Alexandre“Have you found out anything about the documents the Russian gave us?” I ask Flavio as soon as he enters my office.“No, all the information is encrypted. We’ve tried to trace who made those payments, but it’s as if that person doesn’t exist.”“Couldn't one of Bellini’s friends help us?”“He's tried to contact Lieutenant Amato, but he hasn’t heard from him in days.” Flavio comments, and from the expression on his face, I know he’s worried about this information.“Damn it! That son of a bitch has us by the balls.” I express angrily, slamming my desk.“You need to calm down, Alexandre. Sooner or later, we’ll find the person responsible, just like your mother did in her time. This time won’t be any different.”“But my mother knew who the culprits were. This bastard, on the other hand, hasn’t shown his face yet, and it feels like he’s moving us like pawns in his chess game.”“I understand, but even so, any false move by that man is the opportunity we need to put an end to the th
Fabrizio"I hope you have good news for me this time." I tell my man as soon as he steps through the door of my office."They are, boss.""I'm listening.""All these days we've been watching the Belucci mansion, Miss Yelizaveta hadn't left until this morning when she apparently escaped with the help of a man who works with them. I started following them and realized they were heading to the bar 'The Underworld'. Once there... well, she apparently met with Alexandre Carluccio, they chatted at the bar for a while, then they went to his office where they spent quite some time together, and then she returned to her mansion."I observe him intently for a few seconds, weighing my next move."Keep watching her as you have been, don't lose sight of her. If she meets Carluccio again, I want you to notify me immediately. I also want you to arrange a meeting with her father. It's time to do business with him and secure our future family connection.""As you command, boss."As soon as he leaves,
I take Yelizaveta by the arm and position her behind my back. It's possible she might get hurt if we start arguing, and above all, I don’t need her protecting me when I’m more than capable of protecting us both. I draw my weapon and aim it at Mr. Belucci’s men.“I don’t think it’s right for us to argue on our first meeting, father-in-law. I believe we should maintain a cordial relationship. After all, we might become family sooner than you think.” I comment with a trace of amusement in my voice.His face shifts from confusion to absolute rage when he hears me call him father-in-law, and the throbbing vein on his forehead indicates that danger is looming. He reaches for my neck and tightens his grip in an attempt to intimidate me.“I’m not going to aim my weapon at you, just as you’re doing with me, father-in-law.” I emphasize the term again, and his grip tightens, but I remain firm in my place. My men continue to point their weapons at him, and I signal them with a hand gesture not to
“I have bad news, Alexandre.” Flavio informs me as soon as I return to the mansion.“What’s going on? You look worried.”“They found Lieutenant Amato dead. It’s been made to look like he had a heart attack and died instantly, but that’s not even the worst part.”“What could be worse than that?”“His family is missing.”“It must have been that son of a bitch. He knew Amato could help us, so he decided to end his life, which makes me think he must have infiltrators in the police.” I pace back and forth in despair, turn around again, and punch the wall, screaming in rage.“Calm down! We’ll find the one responsible somehow. Rats always leave a trail sooner or later.”“And Bellini?”“He went to see what he could find out.”“Good. In that case, I’m going to give you an order, and I want you to carry it out without objection.”“You know that’s why Bellini left me by your side.”“I want you to send several of our men to watch over Yelizaveta day and night, but only those you trust completely.
Fabrizio “We’ve followed Belucci’s daughter as you instructed, boss.” One of my men reports to me.“And what news do you have for me?”“It seems her father found out she was secretly meeting with Carluccio and rushed to his mansion, looking like he was going to kill him.”“I suppose there’s a ‘but,’ right?” I inquire, frustrated.“His daughter escaped from her house, got to Carluccio before him, and defended him from her father. We also managed to arrange a meeting with him, though it was a bit complicated, he agreed to see us.”My man hands me an envelope, which I open immediately. With a broad smile, I see photos of Belucci pointing his gun at Giuseppe’s stupid grandson, and also grabbing his neck. It seems he can’t stand him, and that’s exactly what I will take advantage of—to get close to his daughter and achieve my goal.“Continue following her. I want you to inform me of everything Yelizaveta does, no matter how small. As for the other thing, this is the best news you’ve given
Fabrizio “I appreciate you agreeing to see me, Mr. Belucci.” I say to the man in front of me as I take a seat where he indicates.“To be honest, I was a bit curious about your insistence on meeting with me. Tell me, Fabrizio, why me? What kind of business do you want to propose?”“I appreciate your directness, Mr. Belucci. I know you have several very successful businesses, and that the entire Cinque Terre area belongs to you, so doing business with you would be a great honor for me. As for the business I would like to offer, it's to enter the automotive market.” Stefano looks at me for a moment, weighing how good the business I just proposed might be.“You’re right about that, Fabrizio. But how can you guarantee that what you have to offer is of excellent quality? As you understand, above all, I like my partners to be trustworthy. I don’t like to risk getting low-quality merchandise that could cause me more losses than profits in the future.”“I understand, that’s why if you like, y
"Good afternoon, Alexandre!" She responds with a small smile, but I notice that it doesn't reach those eyes that look so much like Liza's. "Melike, could you bring us something to drink, please?""Yes, ma'am.""Don't take this the wrong way, but I've come to find my girlfriend, Mrs. Belucci," I say, scanning the room for Liza."Let's be honest, Alexandre, I know that you and my daughter are not a couple; there's no need to lie to me." She replies calmly. Immediately, I tense up a bit, but I just keep quiet. "I also know that Liza told my husband that you're dating so Stefano wouldn't do anything bad to you that day he came looking for you at your house.""In that case, since you already know the truth, I've come to see Liza. I want to ask her out." We fall silent once our drinks are brought to us. I take the glass of water that's been left for me, waiting for Liza's mother to continue our conversation."My daughter isn't here; she went out, but she shouldn't be long. I'd like to take
Alex turns around and looks at me with narrowed eyes. He signals his men, who then give us a bit of privacy by turning and looking out towards the horizon."Do you know how to use weapons, Liza?" He asks with pursed lips."W-well, yes, bonbon." I confess, looking down. "I've known how to use them for years, but seeing you so excited, I was embarrassed to admit it.""So you were pretending all this time?""Yes, but it was for a good cause." I say, meeting his gaze as he frowns and crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for an explanation. "I wanted to be closer to you, and if I had to lie to get you to hug me, believe me, I would do it again." I respond with a slightly trembling voice as I see him approach and wrap his arms around my waist a little more firmly than usual, then lift me up and spin me around, causing me to let out a small squeal."You’re a little trickster! You don’t need any excuse for me to hug you, Liza." He murmurs against my lips before giving me a deep kiss, the
When she hears me say this, her body tenses, and she starts crying harder than before. I lead her to one of the chairs and gently sit her down.“What happened to her face?” I inquire after a while, lifting her face a little.“What happened to you, sweetheart?” My father-in-law asks, approaching her, and when his fingers touch his wife’s cheek, she swats his hand away.“Don’t touch me.” She replies without looking at him.I see the pain in Liza’s father’s eyes at his wife’s attitude. He lowers his hand but stays by our side, holding back the urge to hug her.“After Stefano left the house, about half an hour later, Lieutenant Barone arrived. Apparently, he had a warrant for Stefano’s arrest because they had discovered everything about his business, but the way he was acting wasn’t normal.“When our men noticed that he started circling the whole property, Mich advised me not to let them in, and that’s what we did. But suddenly, they started attacking us, managing to break through the gat
Once again, I find myself in the cemetery, a place that has become so familiar to me that my chest tightens with the loss I am facing at this moment. I lower my gaze and observe the white rose I hold in my hand, as I feel a single tear escape from my eye. With the same hand holding the rose, I quickly wipe it away, knowing that the person I am now saying goodbye to would not want to see me in this state.After five long years, Giuseppe Lombardi left us to reunite with his son, whom he has longed for all these years. If it weren't for my mother, who became like a daughter to him, the sadness that overwhelmed him might have taken him sooner.I look around, and both my mother and my sisters are devastated by his loss, but I know they also find peace in having been with him in his last days. Next to me, holding my hand as she always has, is my beloved wife Yelizaveta, and at our feet are our children, little Renzo and little Laryssa.As the priest finishes the last words of farewell, my m
We take the elevator down as quickly as we can, and when we reach the parking lot, I head straight to one of the trucks that’s still there without wasting any time."We won’t take long; it’s about thirty minutes from here." I inform them as I get into the truck, buckle my seatbelt, and then floor the accelerator.The drive to my old home passes in a blink, and when we arrive, I see that only a few walls have remained standing over all these years. I turn off the engine and grab one of the guns from under the seat."I want you to stay here until Bellini and Flavio arrive.""We're not staying. We said we'd come with you, and that's what we're doing." Yasha contradicts me, gritting her teeth."Absolutely not. You'll stay here until the rest of my men arrive."I get out before they can argue, pass through the open gates, and barely take two steps before some men appear in front of me. I fire my gun, but just as I'm about to hit another one of them, I see him fall to the ground. I don’t ne
Yelizaveta Little by little, I open my eyes and feel a bit disoriented, not knowing where I am. I shake my head, and when I finally manage to focus, I look around and realize I’m in some sort of abandoned warehouse. But strangely enough, I’m alone—or at least I think I am.Everything is so confusing that every time I try to remember what happened, my head aches a little. When small scenes of what happened this morning finally come to mind, a shiver runs through me. All those trucks blocking our way, my father’s men trying to protect me, the ones from bombon following us, and that girl, screaming my name before being hit and losing consciousness.I try to touch my head where I was struck hard enough to knock me out, but I realize that I’m tied to a chair. Just as I’m about to move it, I hear unfamiliar voices.“They hit her pretty hard.” Shouts a man, followed by a thud. I try to turn my head to see where it’s coming from, but I can’t, so I listen closely to their conversation.“I’m s
Alexandre “Boss, Mr. Belucci is outside and insists on speaking with you.” One of my men informs me. I set aside the documents I’m reading, somewhat confused by the visit from Liza’s father.“Let him in, please.” My man steps aside, and I see Mr. Belucci enter, clearly upset. He looks around as if searching for someone until he finally fixes his gaze on me.“Where is Yelizaveta?” He asks angrily.“I’m sorry, father-in-law, but Liza and I didn’t plan to meet today. I haven’t seen her in days.”“T-that can’t be possible. She told me she was coming to see you and left the house at noon, and she hasn’t returned. It’s already past midnight.” I check the time on my computer and realize she’s been missing for over twelve hours. I jump up from my seat, grab my phone, and try to reach her. “She’s not answering; we’ve been trying for hours.” He says, his voice trembling slightly.“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I ask, frustrated. “What exactly did she say before leaving the house?”“One of yo
Alexandre "For several days now, you've been acting a bit strange. What's bothering you, Alexandre?" Inquires Flavio as soon as he notices my expression.I turn my chair, let out a deep sigh, and gaze out over all of Liguria in an attempt to clear my mind of so many problems. After a brief pause, I decide to speak."Someone blew up Liza's father's ship a few days ago. Apparently, they had a very valuable cargo that was about to be shipped to Russia. This was a significant loss for both my father-in-law and his partner.""And how does that affect you?" Bellini asks. "Don't tell me the bastard dared to blame you?" He growls furiously.I can't help but laugh. When I turn my chair back around to face them, I shake my head."Why am I not surprised you think that of my father-in-law?""Maybe because the idiot is capable of that and more." Bellini retorts, glaring at me."Only because Liza isn't here will I agree with you, but in front of her, I never will. So, you know, Bellini, keep your
Yelizaveta As soon as we got into the SUV of my bonbon to head to his mansion, I heard his parents begin to argue in hushed tones, trying not to be noticed."Can I ask why you didn't intervene, Massimo?" Mrs. Lilibeth inquired, and from the tone of her voice, I could tell she was a little upset with her husband."Little shrew, you were handling it wonderfully; you didn't need me at any point. Besides, I love seeing you in that mama bear mode." Mr. Massimo replied, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. I immediately turned my face away so they wouldn't think I was eavesdropping, but I continued to listen to their conversation anyway."I don't like the way he talks to Alex." She said, lowering her voice a bit more."I know, little shrew, but Alex accepted it all along and didn't say anything. What can we do? Nothing.""It's not your fault, honey." My bonbon murmured, wrapping his arm around my waist. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had overheard them arguing."I'm sorry! It's just
Fabrizio “If you're here, it's because you need to tell me something. What is it?” I ask without looking up from my work.“Our men reported that Carluccio just arrived at the Belucci mansion with his parents. They believe they are there to make their relationship official.”“With a demon!” I explode angrily, hitting my desk, “this can't be happening.”I get up from my seat and start pacing around my office, thinking of the best way to prevent that engagement from happening at all costs.“I want you to blow up the shipment waiting at the port.” I order, stopping my steps.“H-how?”“Are you an idiot? Do I need to repeat my orders twice?”“I’m sorry, boss, it’s just that it will be a significant loss for both you and Belucci.”“That loss is nothing compared to what I stand to gain by keeping Yelizaveta away from Carluccio.”“Should I ask our men to abandon the ship?”“No, sometimes it’s worth making certain sacrifices to achieve a greater good. I want that ship to blow up within ten min
Alexandre "I don't understand what you mean, bonbon." Says Liza with a slight frown. In front of us, I hear Brianna chuckle, but I ignore her."Yes, bonbon, explain to us." Brianna chimes in with a malicious smile."Brianna!" I scold her, because I am sure that now that she knows what Liza calls me, it will be impossible for her to stop calling me that."You're so boring." I see grandpa give her a conspiratorial look, and I shake my head."Baby doll, let your brother explain." My father intervenes. Brianna makes a little pout and falls silent, still hugging grandpa."Liza's father must have his own hangar. I know that if we talk to him and explain the situation, he could help us. Besides, we can get grandpa out through the tunnels in the house. That's what I can think of for now.""And will your girlfriend's father agree?" My father asks, not very convinced."It's possible, though I'm not quite sure.""Don't worry, bonbon, I'll talk to him.""I think it's best if Massimo and I go and