a weekday morning.Luca noticed, but didn’t think much of it, not at first.His driver, took a different route than usual, citing roadwork and redirected flow.Luca barely looked up from his phone. His mind was buried in the latest financial reports and another round of damage control memos flooding his inbox.Then his driver spoke again, tone clipped. “I’m going through Via Reggio instead. Less congestion.”“Fine,” Luca muttered, adjusting his seat. “Just get me there in one piece.”But the moment they turned onto the narrower road, something shifted in the air. It was quieter. Too quiet. Buildings rose on both sides, and ahead, no cars. No pedestrians. No cameras.It felt wrong.Luca’s gut twisted.“Hey...”Before he could finish, the car jolted violently as something hit the back wheel, not a crash, but a precise bump. A red Civic behind them. Close. Too close.“What the hell?” Luca sat up straight.The driver didn’t respond.Luca turned sharply. “H

“The second car,” Asher said slowly, “wasn’t Virelli funded. I had Julian dig deeper. The SUV wasn’t one of Paolo’s. It didn’t match any known asset or operation tied to the Virelli name.”Luca frowned. “You’re saying… it wasn’t him?”“Not entirely.” Asher moved closer. “Someone else used his plan to stage a more dangerous move. They piggybacked off Paolo’s operation, and almost succeeded in making it look like your father wanted you dead.”“But he did!”“No,” Asher said softly. “He wanted to rattle you. Humiliate you. Maybe bruise your pride. But kill you?” He shook his head. “That wasn’t Paolo’s style. It’s too messy. Too public.”Luca’s mind reeled.“So someone else… used his agenda to create a rift.”Asher nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. And if I’m right, they want two things: one, for you to turn against him completely, burn the empire from the inside. And two, to make you vulnerable. Easy to take down. Or easier to replace.”Luca staggered back a step.“Julian’s digging,” Ash