"Ryan! Ryan!" Rio called out frantically, his eyes pleading for sobriety. Frustrated, Rio continued, "Hey, man, look at me and answer!" Ryan gave him a sheepish smile, clearly inebriated. Just as his head began to fall onto the counter, Rio caught him in time. Sighing heavily, Rio watched him closely. What did Ryan mean by protecting him from Elena? Were they acquainted in the past?"I will always protect you, Rio, because I love you so much," Ryan murmured sleepily, causing Rio to curse under his breath as he helped him up. It was only 2 p.m., yet Ryan was already wasted. For a brief moment, Rio pushed aside his own troubles and focused solely on getting Ryan sober again. He needed answers, and he needed them as soon as possible.*************Elena descended the stairs slowly, taking her time. Sleeping in till noon had made her realize that staying home was more stressful than working at the studio. Luca was out at the office, and she wasn't sure if Andrea was home either. Earlier,
"I don't know, Lucia," Andrea sighed, resignation evident in his voice."Right, I knew it. Like I said, you should stay away from us. We don't need you, Andrea. I can take care of the child. I won't tie you down...""No one is tying anyone down, damn it!" Andrea's anger, suppressed for so long, suddenly flared."Then I'm going to ask you again," Lucia's voice wavered. "What do you want?""You," Andrea responded almost instantly. "I don't know how much..."Before he could finish his statement, Lucia rose from the bed and swiftly drew his face to hers, their lips locking in a passionate kiss. She pulled back slowly and looked at him. "You'll make a great father," she said, smiling, and Andrea returned the gesture."Took you this long to realize, huh?" Andrea teased, lifting her up as Lucia wrapped her legs around his waist."I still think you're too old..." Lucia's hands rested around his neck as she playfully teased him."Oh, really?" Andrea grinned mischievously, drawing her ear close
Ryan sat on one of the couches in the living room as he took in the top notch decor of the Romano’s mansion. He couldn’t help but get lost in it’s beauty. He was snapped out of his reverie when the sound of someone descending the stairs echoed in the living room. He stood up swiftly, locking eyes with Elena, who appeared visibly distressed."What the hell are you doing here?" Elena exclaimed as she reached the living room. "And who let you in?" Her tone was laced with irritation."The security let me in. I told them you were my sister. And enough with the attitude. Am I some sort of plague you're trying to avoid? Why didn't you answer my calls?" Ryan retorted, his accusatory gaze fixed upon her."Ryan, we can't deal with this right now. I need you to leave. I can't have Luca see you here..." Elena's voice trailed off anxiously."Why is that?" a voice interjected, and both Ryan and Elena turned to find Luca and his father standing by his side."Luca?" Elena breathed, her heartbeat qui
"No." Rex's hand shot up, displaying his disapproval. "Let's wait and see how the event unfolds. And that despicable person—has he been dealt with?"Xavier nodded with a sinister smile. "Rio will never find out," he replied."Good. Let them remain oblivious until we're ready to strike." Rex's lips curled into a smile.*******Elena sighed, scanning the kitchen for any sign of Ryan, but he was nowhere to be seen. She reached for her phone, contemplating calling him, when he walked into the room. Acting on instinct, Elena drew him in and closed the door. Ryan gave her a questioning look before finally speaking up. "If this is about me leaving, I'm not going anywhere," he said defiantly while Elena stared at him intently."What are your true intentions, Ryan?" Elena asked urgently."To stay here and protect you.""Forget that!" Elena hissed. "If you weren't caught up with your lover, you wouldn't even remember I exist.""He's not my lover, just a deranged man obsessed with your husband,"
Luca remained silent in disbelief, his gaze fixed on Rio as he tried to process the statement. "What?" he exclaimed, his expression reflecting his lack of belief.Rio, realized his mistake, pressed his lips together and shifted his gaze to Luca, wearing an expressionless face."Forget it," Rio said in a subdued tone, taking a seat."I can't," Luca observed him intently, his eyes filled with concern. "I mean, I thought...""Drop it, Luca," Rio interrupted, visibly angry.Resigned, Luca sighed. "Fine," he replied, clearly hurt. Then, he turned to Ryan. "It seems like Rio is in a bad state. Let's leave," he suggested."Wow, really?" Rio's eyes sparkled with accusation as he gave Luca a reproachful look. "Now I'm the bad guy?""Then who would that make me?" Luca asked irritably. The ensuing silence made Luca feel uncomfortable, prompting him to stand up. However, before he could leave, Rio spoke up."A friend of mine died, Luca," Rio said, causing Luca to instinctively turn towards him."
Carlos opened his eyes slowly to find himself in an unfamiliar surrounding. He quickly stood up from the couch he has been laying on for the past minute. A blonde man with grey eye entered the room holding a cup of water with a wide grin. “You’re awake, finally.” Carlos scrutinized him, trying to guess where he knew him from, then he realized how he got her.“You….”“Kidnapped me?” He completed the question. “Yeah kinda.” He said with a waves of hand. “But for a chit-chat. No hidden intentions.” He placed the cup of water by the nightstand and folded his arms while watching Carlos intently.“What do you want?” Carlos asked.“Like I said. To have a chit-chat with you, Carlos,”Carlos raised a brow. “You know me?”“Ah…more than yourself, man. Enough to know how much you obsessed over my sister.” Rex said sarcastically.“Your sister?”“Elena.” He said as Carlos made a disbelieving look.“Are you kidding?”“Yeah…well I don’t have time explaining to you about how I am related to her…..”
Rio stared at his own reflection through the glass he held for a moment before speaking up. "Well, it's simple. Tell me more about Elena. How are we both connected to the Romanos? What are our plans?"Ryan pressed his lips together as he studied Rio intently. Suddenly, Rio burst into laughter. "See? I'm not worth as much as you claim, Ryan. Just leave," he gestured towards the door, then turned back to the counter and took a sip of his scotch."Is that all?" Ryan asked, his eyes fixed on Rio. "If I told you, would you stop wasting your days in bars, trying to drown yourself in alcohol?"Rio's eyes flickered, revealing a hint of pain. "Wasting my days?" he scoffed. "I can't believe this bastard," he muttered to himself. He was about to speak again, but Ryan interrupted him. "She..."The shrill sound of Rio's phone interrupted their conversation. Rio picked up his phone from the counter and answered the call."Luca was shot," came the shaky and low voice from the other end."What?" Rio
"Hey," Lucia's voice abruptly interrupted Andrea's deep thoughts. Just moments ago, he had concluded a distressing call with his private investigator that had left him shaken to the core. Still recovering from the shock, Lucia's call came through."Hey," he mustered a forced smile as Lucia peered at him intently. "Are you okay?" Her eyes searched his with genuine concern."Yeah... just exhausted. You know, with Luca being in the..." Andrea's sentence trailed off as Lucia embraced him before he could finish. "The doctor assured us that Luca will be fine after the surgery," she assured him."Yeah," Andrea replied, still holding onto her. "But what about when he wakes up? I fear he won't be the same anymore," he confessed as Lucia slowly let go of him."What do you mean?" Lucia asked, her face filled with worry."I hate to admit it, Lucia, but Elena isn't as innocent as we believed," Andrea revealed.Lucia let out an incredulous chuckle. "We already discussed this. I thought you...""Yes