“Honey, remember what I told you? Never force Aunt Kate to do anything.” Luka reminded his daughter not to force Caterina to do what she wanted.“But, Dad.” Shopia looked very frustrated. On the one hand, she wanted Caterina to stay with her. However, on the other hand, she also did not want to impose her will on Caterina.Caterina turned to look at Leonardo with a pleading look.“You go home first; I'll go home after the event is over. Don't spoil Sophia's happiness; I only spent one day with her.” Caterina said with firmness.Leonardo was silent. He did not give any response. Caterina's answer made him feel very disappointed. Caterina had already apologized for making him worried. However, the woman did not care at all about his feelings. He wanted her to come back home with him now, but she preferred Luka.Leonardo didn't know why Caterina chose Luka over him.“Come on, darling.” Caterina took Sophia by the hand to re-enter the room where they were having dinner together.Leonardo
“What do you mean?” Caterina stared with a look that demanded an answer. Her voice sounded shaky. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating. Of course, she had just felt the happiness of being able to find the love of the man she had been pursuing, but now he was breaking up with her in the middle of the road.This was so sudden; Caterina couldn't take it. She squeezed her dress, biting her lower lip to contain her feelings.“I just don't think we're compatible.” Leonardo replied simply.“Incompatible how?” Caterina did not accept the reason Leonardo gave. “We've just started; it's only natural that we still need to adjust. You know I love you so much; why is your way of hurting me so painful?” Caterina's eyes glazed over. She felt very hot on her face.Leonardo did not answer. He remained silent with his gaze fixed on the road.“Look at me!” Caterina pulled Leonardo's hand so that he turned to look at her.“I'm driving, Kate. Leave me alone.” Leonardo said coldly; he removed Caterina'
“What time will she leave?” Leonardo asked with indescribable feelings. He felt very conflicted. If he held Caterina back, Caterina would think that he was being too strict with her. However, if he let her go, she would think that he didn't care about her.Women are hard to understand!“Eight o'clock in the morning, sir.” Alex told him what he knew. Caterina never kept anything from him, so he knew all about her.Leonardo sighed harshly. He looked at Alex intently. His gaze this time looked very serious and deadly. His jaw looked so firm.“What kind of person do you think I am?” Leonardo asked suddenly.Alex frowned, not understanding. He felt very anxious now because he was afraid that he would answer wrongly and make his problem even more complicated.“Why do I never look good in Kate's eyes? Am I that cruel?” Leonardo asked very seriously. He understood if his enemy said that he was cruel, because he did treat his enemy without mercy. His goal was to look cruel so that his enemies
"You went home alone? Where is Leonardo?" Dante asked with a smile, his eyes twinkling as he welcomed Caterina back to Mexico. The man looked around, searching for Leonardo's whereabouts.Since learning the news about Leonardo's desire to marry Caterina, Dante had been thrilled. He helped organize the wedding ceremony that was being prepared. He couldn't wait to see his daughter with the man she loved.However, when he found Caterina returning home alone, the smile on his face slowly faded.“He won't come; it's useless for you to wait for him.” Caterina replied with annoyance. Her pretty face could not hide the fact that she was holding back her irritation right now."Why, aren't you getting married? I thought you'd be home in a few days; I didn't know you'd be home so soon."“Getting married?” Caterina laughed sadly as she said the word. Her eyes showed great disappointment. How could she not? Even her father knew about this news.Who told him?"Isn't that right? Leonardo asked his m
“Is that so?” Leonardo said weakly after he heard the report from his men in Mexico. He hadn't expected that Caterina would still be desperate to go off on her own without bringing Dante along.In the past, the father and daughter had desperately defended each other. Even Dante almost lost his life because of Caterina. Now both of them chose their own paths because of her.“Take good care of Dante. Give him whatever he wants.” Leonardo said very firmly. After that he disconnected the call.Leonardo sighed very heavily. He massaged his forehead gently, because he felt very dizzy with what was happening. The man was really stressed right now. He didn't know what to do next. Dante chose to side with him for a reason. He didn't want to disappoint Dante's trust again. However, he had given up on loving Caterina. Not because he no longer wanted her, but because his love always made Caterina feel pain.“Sir.” Alex knocked on the door of Leonardo's room.“Come in!” Leonardo said firmly.Alex
“Do you have no heart at all? Kate is in danger, and you don't care?” Alex smiled sarcastically; he looked at Leonardo with a look of disbelief. “No wonder Kate stopped loving you; what woman could live with a selfish man like you?” Alex said in an offensive tone.Leonardo was not offended by Alex's insinuation. He just stayed silent with a flat face.Alex couldn't see any anxiety or worry on Leonardo's face or in his eyes. He shook his head, really not expecting that his boss was more cruel than he thought.Alex sighed harshly, then moved to leave despite Leonardo's protests. The man was so agitated, he couldn't calm down at all. He called Caterina repeatedly, but there was no answer at all.Alex booked a ticket to return to Mexico as soon as possible. He didn't care what the consequences would be; all he could think about now was how to save Caterina's life.As Alex was about to leave, he bumped into Luka, who came with Shopia. The little girl had been waiting for Caterina's arrival
“Do you have any weaponry in Mexico?” Luka asked seriously as they were on their way to the airport. He had a lot of pistols and firearms in his stash, but he couldn't bring weapons with him when they entered the airport. It was very difficult to smuggle in weapons when they were going abroad. If he had persisted, it could have complicated their trip.“There are a lot of weapons in La Vendetta's warehouse; I just don't know if Leo will allow me to keep using them or not. Because I've left La Vendetta.” Alex said weakly; he still couldn't believe that his boss didn't care about Caterina's life. He was really disappointed because all this time he kept thinking that Caterina was so loved by Leonardo. He really couldn't accept the reality.“You know every corner of La Vendetta headquarters, right? We can infiltrate to steal weapons. I could order a lot of weapons in Mexico after we get there, but I think that would take more time. The longer we take to rescue Kate, the more tortured she'l
Caterina smiled at the stranger in front of her. She didn't know who he was, apparently a new enemy. She knew all of La Vendetta's enemies, but not this time.“Fool. You should have found out who your target was before you kidnapped me.” Caterina taunted the villain. She found it both amusing and sad that the enemy had captured the wrong person. In vain, they used her as a hostage to threaten Leonardo because Leonardo himself didn't care about her.“Can't you shut up?!” The man said sharply. Ever since he kidnapped and held Caterina hostage, there had been no sign that Leonardo was interested in coming to negotiate. Even the messages he sent were not replied to by Leonardo. Plus, Caterina has always mocked him from the first day she was taken hostage. Caterina didn't look scared at all; the woman was very relaxed. The corners of her lips were even pulled into a smiley knot.“I told you, you taking me hostage is a futile act.” Caterina continued to try to remind.“No one asked for your
"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
"Kate! Where's Kate?" Adam ran in breathlessly. The whole city of Sydney recognized the middle-aged man. So, the security guards and doctors didn't dare to hold him back or reprimand him. The man looked very panicked, his face and eyes full of worry. Fortunately, he had not heard the news about Caterina's death. He had only heard from his men that Caterina was being treated at the hospital for being shot in her vitals.The door opened with Adam appearing behind it. The man looked at Caterina, who was sleeping on a hospital bed in the VIP room. There were numerous devices attached to her body."Dad?" Luka was surprised to see his father there. His brow furrowed, he looked around. His father had come alone."Why are you here?" Luka asked in a tone demanding an answer. He had told his men to keep this matter a secret from Adam or Shopia. Why was his father suddenly there?"Do you think I'm that cruel? I told you that I have recognized Kate as my daughter-in-law. Why would you keep a matt
"I'll take care of the administration so that we can take Kate's body directly to the crematorium for cremation." Alex said with a trembling voice. The man could not even believe that Caterina had died. The woman he had thought of as his only remaining family had left him.Alex took a weak step. His face was puffy and red. He was deeply lost and grieved over Caterina's death. There was no sentence that could describe his feelings at the moment. He even had to take care of the hospital administration when he was in such a state of grief."No! You can't take her to the cremation ground!" Luka said in a high tone. "Kate is still alive. Her body is still warm." He continued to deny. Perhaps because of his deep love, he couldn't accept reality.Alex ignored that sentence. He knew that what Luka was saying right now was just an expression of his pain. The longer he heard Luka's cries, the deeper his pain would become as he realized that he would never see Caterina again."Where am I?" The w
Hearing the doctor's words, Luka felt like his life was over. His heart stopped beating for a few seconds. He could not believe that Caterina was really dead. How could that be? This morning he was still joking with Caterina. He had only left her for a few hours because Caterina was going to choose a wedding dress. They were going to get married in the near future, but now it looked like it would never happen. This was because the bride-to-be was gone.Luka fell to his knees on the floor. He couldn't even cry because he was too shocked to hear the news. His face looked very pale, his eyes wide open.Alex immediately ran into the room. He ran over to Caterina. His tears immediately broke after he saw the pale face of Caterina who was sleeping on the operating bed. The eyes were now tightly closed. Her beautiful face looked very pale."Kate! You can't die! Who gave you permission to die?!" Leonardo's screams sounded so heartbreaking. He shook Caterina's body, hoping that she would rise
Leonardo paced back and forth in front of the operating theater. His body was still covered in Caterina's bloodstains after he hugged and carried her bloodied body. Caterina needed many blood transfusions. She was now in the operating theater to have the bullet removed from her body.As expected. The bullet hit Caterina's vital organs. It would be a miracle if she survived death this time. The doctors were trying very hard in there.Leonardo could not calm down at all. His face was flushed, his heart beating very fast. If Caterina didn't survive this time, he would really go crazy. Because Caterina died by her own hand.The medics had been working there for hours, but there was still no news. Leonardo continued to wait. He prayed silently, hoping that Caterina would be given the strength to survive her crisis this time."Bastard!" A punch suddenly landed on Leonardo's face. The man was so shocked, he almost fell down because the punch was really very strong.Leonardo's men approached;
"Kate! Kate! Do you still hear me?!" Luka became increasingly panicked when he could no longer hear any sound. His call connection with Caterina had been severed. The man's face looked deathly pale. A cold sweat began to break out suddenly. His heart seemed to stop beating. His hands trembled violently. His wild mind began to wander everywhere. He had thought of the worst thing that had happened to Caterina. Moreover, he had heard gunshots and screams just before the call was cut off."Let's hurry!" Luka ordered his men to drive at a faster speed.Luka could not calm down during the whole journey. He was very anxious. Every second that passed felt so slow."Can't you drive any faster?" Luka said in a hurried tone. He had lost the woman he loved so much. At that time he felt that his world was over. He survived only because of his daughter Shopia. Here he found his passion again after he met Caterina. He no longer wanted to feel lost for the second time. He loved Caterina very much. Ha