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 I arrive at our destination, I head up to my office where Dunyasha is already waiting for me, and from the expression on her face, I imagine the news isn’t good.“Good evening, Dunyasha! What news do you have for me?” I ask, taking a seat.“Good evening, young Carluccio! You can call me Yasha, as I’ve mentioned before. Regarding the other matter, we still haven’t found the mastermind behind all this, but the good news is that I’ve started eliminating several locations that were indicated as starting points. Believe it or not, it’s a significant advance.”“And I told you that you can call me Alexandre, Yasha. I believe you; if Pietro recommended you, there’s a reason, so I trust both of you. About the other issue, what have you been informed?”“We’ve kept her under surveillance day and night as you ordered, so much so that I was informed when you went to look for her and where you visited.”“Perfect, keep it up.”“Don’t worry, young Carluccio, nothing bad will happen to your girlf
The next day, as I'm finishing getting ready, aunt Melike appears, her eyes a bit red and puffy, but despite everything, a small smile adorns her face."Oh, aunt Melike! Don't tell me you had a nasty argument with uncle Mich?" I ask, somewhat concerned."Just a little, but eventually he calmed down, and we sorted everything out.""But your eyes are still a bit red; for a moment, I thought you'd do what mom does with dad." I respond while trying to tie my hair into a ponytail."What does Mrs. Ekatherina do?" I start laughing and lower my voice so no one will hear us if they decide to open the door without knocking."When mom argues with dad, she locks herself in her room almost all day, making him feel miserable...""Liza! Don’t speak like that about your father." She responds, somewhat alarmed, glancing toward the door."Fine, making him feel bad, happy now?" She nods, so I continue, "She doesn't come out all day, but when dinner time comes, she comes downstairs all dressed up, wearin
"Stop, Bellini!" I order him as soon as I see his intention to draw his weapon and point it at Liza. She turns and looks at us with a smile."This place is beautiful." She comments, pointing to the photo in her hand."It is, darling. I'll take you there one of these days." At this, her smile widens, and she nods excitedly."Really, bonbon? I've always wanted to go, but I know it's extremely hard to get a ticket." She replies, a bit disheartened."Yes, darling, I promise. But now, I'd like to know, how does that place belong to your uncle Maurizio?""He bought it a year ago. Apparently, the previous owner went bankrupt, and since uncle Maurizio always wanted a place like that, he decided to acquire it.""And does he know who the previous owner was?" Yasha inquires, stepping ahead of us."He’s never mentioned it, but I suppose he does. Why is it so important to know that person's name?" Bellini subtly shakes his head at me, signaling not to say anything, but since she’s shared something
I leave my office after that conversation we had and head to the bar, where Liza is chatting with the bartender. I signal to him not to mention that I’m standing behind her, and I listen to their conversation."So, what drink do you recommend?" Liza asks, eyeing all the bottles in front of her."Do you drink alcohol?" Liza ponders for a moment and shakes her head. "In that case, I'll make you a Cosmopolitan.""And how do you make it?""With a bit of vodka, raspberry juice, some triple sec, and lemon juice. It's not too strong, so I hope you'll like it." He starts preparing her drink, and Liza watches intently as he mixes the flavors. When he places it in front of her, I signal for him to leave us alone."I'll be back later." He says before heading to the storeroom."Thanks, I hope you're not gone too long, I enjoyed talking with you." Liza murmurs, taking a small sip of her drink."Did you like it, sweetheart?" I ask, hugging her from behind and resting my head on her shoulder. She te
Yelizaveta "Yelizaveta!" Dad's shout pierces the silence that reigns at this moment. I look up and realize he is watching me quite annoyed."Mom! What happened?" She just cries a little louder and before she can say anything, Dad comes to us and takes mom by the waist."Why do you think I did something to your mother? Just because she's crying doesn't mean it's my fault." As soon as he says this, I feel ashamed for thinking that about dad, so I lower my head."So what happened to her?" I murmur, taking mom's hand."Grandpa Yuri is very delicate, honey. I have to go take care of him," She informs me with a choked voice."I want to go with you.""No honey, it's better if you stay with your father, besides you will leave Alexandre alone. I don't know how long I'll take to return. Uncle Mich will accompany me, and you know aunt Melike will be sad if you leave too.""But Alexandre will understand…""There’s no time, honey. They're waiting for me at the airport." She kisses my cheek and le
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