Caterina stepped towards the desk with caution. She looked around, making sure no one was looking. This was because Leonardo didn't allow her to use any communication devices.“What do you want?”Caterina's steps stopped after she heard that sentence. She turned around, looking at Leonardo, who was now standing behind her suspiciously. The man's gaze was deep, full of curiosity.“There's something I want to find out the truth about. Please let me go this time; I want to make sure that it is you or Marco who has lied.” Caterina said with emphasis.Leonardo's brow furrowed after he heard that sentence. Want to find out the truth?“So, you still don't trust me?”“I want to trust you, but it's hard for me to do that after what you did to me. My father says that i should trust you, but my heart says otherwise. I can't rest until I know the truth.”Leonardo sighed harshly.“Do what you want to do.” He looked so resigned. Because he no longer had the energy to be angry. He wanted to know wha
“Just say it.” Caterina reiterated, as Marco seemed hesitant to say.Marco was silent for a long time; only his heavy breathing could be heard. He had not expected his lie to be exposed so soon. If Dante was really dead, then the secret would never be revealed.“Marco!” Caterina was getting impatient. She had been holding back since before; now her stock of patience was running low. She wanted to know if she had really been lied to by Marco or not.Again, Marco sighed heavily. He looked up; he looked deeply into Caterina's eyes, as if he wanted to explain everything through his eyes. Because his mouth felt very heavy to speak.“Sorry.” That was all Marco could finally say. An apology that explained everything.Caterina's face immediately changed after she heard the word sorry come out of Marco's mouth. She looked very disappointed. Her breathing sounded heavy; she looked down to regulate her emotions so as not to explode at that moment.All this time Caterina had trusted Marco too muc
Leonardo smiled at the counter threat he received from Marco. Marco is nothing to him; he can finish the man easily. With just a snap of his fingers, he could have finished Marco right then and there.Meanwhile, Marco looked so angry and full of emotions. He really wasn't ready for his friendship with Caterina to turn back into an enemy. He had loved her for several months. He had gotten used to her feelings of love. Even Rossie had begun to think about accepting Caterina as her friend, because now Rossie and Gabriel were trying to make love.Leonardo took money out of his pocket. He put the money on the table to pay for the food and drinks he ordered. After that, he left the café.Caterina had disappeared from the café area when Leonardo looked for her. He sighed deeply, relieved that Marco's lie had finally been exposed. He didn't need to bother clarifying here and there; the truth would always find its way to the surface.Leonardo got into his car and then hurriedly drove home.Jus
“Has there been any news from Alex?” Caterina asked Leonardo as they ate dinner together. It had been a week since Alex left, and she hadn't heard from him at all. She didn't know if her friend was okay or not.“He's fine.” Leonardo answered as if he knew what Caterina was thinking. “He told me not to worry. He promised to come home safe and sound, so he'll never break his promise.Caterina let out a deep breath after she heard that sentence. There was nothing she wanted to hear other than what Leonardo had just said. She just wanted Alex to come home okay.“You're not going after him?” Caterina stared deeply. Hoping Leonardo would fly after Alex and make sure the man managed to finish Ben and return home okay. She was very worried because Alex left with only two friends. While they didn't know what dangers they would face there. They didn't know how many enemies they had.“I've told you what my reason is, haven't I?” Leonardo reminded.Caterina was silent. Leonardo had indeed explain
“Married to you?” Caterina laughed because she found it so funny. Back then, she had pursued Leonardo desperately, but all she got was hatred and contempt. Then now, when she had indulged him to get rid of her love, he suddenly asked her to marry him?What exactly did he want from her?“Have you gone mad?” Caterina asked in a sarcastic tone. She had no idea what was going through Leonardo's mind right now.“You don't need to marry her just to control her life. You just keep me here, you make me her substitute. You can do whatever you want to me, but please let Kate go. Let her leave here and live her life well. Kate has apologized to you so many times, I think it's a bit much for you to marry her.” Dante said at length. He was willing to sacrifice himself, as long as Caterina could escape from La Vendetta.Leonardo sighed deeply. Is he that bad in the eyes of Caterina and Dante right now? Until his good intentions to marry Caterina were considered a plan to make things difficult for h
“Sir, there's a little problem.” A man approached Leonardo in the dining room. Leonardo turned to look at his men. The expression on his face instantly turned flat but deadly.“We lost information about Alex. He sent out a signal for help before he completely lost contact.” The man said with a face full of sympathy.Leonardo was quite surprised when he heard that sentence. His hands clenched into tight fists. His jaw hardened with a clearly defined neck vein. His face turned red. He did not expect to get bad news about Alex under these circumstances.Leonardo's heart was beating very fast. He felt anxious. Because Alex was not just a subordinate to him. For him, the man was his brother. He trusted Alex so much that he confidently sent him along with two others. He firmly believed that Alex would be able to finish Ben off with his own hands.However, it seems that Leonardo's calculations were off. It looks like Ben has quite a strong connection in a foreign country. It's true what Cate
Leonardo tried to contact Alex repeatedly. However, Alex could not be contacted. His number was suddenly inactive. His men had searched for Alex's whereabouts in Venezuela, but they couldn't track him down.Leonardo squeezed his cell phone roughly. He was in a panic now. If he lost Alex, it would be like losing his brother. That would be very painful. Especially since he was the one who sent Alex there.There was a rough sigh coming from Leonardo. He couldn't hide his panic at all.“Shit!” Leonardo swore harshly. He hit the table in front of him. How could he have sent Alex to his death? If this really happened, he would never forgive himself. Caterina would also hate him even more, because Alex died because he carried out the orders he gave.Leonardo tried to call again, but the number was not active. He tried to send an email; still no reply. He contacted all of Alex's social media accounts, but none of them were active. He tracked the whereabouts of the man's cellphone via email; h
“What are you doing?” Caterina released her embrace on Alex's body. She tried to resist Leonardo's attack on Alex. Her puffy face was filled with so much panic.He was so worried about Alex's whereabouts in Venezuela, but now he was beating the man when he was in front of her.Leonardo stopped his attack. His breathing sounded ragged, his chest heaving. His eyes were glazed over. He pulled Alex into his arms. For the first time he could finally show his concern for Alex. He had thought that he had lost him. The panic of loss made his ego evaporate. He hugged Alex tightly, then cried silently.Alex seemed confused by his boss's behavior. He could only remain silent with a furrowed brow. His mind was now filled with thousands of question marks over Leonardo's unusual behavior.Alex looked at Caterina with a look demanding answers because he was really confused now. Caterina shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders to indicate that she didn't know either.Everyone looked confused, bu
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
"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