“Auntie, don’t go home!” Shopia held back Caterina’s steps. She didn’t want to be left by the woman because she was already very comfortable with Caterina’s presence as her mother’s replacement. Caterina was very kind to her. The woman was very gentle and also had a motherly side. Shopia really wanted Caterina as her mother.“Honey, Auntie has to work tomorrow morning. Let her go home; sometime, Auntie will come here again.” Luka tried to make her daughter understand.Luka felt awkward now because it turned out that the woman he liked would also be his sister-in-law. His relationship with Leonardo turned out to be that complicated. If he had known earlier, he would never have liked Caterina and intended to make her his wife. Now their relationship had become very complicated.“Don’t go home, Auntie! Auntie, stay here; sleep with me. I want Auntie to be my mother.” Shopia continued to hold back. She hugged Caterina’s legs very tightly, hoping that Caterina would not leave. She started
Caterina looked closely at Shopia's face. The more she looked, the more she felt that the little girl did look a bit like Leonardo. The shape of her nose and eyebrows was very similar to Leonardo. She smiled widely, starting to imagine what her child and Leonardo would look like in the future. Maybe it would be a bit like Sophia.Caterina stroked Sophia's hair tenderly. Her affection for the little girl began to deepen. Especially after she knew that Shopia had a blood relationship with Leonardo. She had even more reason to love her more.Caterina gently kissed the top of her head. She sighed deeply, then got out of bed. Just as she got off, her steps were interrupted by Shopia's call.“Auntie, don't go.” The little girl whined spoilishly. She was already asleep when Caterina thought she was going home. However, the small movement she caused woke Shopia up.“I'm not leaving, dear. I just wanted to turn off the light.” Caterina made an excuse. She stepped towards the light switch, then
“Thank you for tonight. At least Sophia was able to feel a mother's love for just one night.” Luka said that after they arrived at the villa courtyard.Caterina smiled slightly and got out of the car. She stepped gingerly into the villa in front without waiting for Luka to leave.The villa still looked as crowded as before. There were many beautiful women there. The atmosphere inside the villa looked a little messy. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. There were many bottles of alcohol lying on the floor, as well as on the table. Food wrappers were scattered around, as well as used contraceptives.Caterina sighed harshly. She had only stayed one night; the villa was already a mess. She felt bad for the owners of this villa because they didn't keep it clean when they stayed there.Some men seemed to be sleeping disorderly with women in their arms. The atmosphere in front of Caterina's eyes was completely chaotic. She clucked and shook her head. She didn't expect her coworkers
“Are you bored?” Leonardo asked with great tenderness. He looked lovingly at Caterina. He knew and understood that Caterina did not like this kind of event.Caterina nodded gently in response. The only reason she continued to be there was because she wanted to be with Leonardo. If not for him, she would have left the building long ago. She didn't want to make the mistake of taking the wrong drink and ending up with a bad hangover.Leonardo searched for Alex's whereabouts. He couldn't trust Caterin to anyone but his men.“I'll ask Alex to take you back to the villa.” Leonardo made a decision.“No need; I can do it myself. Alex will be busy mingling.” Caterina refused. She was no longer a child who needed supervision. She was also a martial arts expert. If anyone bothered her, she could beat them up with her own hands.Thanks to Marco, he had created the current version of Caterina. Caterina, who was more capable in battle.“Be careful on the road. I'll catch up in a few hours; there ar
“Last night Luka met me before I went home.” Caterina said while they were having breakfast together. She didn't want to make Leonardo think bad things about her, so she told him before he asked.“Oh yeah? What were you talking about?” Leonardo asked in an enthusiastic tone. He acted as if he didn't know. His face looked very friendly this morning, contrary to last night when he saw Luka approaching Caterina. It seemed that he was getting good at acting.Caterina didn't like angry men, so he would always hold back when he was with her.“If you're not busy, this afternoon we can visit Francisca's grave after Shopia gets home from school.” Caterina told him.Leonardo stopped chewing, he looked up to Caterina with a deep look. He finally had the chance to visit his late sister's grave. He was impatient, because there was a lot of pent-up longing. There were many things he wanted to say. Although he was very busy, he would make time for it.Alex who was there could only listen without dar
“Mommy, today I came to see you. Are you happy there, Mom?” Shopia said as she gently stroked Francisca's grave. The child did not yet clearly understand the meaning of death. She didn't really understand who her mother was and why she died. However, Luka always took his daughter to visit Francisca's grave regularly every week. He wanted his daughter and his late wife to have a strong bond even though they were in different worlds.Shopia placed the flowers she brought on the grave, then kissed her late mother's headstone. She didn't know why she had to do that, but she was certain that she always did it every time she visited there.Luka just watched. He didn't want to show his sadness in front of his daughter. So, he always spoke and greeted Francisca from his heart. He was talking to himself a lot, expressing all his longing for Francisca. Outwardly he looked strong, but inwardly he was still devastated by Francisca's sudden death. His love was still very much alive when his late w
After the tomb, Caterina and Leonardo returned to the Villa. Alex immediately approached and informed him that there was a commotion at La Vendetta's headquarters in Mexico. Fortunately, all of that can be handled by his men on guard. It is suspected that the enemy attacked suddenly because they knew that Leonardo was abroad with Alex.There was no La Vendetta leader in Mexico, so they thought that they could paralyze the headquarters and take over Leonardo's leadership. Unfortunately, they were completely wrong, as Leonardo's men have fighting skills that cannot be underestimated. They are very good at martial arts, their weaponry is very complete, also they have very high solidarity between coworkers, so their cooperation runs smoothly to knock out enemies who suddenly come to attack.“That's good, I've never been wrong in choosing the members of La Vendetta.” Leonardo felt very proud of his leadership.The headquarters could not be broken into by the enemy in his absence. That woul
“I apologize for my behavior last night.” Leonardo apologized sincerely. He did not want their relationship to end so briefly just because of his jealousy.“I'm over it.” Caterina replied casually. She was used to the attitude and harsh words Leonardo had thrown at her. What he did last night was nothing to her. She did not feel hurt at all.Caterina was in a good mood this morning. She enjoyed her breakfast with great relish.A ringing phone call came from Leonardo's cell phone. The man reached for his cell phone to check who dared to call him at this time of the morning. Usually clients would call Alex to leave a message or pass on information. Only certain people knew Leonardo's private number.Luka's name flashed on the screen. He immediately accepted the call, thinking there was something important Luka wanted to say about their collaboration.“Does Kate have an event this morning?” Luka asked after they had exchanged pleasantries.Leonardo frowned. He turned to look at Caterina,
The party finished just before 1am. Caterina felt very tired and sleepy. She was used to staying up late and sleeping early in the morning; it was just that she was not used to the crowded atmosphere and formal events like this. Interacting with so many people made her feel very tired. Her energy was drained very much. At this rate, she would need a few days of rest to fully recharge his energy."I'm sorry you had to keep me company until midnight." Luka felt guilty. He felt bad. He remembered when Leonardo had brought Caterina to an important event and asked her to go home first because Caterina felt uncomfortable. However, he could not do what Leonardo did, because Caterina was one of the important people in this event. It would not be good for her to leave the party in the middle of it.Caterina smiled broadly. It seemed that she had to get used to it. Because, in the future, she will attend more often in this way."It is I who apologizes for not being able to accompany you to the
"You go in first; I want to see my father first." Luka said as they arrived at an upscale hotel tonight. As Adam had said last week, tonight he would be holding an official party to announce the company's new leader, as well as to tell the public that Caterina was Luka's future wife.There will be a lot of media coming to broadcast the news. Caterina's name will become famous after this. She will be the daughter-in-law of the richest man in Sydney. Her profile and background will be explored by many people. If they knew that Caterina came from the dark world of the mafia, they would probably look down on her. She would be labeled as a bad person.Caterina nodded gently, she released her embrace on Luka's arm, and let him leave.Caterina didn't really like parties and crowds like this, so she felt very uncomfortable. She stepped very clumsily into the building where the party would be held.However, Caterina's steps were halted as the doorman stopped her. They asked her to show her inv
"Daddy is home." Caterina told Shopia that Luka had arrived at the villa. They started to get ready for the surprise. Caterina brought a big cake, while Shopia brought a small cake because she was not strong enough to carry a big cake.Today was Luka's 34th birthday. Caterina and the others had prepared a small party at home. They were celebrating with family only. No invitations, no friends. There were Alex and Dante, who joined in the festivities. Adam had only been notified a few minutes ago.They stood at the door. Waiting with their hearts racing. This was the first time Caterina had celebrated a birthday for Luka. She didn't know how he would respond. She didn't want to expect more, because she had been disappointed so many times. When she celebrated Leonardo's birthday, he didn't want to look at her at all. Let alone accepting her gift, he even threw the cake that Caterina offered.Having been hurt too many times, Catarina no longer had high hopes. Even though she knew the woun
"Why are you here?" Adam looked at his son with a probing look."Where else am I supposed to be? I need to go to the office to check my work after my two-week. There are a lot of files that I need to go through and sign off on. There's already a lot of cooperation pending. It's time for me to get back to work." Luka answered honestly."The work can be taken care of by others. There are many people who can be entrusted to take care of everything. You shouldn't have left Kate. She's still recovering." Adam seemed very concerned. Even now he was starting to be overprotective of his future daughter-in-law.Luka smiled a little. He hadn't expected that to be the reason his father had asked him about why he was at the office this morning. He thought it was something else; it was because he left Caterina for work."She's fine. She asked me to come back to work. I have Alex and Dante looking after her at home." Luka explained."That's good that you are. You check all these files and give them
Hearing Caterina's words, Dante felt very happy. He had never thought that his daughter would give him a chance. The man smiled broadly. He approached Caterina, then hugged her very tightly."I know I've made many mistakes. This time I promise I will make up for all my past mistakes. I will be a good father to you." Dante said with great tenderness.Caterina nodded; she returned her father's hug gently.Luka looked happy to see that Caterina and her father's relationship had improved. His dream of improving their relationship had finally come true. At least that was all he wanted for now."No one needs me to take you to the airport, right?" Alex asked reassuringly after he saw Caterina and Dante hugging each other. The two had made up."I guess," Dante replied as he released her hug."Daddy!" Shopia ran to her father. She clung to her father's thighs. In her arms was the doll she got from Adam. She still thought it was from Caterina."Who is she?" Dante asked as he looked at his daugh
"Dad?" Caterina was taken completely by surprise when she came out of the room to find Dante standing at the door. She was petrified for a moment, staring at her father with a mind filled with question marks. Since when had he been there? Why was he suddenly there? What was he doing there? All these questions ruled Caterina's mind."Kate..." Dante said weakly. His eyes looked teary. His whole body was trembling. He couldn't help but feel, even more so after he learned that Caterina had died and finally came back from the dead. He did not expect that his daughter would go through so many difficult times because of him."I'm sorry." Dante said in a hoarse and trembling voice. He hugged Caterina very tightly. His embrace even made Caterina moan because of the pain in her wound."I'm sorry." Dante released the hug because he did not want to hurt his daughter further. He gently rubbed Caterina's shoulders. A knot of a smile appeared on his lips. However, his eyes were moist from crying.Wh
"I can help you if you want. You don't have to spend your time in prison. No one knows how long you'll be locked up there." The man in the formal suit spoke with emphasis. He had travelled from Mexico to Sydney after learning that Leonardo was involved in a criminal offense and had to deal with the law.If he had wanted to, Leonardo would have relied on his connections to get all charges dropped. However, he did not want to do that, as he realized that he was wrong. Moreover, Caterina forgave without wanting to prolong. He felt ashamed, angry, and disappointed in himself. There were countless mistakes he had made. There was no telling how much pain Caterina had received. He wanted to make up for all his mistakes, at least by being locked up in a detention cell for a few months."You don't have to do that. I wanted this." Leonardo replied expressionlessly.The man was quite surprised by Leonardo's refusal. How could he? How could he voluntarily submit himself to trial? He was the ruler
After a week in the hospital, Caterina was finally allowed to go home under the condition that she must always be under the doctor's care. Her pale face had also started to look fresh. Luka had really taken good care of her during her hospitalization. He even neglected his work during this week. For him, Caterina was more important than work. Even Adam also preferred to be in the hospital rather than working."Slow down." Luka said gently as he helped Caterina out of the car. He carried her, half-hugging her, to step into the house."Mommy!" Shopia ran over when she saw Caterina had finally returned. She hugged Caterina's legs very tightly, as there was a lot of longing building up."Where are the souvenirs, Mommy?" Shopia looked up, looking at Caterina with sparkling eyes. Her face looked radiant, a sweet smile gracing her lips. She didn't know anything about what had happened to Caterina, because Adam had told her that Luka and Caterina were travelling to Mexico for a week to take c
Caterina woke up in the morning when the doctor came to check her condition. She had slept very well the whole night, due to the effects of the medicine the doctor had given her. The woman frowned as she felt the glare of the light. Her eyes narrowed to look around. She was quite surprised to find Adam there."Uncle?" Caterina called out weakly.Adam approached with a smile. He felt guilty for all the things he had done to Caterina in the past. He felt guilty for hurting her. If he had known that Caterina was a victim of Leonardo's selfishness, he would never have antagonized her. He would have loved her with all his heart and regarded her as his own daughter."Stop calling me uncle; call me father from now on." Adam said with great tenderness. He rubbed the top of Caterina's head, the look in his eyes showing that he had truly accepted Caterina completely.Caterina smiled with a gentle nod. She was very happy with Adam's behavior because she felt as if she had a loving father. All th