Grace and Dante arrived at Marco's mansion after they had visited Gaia's house to offer condolence to the Salvadors.The moment the car halted before the mansion’s entrance, Grace pushed the door open and got out.Dante color tell she was still angered by the fact that Marco married Gaia.Honestly, he was too. Even the universe was against this union that was why Gaia died. Dante thought.He hurried tossed the car keys to the guard at the entrance, then rushed into the house to find Grace. With the amount of anger building up in her, he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up beating Marco to a pulp.Marco keeping the true reasons behind his sudden wedding decision had also angered Dante. He couldn't believe that after everything the both of them had gone through together, Marco didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth.Thank goodness Gaia died.“Ok, that was harsher." Dante muttered when that annoying thought crossed his mind. Well, he wasn't kidding, he really was happy that she
The sun finally went down the horizon, the sky darkened as well. Marco got dressed in a black suit, unlike before when he would settle for black pants and black jackets.Since he was going to give up his position tonight, he should at least do it in style. He couldn't believe this day would ever come, the day he would give up fighting for his right. Alessia made him realize that all these weren't what keeps a person happy, if anything, he had been risking his life to keep the clan safe. It wasn't bad to finally push the responsibility to someone else. He sprayed his favorite cologne, one he remembered that Alessia loved dearly.It gave him the confidence he needed.The thought of Alessia made Marco's heart squeeze in pain. He was so worried about her, especially the gang that took her. He had to do whatever it took to bring her back to him. Thankfully, Gaia died.Alessia was the only woman he wanted and would want to be with forever and ever. The only woman he wanted to call his wif
Dante returned to the base after Ezekiel had ordered him to. He felt anger and hatred for those evil twins build up in him, and the fact that Ezekiel did nothing in return made his blood boil even more.How could he let those brats arrest his son?Those men were heartless and would never hesitate to kill Marco if given the chance.When Dante's car pulled up before the mansion, to his surprise, he saw just 6 guards left. The 6 of them stood before Grace, telling her a few things that he couldn't decipher since he was in the car.He got down immediately and made his way towards them.“You guys," he pointed at them, moving to stand by Grace's side. “Where are the others?" There used to be at least 100 guards in the premises, but only the 6 of them were left.One of them came forward to explain the situation.“Boss, after you and Boss Marco left for the main mansion, some guards came over to inform us after a while that Boss Marco wasn't the clan head anymore, and we had to leave him. The
Grace stormed out of the base and straight to the roadside to find a taxi that would take her home. She had spent the past few days with Dante at the base, but it was time to go home. He seemed to detest her presence today, so why stay back?“That punk!" She muttered under her breath as she flagged down a taxi.The taxi driver refused to stop the car, leaving her even more frustrated.She then decided to walk home, taking a mental note to buy a car for herself.She already had enough of all these taxi drivers.Grace kept mumbling incoherent words as she strolled down the streets. Thankfully, the train station wasn't far from the base.She would get there in no time.The time was already 11pm.While walking, she didn't notice the van coming from behind her. Well, even if she did, she wouldn't even know that the van was coming after her.Soon, she noticed the few moments, also casting wary glances at the few figures who passed by on the street, barely noticing the van creeping up from b
“Come with me," Alessia wasn't smiling as she reached out to grab Grace's hand, pulling her towards the staircase. Salvatore stood there watching their backs as they both disappeared upstairs.He shook his head, walking over to the sofa and plopping down on it. “Drama," he muttered.In Alessia's bedroom, she pushed Grace towards the soft mattress and sat beside her.“Alessia, what's the matter?" Grace asked. “How come you're here when I saw that you were kidnapped? I also knew that Ezekiel asked his men to keep you hostage, did Salvatore save you?" Alessia frowned when she heard the name, Ezekiel. “What do you mean? Who is Ezekiel?" She questioned Grace, her brow coming up.Grace, realizing what she just said, swallowed her saliva and looked away.“Grace!” Alessia snapped, a frown settling on her face.Grace flinched briefly, but she decided to tell her the truth. “It's Marco's father. He had you abducted." Grace informed her.Alessia froze in her tracks. “What? Why?" “Because he
In a dark room somewhere in the De Luca mansion, Marco was tied to a chair in the room, his head lowered as if in a deep sleep. There were visible bruises on his arms and legs, his face was covered with his long hair and the sound of dripping blood on the chains filled the room. He had lost track of time here, the hours melting together.The door creaked open just then, and the twins, Leonardo and Lorenzo, slipped into the room. Their expressions were masks of mock amusement, lips curled in disdain as they looked down at him. Marco’s head remained down, refusing to acknowledge them. It was the only defiance he could offer for now.Leonardo walked around him slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. “Silent treatment, huh? What are you, a martyr?” He leaned in, inspecting Marco’s bruises and cuts with satisfaction. “Or maybe just stupid.”Lorenzo chuckled, folding his arms, his voice smooth but dripping with malice. “Doesn’t seem he has much fight left, does he?” He raised a brow at his br
Grace sat before Salvatore, her gaze narrowed as if trying to read him. On the other hand, Salvatore sipped his wine, a smile on his face as he watched her.“You know, I'm still wondering how I couldn't tell the first I saw you that you could be the double S terrorizing Italy!" Grace yelled out, her hand going to tug at her hair.Salvatore laughed, warmth radiating off him. Damn, he was very handsome. If Grace didn't have Dante, she would have asked Salvatore out. "You still wouldn't have figured it out, baby.” He muttered, his voice growing deeper. Grace squeezed her legs together as she gulped. This man. So manly."Also, how.. how come you have blue eyes now? You used to have gray eyes.” She hurriedly shifted the topic.Salvatore spread his arms and smiled thinly, " You don't expect a mercenary to walk around in his real form, do you? I would have been caught by the police ever since, or worse, my rivals.” Grace nodded in understanding. So he hid everything.She noticed something
Grace left the base after putting Alessia to sleep.Salvatore had the driver drive her back to her house. When she arrived, she tiptoed into her bedroom, knowing that her parents might be asleep.When she walked into her bedroom, she never prepared herself for the sight that followed as she turned on her lights.She jolted in shock, a scream leaving her lips. But she slapped her hand over her mouth when she recognized the figure to be Dante. Dante sat on her bed, his gaze boring into hers as he glared at her.“What the hell are you doing here!" She yelled and stepped forward.Dante said nothing, instead, he stood up and made his way towards her.Grace backed away from him, seeing the look in his eyes."Dante…" she called, but she was cut short when he suddenly pulled her close and embraced her.His tone was rough, almost accusing. “Where have you been?”She blinked, unprepared for his confrontational tone. “Out,” she replied curtly, crossing her arms.“Out?” he repeated, his brow fur
The next day, Grace arrived at the airport, ready to board the plane to her dream country.Everything she ever dreamed of was coming true, although it looked like everything was falling apart at first, it eventually came together.Standing at the airport gates and clutching her ticket tightly, she couldn’t help but look back over her shoulder. Sicily had been her home, the place where she had laughed, cried and grown. Her heart swelled with a mix of nostalgia and excitement as memories washed over her: moments of laughter with Alessia, sneaking out on wild journies, quiet nights where she and Dante would talk and cuddle until dawn. She had always dreamed of seeing the world, but leaving this life wasn’t easy. Yet, knowing that her best friend was now happy, married, and building a family of her own made it feel right. She had her dreams to chase, after all.Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the gate, trying to push aside the ache in her heart. Just as she took a step forward,
Grace was so excited that she couldn’t stop rambling on and on as she picked out the perfect wedding dress for her dear Alessia. A proud smile crossed Alessia’s face as she watched her best friend getting so excited about her wedding. She was surprised when Grace told her that Dante had also proposed to her. But Grace being Grace had rejected the proposal. To her, she wanted to go to school first.“Do you have to go to school?” Alessia asked as she glared at Grace who wouldn’t stop grinning. “Ali, we’ve talked about this before. You know I’ve always wanted to go to school in the US. Besides, it’s just 4 years.” She said and pouted.“But I don’t want you to leave,” Alessia pouted also.Grace teared up, moving to hug her friend. “Sorry my baby,” she muttered. “But if you’re happy for me, you’ll wish me well instead of crying.” Grace poked, earning a jab from Alessia.The manager of the mall watched them with a smile, wondering how these two managed to push through life to this day. Wh
A month later, Salvatore walked into Devil's Den to find Marco who had invited him there. When he arrived, he met with Selena waiting for him by the corner. “Welcome, please come with me." She said, knowing he was Marco's guest. Salvatore watched her face for a while and nodded. He followed her as they both got into the elevator and went up to the second floor. Ever since Marco and Salvatore made up, they rekindled their previous friendship. They would often drink and go for meetings together, it made Dante feel betrayed, but of course, they never left him behind. When Selena and Salvatore arrived at the top floor where the supposed Marco was supposed to be waiting for him, he found the place empty.“Where is he?" He asked as he sat on one of the couches in the room.“I presume he is on his way," Selena said robotically. Salvatore smirked, baffled by how she took this mafia work even more seriously than the men.He wondered if she ever smiled in her life considering she was always
When Salvatore walked in fully, everyone including Alessia excused themselves to give the two some privacy.Now left alone in the hospital room, Marco smirked and said, “So it's you? You're that one stubborn mercenary." “That's a wonderful way to apologize, Marco," Salvatore said, moving to sit on the chair by the hospital bed.Marco's brow creased in confusion, “Apologize? For what?" He asked.“Please don't act like you don't know the reason we drifted apart." The smile on Tore’s face disappeared, replaced by a serious look.Seriously, Marco didn't understand what he was talking about. “I still don't get you. We drifted apart because your father hated my family." “Are you kidding me? We were friends even after the rift began. That wasn't the reason." Salvatore reminded him, this time he could feel his anger building up in him.Marco stayed silent, trying to recall what exactly had transpired between them in the past. The only thing he remembered was that Salvatore had a girlfriend…
It took Marco two days to finally wake up. When he did, he felt a bit strange. This time, the thing on his face had been removed and his right there was someone else face.Alessia sat beside him, or more like lay beside him on the bed, her dark circles visible and a sign that she hadn't slept well in a while.Marco smiled, then reached out a hand to pat her hair.What happened when he was asleep and how long it had been?When Alessia felt a hand on her hair, she immediately opened her eyes.Her eyes met his and a surprised look consumed her face. “Marco?" She asked carefully, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating again.“Mia Cara." He muttered to convince her that she wasn't seeing things.Alessia jerked up instantly and called his name again. “Marco?" “You aren't hallucinating, Baby." Marco chuckled.And before he could guess her next move, she threw herself at him and hugged him tightly.“Oh my goodness! You're awake! You're finally awake!"Alessia pulled away slightly, her
Alessia stared at Marcel and Salvatore, especially Dante. She was confused as to why their faces looked so worried. “Alessia…” Delilah’s voice called from the side. Alessia turned to see who the voice belonged to. Of course she knew that familiar voice.When she saw Delilah, her eyes widened in shock. "Delilah? You're here?” She asked, unknowingly walking over to Delilah. Delilah smiled through the tears coming out of her eyes and immediately hugged Alessia. "It's so good to see you again, Alessia.” She muttered, patting her back.Alessia pulled away from her and smiled thinly. “Why are you crying? Did you miss me that much?" She teased, wanting to make the old lady smile.Delilah chuckled, wiping her tears. “Yes." She said, though it was a lie. She missed Alessia, but she was more concerned about Alessia's reaction if she saw the current Marco.Alessia was confused by the worried faces of everyone. Wasn't getting Marco out a good thing? Why did they all look sad?“What happened?" S
Getting Marco out of that place wasn’t easy, but Salvatore’s men were hellbent. They called Dante and handed the items back to him.Dante was surprised, he had initially thought that Salvatore would never agree. To top it all, he hadn’t even seen Salvatore’s face before.He only wished to see Double S, not that he would tell anyone of him.He received the items, took them back to the base, and informed a few of the family members about it.He even had to forge that Marco had them all those while but chose to hide and see what Francesco and his children would do. When the twins heard of this, they sent people after Dante, they aimed to ruin the items and maybe kill Dante off.Dante, being the ever so smart one, ran off. It wasn’t easy for Lorenzo and Leonard’s men to get to him.He was faster and better than they would ever be.Salvatore’s men launched an attack on the twins, destroying and eventually killing both of them. It wasn’t easy, but they succeeded.Delilah helped Marco to hi
Marcel called Salvatore over, taking his time to plead with his son to forgive Marco for the sake of his sister.Salvatore as usual wasn't easily pleased and he immediately rejected his father's pleading.Marcel didn't give up. For the next one month, he tried his best to get some men to locate where Salvatore had hidden the items he stole from the De Lucas. If he could find it, he would return it to Dante and have him save Marco. But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find it.Alessia spent the entire day and night crying nonstop in her bedroom. She even fell sick at some point. She would also starve herself often. Salvatore saw all these, but he didn't budge.On this day, Alessia actually slit her wrist, aiming to kill herself.Salvatore went to a meeting with his father. He was about to tell his opinion on the current matter they had at hand, but to his greatest surprise, a sharp pain shot through his left wrist. Because it was unexpected, he winced instinctively.Marcel t
Alessia hurriedly asked the guards to let Dante and Grace into the mansion.She couldn’t believe they had come, although she was scared that her father and Salvatore might come out and get angry at the sight of Dante since he was a De Luca.“Alessia, what are you doing here?” Dante lowered his voice and asked. Of course, he knew this place, Marcel Stefano Marino’s house, one of the most deadly mafia lords of Sicily. It was a place where the De Lucas family was certainly unwelcome.Alessia swallowed, throwing a glance at the looming hallway before leaning closer. “I… I live here. I’m Stefano Marino’s daughter.” Her voice was steady, but the fear in her eyes was unmistakable.Dante, however, merely shook his head, cutting her off before she could explain further.“There’s no time for that.” His voice was clipped, laced with urgency. “Alessia, Marco’s father is dead. Do you understand what that means?”Alessia’s eyes dropped, and she nodded solemnly. “I know. I saw it in the news right