"No, Boss. They didn't suspect a thing," Enzo replied firmly.
"Good. That's how it should be," Lorenzo said, his tone sharp as a blade. "Make sure they never do. And about the shipment—see to it that nothing goes wrong. The cops mustn't catch a whiff of it. We'll do it like always—hide the drugs among our imported paintings. If the police start digging, it mustn't lead back to us. Understood?"
"I got it, Boss," Enzo answered.
The car rolled to a stop in front of a sprawling mansion. Enzo hurried out, opened the door, and bowed slightly as Lorenzo stepped down with a cold, commanding presence.
"You brought that woman's file, right? Hand it to me," Lorenzo demanded, his voice carrying a deadly chill.
"Yes, Boss." Enzo rushed back to the car, retrieved a folder from his suitcase, and handed it over.
"Good. Park the car and come inside. Tell the others we're holding a meeting tomorrow morning. I expect everyone on time." Without another glance, Lorenzo strode toward the mansion doors, his presence radiating authority.
"Yes, Boss." Enzo gestured for the driver to park properly before hurrying after him.
Inside, the mansion's living room buzzed with low light and the faint scent of expensive liquor. But the scene waiting there ignited Lorenzo's fury.
Dominic, his second-in-command, had a woman sprawled across his lap, moaning as he pawed at her shamelessly. Her legs wrapped around him, and the wet sounds of their bodies clashed with the heavy silence that suddenly filled the air.
The temperature seemed to plummet. Lorenzo's face darkened, his eyes sharp as daggers. The girl in Dominic's arms trembled, sensing the suffocating aura pressing down on her—but Dominic was too lost in his lust to notice.
Lorenzo's lip curled in disgust at the sight before him.
Enzo, who had just walked in behind him, froze for a moment. Then, realizing it was Dominic, he wasn't surprised. After all, this kind of shameless display was nothing new.
"Are you really going to keep banging that slut here instead of getting the hell out of my house?" Lorenzo's voice was ice, laced with lethal warning.
Dominic stiffened. At once, he shoved the woman off his lap, hastily pulling up his trousers. He didn't bother with his belt, his arrogance still lingering.
"Amore Mio, you can go now," he muttered, blowing her a kiss. "Your money's already been transferred. I'll call you again."
The dark-haired woman only giggled, utterly unashamed. She even let her gaze linger on Lorenzo, her eyes shimmering with open lust.
Disgust carved deeper into Lorenzo's face. One cold glance at Enzo was enough. Enzo, his advisor in the family, understood instantly. He strode toward the pair and seized the girl by the arm. She gasped in surprise but quickly recovered, pressing closer to Enzo with a sultry smile.
"Want me for a night?" she whispered boldly. "We can negotiate the price."
Dominic burst out laughing, slapping her bare ass with a loud smack. "Ah, Amore Mio is so bold," he said in his thick Italian accent, amusement dripping from his voice.
Lorenzo, however, wasn't amused. He turned toward the staircase, but his words cut through the air like a blade.
"This is the last time I will ever see you fuck a slut in my house. If it happens again—" His voice dipped into Italian, low and venomous. "Ti taglierò quel cazzo, cazzo"
Dominic's face paled. His hand instinctively clutched his trousers, shielding his manhood as he stared at Lorenzo in horror.
"Enzo, don't forget to throw out that filthy couch and buy a new one," Lorenzo added icily before turning and walking up the stairs without another glance.
Dominic cursed under his breath, one hand clutching his trousers where his manhood strained. "Maniaco fottuto," he spat in Italian, glaring after Lorenzo's retreating figure.
Enzo only shook his head. Without a word, he shoved the half-dressed woman toward the door, ignoring her protests. Her heels clicked against the marble as she stumbled outside in nothing but a bra and panties. With a final slam, Enzo shut the door and turned back.
"Second Boss," he said evenly, his voice laced with disapproval, "you know Boss hates strangers in the house. Yet you still brought her here."
Dominic smirked, shameless as ever. "I know. But it's more fun this way."
Enzo exhaled, weary of repeating himself. He had no idea how Dominic had risen to second-in-command—though he was brilliant in strategy and ruthless in battle, his weakness for women was endless.
Still, orders came first. "Boss is calling for a meeting tomorrow. He wants everyone here on time. Don't make him wait."
Dominic waved him off with a lazy grin, but Enzo didn't linger. He simply shook his head once more and strode upstairs toward his room.
Meanwhile, across the city at Olivia's apartment, Olivia's phone buzzed in the dead silence of the night. The shrill sound cut through the darkness like a knife, dragging her out of sweet dream. She blinked groggily, fumbling for her phone on the nightstand while William's arm remained heavy around her waist.
She felt a wave of annoyance as she sleepily glanced at her phone screen and saw an unknown number calling her at three in the morning. She picked up the call and answered in a sleepy voice, "Hello… who is this?"
A low, familiar chuckle slipped through the receiver, freezing her blood. "Well, Olivia… I never expected you'd forget me so easily. Three years have passed, and yet, here you are—living so comfortably."
The phone nearly slipped from her hand. Olivia bolted upright in bed, startling William. "Olivia?" he murmured in a hoarse, half-asleep voice. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
She forced a trembling smile and smoothed his hair. "I'm fine. Just a work call. Go back to sleep."
When William turned away, drifting back into slumber, Olivia slipped out of bed, her hands shaking. She walked towards the door and closed the bedroom door softly behind her, then pressed the phone tighter to her ear.
"…Vincent?" she breathed, her voice cracking.
A dark laugh echoed back. "So you do remember me. Good. Very good."
Olivia sank to the floor of the living room, knees weak, her hand trembling so hard she could barely keep hold of the phone. "You're supposed to be dead," she whispered. "What the hell do you want from me?"
"Careful, Olivia," Vincent's voice hardened, mocking. "If you raise your voice again, I might just get angry. And if I do… well, should I deal with your precious William first? Or maybe one of your friends—was it Madison? Or Alexandra?"
"No!" Olivia's panic burst out as she clutched the phone tighter. "Don't you dare touch them. This is between you and me. Do whatever you want with me, but leave them out of it!"
"Oh?" Vincent sneered. "You dare threaten me now? You've grown bold, Olivia. Three years ago, you could barely look me in the eye. Now you think you can stand against me?"
His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "Wait for me, Olivia. I'll show you just how easily I can destroy your perfect little life."
"I told you three years ago, Olivia," the voice on the phone hissed, dripping with venom. "Back then, I swore I'd kill you. But now, I've changed my mind. I won't just kill you—I'll destroy everyone you love. I'll make you beg for death, only to deny you that escape. Do you understand me, bitch? Just wait."
The line went dead before she could reply.
"Vincent… Vincent…" Olivia's voice broke into sobs, but only silence answered her. The phone slipped from her trembling hands and clattered against the floor. Her whole body shivered as tears streamed down her face.
He's alive… but how? He was supposed to be dead. Why has he come back? Why torment her again?
Exhaustion overwhelmed her, and at some point, she fell asleep with her back against the cold wall of the living room, tears drying on her cheeks.
When Olivia awoke, she was startled to find herself lying in bed. She turned her head toward the nightstand—7:00 a.m. Relief washed over her. At least she wouldn't be late today.
But then last night's phone call replayed in her mind, and a violent shiver crawled down her spine. Pushing it aside, she stood quickly, eager to anchor herself to something real.
Opening the bedroom door, she froze. William was already dressed for work, an apron tied around his waist as he moved confidently in the kitchen. The warm scent of breakfast filled the air.
Her chest eased. For the first time since Vincent's call, she felt a fragile sense of peace.
Without thinking, Olivia walked up behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back. William stiffened in surprise, then chuckled softly.