“How is she, Doc?" Luka asked the doctor who was examining Caterina's condition. Luka looked very worried. His handsome face was filled with panic."She's fine, no significant injuries. Just a small cut on her face." The doctor replied calmly after examining and treating the wound on Caterina's face.“Thank goodness.” Luka breathed a sigh of relief.Caterina looked at Luka with an inexplicable feeling. She stared for a long time. Why did the man she had just met care about her so much? Even willing to come all the way from Sydney to Mexico just to save her. Why, when the Leonardo she grew up with didn't care about her life and death at all?"Thank you, Luka. I don't know what would have happened to me without your help." Caterina said sincerely. She owed her life to Luka and Alex.Luka smiled at Caterina's words. He looked at her gently. “Shopia really likes you; I don't want her to lose her mother again.”Caterina smiled back. Her lips stung as she smiled.“Here, compress your face.”
“Sir, it looks like we're too late.” One of Leonardo's men said as they arrived at the location where Caterina was kept. There was no one there. There was only an empty building with several bodies. There was a lot of blood splattered on the floor, a sign that there had been a battle there.Leonardo clenched his fists very tightly, his jaw hardened with a flushed face. He looked around angrily. Whether the enemy or Alex came first, he began to wonder. If the enemy arrived first, it meant that Caterina was now in danger.“Find out where Kate is now!” Leonardo, commanded sternly. The man turned, then took a determined step. He requested that his men take him back to headquarters. He wanted to pick up weapons supplies, as well as gather more troops. This was because he didn't know how strong the enemy he was about to face would be.Leonardo could not calm down at all. His heart was beating very fast, his chest beating very violently. He felt very anxious, worried if he would really lose
“Leo?” Caterina asked with a probing look after Luka switched off the call. She wanted to know what Leonardo wanted, so the man contacted Luka."Yes. I don't know who gave him the information that I was in Mexico." Luka nodded as he put his mobile phone back in his pocket. The man looked very relaxed, contrary to earlier when he saw Caterina injured. From the look on his face, he seemed very happy and relieved."His men are everywhere. Getting information about your whereabouts is easy for him." Alex responded, knowing full well about his boss's life. If he could choose, he really wanted to continue to be Leonardo's subordinate. However, what he could do if Leonardo doesn't want it?"It seems like he's disappointed that I survived. Perhaps he wished I had really died at the hands of the enemy." Caterina made a sad face. She did not know why the person she loved so much did not want her life. Neither Leonardo nor her father."Kate, you have many people who love you. You should just foc
“Kate, are you sure you want to marry him?” Marco looked disapproving. Of course, because he wanted Caterina to marry only him. He wanted his love to be reciprocated by Caterina.Caterina was silent for a moment. If she thought carefully, perhaps she would change her mind. So, she wouldn't think about it a second time. This time she was absolutely sure she wanted to marry Luka alone. If she could not love Luka after their marriage, at least she had a reason to endure. That was Shopia.“I'm very sure.” Caterina replied firmly.Luka smiled widely, his eyes sparkling. Of course he felt very happy. His love journey was very smooth to get Caterina.“I want you too, Kate. I thought you had forgiven me for the incident with your father.” Marco did not want to give in so quickly. If Luka who was a new person, could easily win Caterina's heart, why couldn't he?“Too bad because I'm only one; I can't marry two people at once.” Caterina said weakly. She actually wanted to marry Marco more than L
While waiting for Caterina's personal documents to be taken care of, they had to stay in Mexico. Marco offered his mansion to be their home while they were there. At least they could spend time together before they were separated for a long time, maybe forever.The car stopped when they arrived at Marco's mansion. The mansion was also the headquarters of the Phoenix Crew, so there were many people living there.Rossie was quite surprised when she found her brother coming home with Caterina. She was even more surprised when she saw Alex coming along. How could that be? Wasn't Alex their enemy? If it was just Caterina, it was acceptable because Marco did like Caterina.“Kate?” Rossie greeted with a confused look on her face.“Hi, long time no see.” Caterina smiled in greeting. Her smile seemed so sweet and sincere.“Kate?” The familiar voice came from the other direction. Gabriel seemed to be striding towards them. The man looked at her with a questioning look. He wanted to know what Ca
Early in the morning Caterina was already out of bed. She was preparing breakfast in the kitchen for several people. Of course she couldn't cook for all the residents of the mansion, so she only cooked a few portions for people she knew. The aroma of her cooking was so appetizing that Marco woke up to the smell of her cooking.The handsome man went into the kitchen shirtless. He only wore homemade trousers; his face looked rumpled like someone who just woke up from sleep; his hair also looked a little messy.“You don't have to do this, Kate.” Marco said in a hoarse voice typical of someone who just woke up. He yawned, then wiped his face with both palms.Caterina was a little surprised by Marco's sudden appearance. She turned her head, took a glance, and smiled.“I'm already staying here; I can at least do something to ease the maid's burden.” Caterina reasoned."Their pay is more than enough. You don't need to trouble yourself."“It's fine.” Caterina said with emphasis.Marco let out
Luka smiled sweetly at Caterina's words. He didn't know what Caterina's heart was like for him. He also didn't know how she looked at him, but he was really happy to hear the words that came out of her mouth. At least Caterina was serious about their marriage. It seemed that Caterina was not making their marriage just a shield to protect herself from Leonardo. However, she would also carry out her duties and obligations as a wife.“Here's the juice.” Caterina came over; she placed a glass of tomato juice on the dining table, right in front of Luka. The other glass she gave to Marco.“You just wait there; I'll serve it to you.” Caterina said softly, again taking over the cooking duties.Marco nodded gently; he accepted the glass that Caterina handed him, then moved to the dining chair. He downed the glass of juice.“I'm going to take a shower now; please call me when the food is served.” Marco got up again. He deliberately left the kitchen so that Caterina and Luka could be alone. Afte
The car Luka was driving came to a halt when a gatekeeper blocked the car's path to the mansion. The man gave instructions to lower the car windows because they had to make sure who was inside. Not just anyone could get in there.“I want to see my father.” Caterina said after she lowered the car window. She looked at the gatekeeper seriously."I can't give you permission. Mr. Bianchi has forbidden you to enter." The fierce-faced man said firmly.Just as Caterina had expected. They would not be given permission to enter. Not in the way Alex and the others had imagined, thinking they would be detained and tortured like enemies trying to enter the base.“I just want to see my father; please ask Leonardo.” Caterina was a little pushy.“Mr. Bianchi has warned me repeatedly; he'll get angry if I ask for the obvious.” The man still refused.Caterina sighed harshly. She knew very well that Leonardo's men were very obedient to her. None of them dared to break the rules he made. All of them wer
"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