Once satisfied, Leonardo left Caterina alone. He walked out of the room without saying a word. The expression on his face was unpredictable. No one knew what exactly was in Leonardo's heart and mind, apart from himself.Caterina could only cry with her weak body lying on the floor. Some parts of her body were bruised and swollen, a sign that Leonardo had done it very roughly. She felt extreme pain and soreness in her groin. In her heart now there was only anger and hatred. The man she had been in love with for a dozen years had done something so hurtful to her. Not even Marco had done that to him.“Kate!” Dante ran into the room after Leonardo disappeared from there. The man ran over. His world seemed to collapse when he saw his daughter lying on the floor without clothes. His heart sank when he saw his daughter's body covered in wounds, as well as love juices. Even Caterina's inner thighs were stained with the blood of her hymen.Dante hugged his daughter with a trembling body. He wa
Caterina finally fell asleep after Dante treated her wound. There was a bigger wound depicted on Caterina's face. It was not a physical wound, but a mental wound that would never heal.Dante looked longingly at his daughter's face. His eyes were red, his chest tight. What kind of father was he to bring his daughter into such great danger?“I'm sorry, Kate.” Dante said in a hoarse, trembling voice. He rubbed his daughter's bruised face. It was still puffy, as Caterina had been crying the entire time until she fell asleep from exhaustion.Dante wrapped his arms around Caterina's body, then lovingly kissed his daughter's forehead. He felt sick when he remembered the last time he had kissed his daughter's forehead. Their time together was too short because he was too busy with work. When he realized, his daughter had grown up without affection.“I promised you that I would be a good father to you. I won't break my promise this time.” Dante said with emphasis, as if he were talking to hims
Caterina woke up when it was already noon. The hot sunlight sneaking in through the gap in the curtains made her eyes a little dazzling. She stretched for a moment, then rubbed her eyes. She got up to sit up. When she got up, she felt her whole body ache and hurt. Now she regained consciousness and remembered what happened last night. Remembering it all, Caterina became hysterical. She was scared, sad, and extremely frustrated.“Aaaarght!” Caterina screamed at the top of her lungs. She pulled her hair very roughly, hoping that it would make all the bad memories in her head disappear.The door to the room opened after the scream was heard outside. It was not Dante who appeared from behind the door, but a maid. The woman brought food for Caterina.Caterina stared intently. She trusted no one now but her father. There was no one she could trust anymore after the man she loved so much had violently raped her.“Madam, I brought you some fish soup and tomato juice as well.” The woman approa
Three days after the incident, Caterina's physical condition had started to improve, but not her mental state. The bruises on her face also seemed to have faded. She had not seen or crossed paths with Leonardo since the incident.If Dante was fine, they would plan their escape right now. However, Dante's condition did not allow it. He had difficulty walking. If they ran away and were chased by Leonardo, they would be caught immediately. Dante didn't want to make things worse.It seems that Caterina's escape this time must be planned very carefully. If she ran away unprepared like before, she would be caught again. Not only caught by Leonardo but also by Marco.“You don't have to think about me, Kate. Just think about yourself; it's okay if you want to run away. That bastard can vent his anger on me. I just want you to be safe and start a new life.” Dante tried to convince.However, Caterina didn't want to. If she left, then her father would have to go too. There was no need for a sacr
There was an explosion from the direction of the firearms storage warehouse. The explosion was so loud that it knocked down several sides of the warehouse. Several officers ran towards the scene. Caterina was running in that direction when she heard the screams of a man moaning in death.“What happened?”“Is there an intruder?”“He's seriously injured! Let's rush him to the infirmary!”“Tighten the guard!” “Inform Mr. Bianchi about this matter!”“Looks like the enemy is coming for us!”All sorts of comments and questions could be heard exchanged. The atmosphere turned into complete chaos. Fortunately, only one person was injured in this incident. Caterina immediately performed first aid to stop the bleeding. The man had already lost consciousness when Caterina asked him to be rushed to the treatment room.Caterina immediately put in an IV. She did her job very well, doing what she was supposed to do as a doctor. Her doctor's spirit was so well ingrained that she always moved very qui
Dante looked confused when his daughter suddenly asked him to run away. He was unprepared, plus his leg was still recovering. He would be happy if his daughter could get out of that place safely. However, if he came with such a condition, it would only be a burden for her. He did not want to trouble his daughter.“It will be easier if you go alone. I'm fine being alone here.” Dante tried to be reassuring. He didn't want to make things difficult for his daughter. After what Caterina had been through, he didn't want to make her life more difficult.“No, I'm not leaving you here.” Caterina emphasized. She stepped towards her father's closet. She opened the drawer inside the cupboard, then put her father's pile of money, cards, and valuables into a backpack. She carried the bag on her back, then turned toward her father. He helped Dante to his feet and stepped out of the room.“The base is crowded right now because of the recent explosion. It'll be hard to get out of here without getting
“I'm sorry.” Leonardo said weakly. He had repeated the words dozens of times since then. His palms were cold; his heart was beating very fast. He was really nervous now; he had never been this nervous in his life. Even when he had to deal with enemies, he never felt nervous. However, he felt extremely nervous when he was about to meet Caterina.“I—I... love you.” Leonardo stammered. His voice was weak and trembling. The sentence sounded like a mumble; he could barely even hear the words he was saying.Leonardo squeezed his fingers repeatedly. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. The man was impatient; he had waited there long enough.Leonardo's sigh sounded so heavy. He opened the desk drawer and took out a pack of cigarettes from there. He fiddled with the pack repeatedly, wondering whether he should smoke or not. He needed the cigarettes to calm his mind, but he was afraid because Caterina didn't like cigarette smoke. He didn't want to disappoint her by offering her someth
One punch landed directly on Alex's face when he was brought to see Leonardo. The corner of his lip instantly split and bled. He felt very painful on his face. Leonardo's power was great, so his punch had a big effect. Alex felt dizzy. He was dizzy; his vision seemed to be spinning.The disappointment on Leonardo's face was immense. He was so disappointed that the man he trusted had betrayed him. He had never felt this disappointed before. He always forgives Alex's every mistake, but not this time. Alex had made a very big mistake. Letting Caterina escape was the same as letting her face the great danger out there. He was very worried now that Caterina was no longer under his protection.“I'm very disappointed in you,” Leonardo said with indescribable feelings. His emotions were in turmoil right now.“I'm sorry, sir.” That was all Alex could say. He knew he was wrong, so he wasn't going to defend himself. Admitting mistakes is a sign that he has a big heart.Leonardo looked away; he d
This morning the air felt colder than usual. Caterina put a thick jacket on Shopia's body. While in the distance, Luka came with several cups of hot coffee."For you." Luka handed the coffee cups to Leonardo and Alex.Leonardo accepted the coffee with a smile, while the corner of his eye looked at Caterina, who was busy with Shopia. He was happy to see Caterina happy. However, his heart sank when he realized that Caterina's happiness was not him. He had to let the woman he loved live with another man.Sophia turned to look at Leonardo. He smiled broadly and waved goodbye. The only reason Caterina and Luka met Leonardo this morning was because Shopia was related to him. Sophia should at least recognize her uncle.Leonardo waved back at the little girl. Just like Alex said, Leonardo has changed a lot from before.Caterina led Shopia towards the group of men."Honey, give the gift to Uncle Leo." Caterina said softly.Sophia nodded.Leonardo stared at Caterina without blinking. After six
"Kate, I want to talk seriously." Alex said with a serious look on his face. He rarely acted like this. If he said something serious, it meant it was serious."Honey, you go to your room first." Caterina said very softly.Shopia, who was lying on Caterina's thigh, got up and went to her room. That child was really very obedient."What do you want to talk about?" Caterina looked up, looking at the man with a questioning look."Leo will be out of prison tomorrow morning." The man gave information. It wasn't that he wanted to scare Caterina, but he had something else to say."You can rest assured, Kate will be safe as long as I'm with her. There's nothing to be afraid of; he already has a criminal history. If he does the same thing a second time, the punishment will be more severe than before." Luka said firmly. It was as if he was emphasizing that no one could hurt Caterina as long as he existed. Even if that person was Leonardo.This was the sixth month of their marriage, just as Leona
Caterina stood in front of the mirror. She looked at her reflection there. The beautiful face looked even more beautiful after being polished with makeup. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She tried to convince herself that this was the right move. She did not want to regret her decision to marry Luka. Here she had found so much love. This was the place where she could get what she wanted.There was a knock on the door from outside.Caterina invited him to enter. Dante stepped inside with tears in his eyes. He was touched when he saw his daughter in a wedding dress. He could finally see Caterina get married.As they had hoped, the world Luka offered was far from the hustle and bustle of crime. There were no enemies, no gunshots, no danger lurking every time they left the house.It was the kind of peaceful life that Dante and Caterina had always wanted. They had intended to escape to Sydney and start a new life in the city. However, they never imagined that they would mee
Leonardo looked at Dante very seriously. His eyes showed as if he was asking what was wrong. He wanted to know what Caterina thought of him."She doesn't hate you like you think. Kate is very forgiving." Dante said with affirmation.Leonardo was silent. In fact, even though Caterina had forgiven him, he still had no chance to get back Caterina's heart. His love story had ended there."Her wedding to Luka is in a fortnight. Come if you can." Dante informed.It seemed that the man's affection for Leonardo ran deep. Of course he did. He had taken care of the man since he was a baby until he grew up like this. The time he spent with Leonardo was far more than the time he had spent with his own daughter. Naturally, he felt that his bond with Leonardo could not be broken. Moreover, Leonardo has realized and regretted everything he has ever done."I'm not sure I can attend her wedding. I can't bear to see her married to another man." Leonardo said with a trembling voice. His eyes looked tear
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