The atmosphere in the Romano family living room was utterly silent. Alessandro and Luciana sat facing each other on the sofa, while next to Luciana, Bianca deftly cleaned the woman's cut wound using gauze that was already red with fresh blood. Every touch made Luciana wince and grit her teeth; she did not want to appear fragile in front of anyone.
Alessandro leaned back on the sofa with both hands folded. His eyes did not move an inch from Luciana. He was again reminded of the moment in the cafe earlier that afternoon, when the woman looked agile and skillful fighting the attackers with highly lethal movements, as if she was already used to facing bullets and sharp weapons.
"I don't believe that she came here just to visit her father's family," Alessandro murmured inwardly.
He remembered how the woman's slender body darted and charged like a storm that felled her opponents without the slightest doubt. Alessandro, who was used to being surrounded by tough men in the mafia circle, was startled by it. He had never witnessed a woman so dangerous.
"Tell me, who exactly are you, and what is your purpose in coming to this country?" Alessandro asked.
His eyes did not leave Luciana's face. His gaze was sharp and probing, as if suspicious of Luciana's arrival in his country. More than that, for some reason, there was something he desperately wanted to know.
Luciana sighed deeply. "Didn't I already explain it in the cafe? My arrival here is just to visit my father's family," she answered.
Alessandro raised one eyebrow. "You are lying, signorina," he said. His voice sounded very cold and sharp, like a sword piercing Luciana's soul.
Luciana met Alessandro's gaze, then she sighed deeply as she realized the subtle tremor in her heart returned. For some reason, she could not lie to the man who was staring at her. The gleam in Alessandro's eyes seemed to remind her of something that even she herself did not know.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I am looking for my fiancé's killer," Luciana said.
Thump! Alessandro's heart pounded quickly. He truly did not expect that sentence to come out of Luciana's mouth.
Immediately, the memory of the death of Giulia, the woman he loved, returned so vividly. Bianca fell silent, the bandage in her hand froze, then she looked at her son with pity.
Meanwhile, Luciana's brow furrowed seeing Alessandro's change. In her mind, she wondered.
"What is wrong with this man? Why does he suddenly look so pathetic?" she murmured inwardly.
Slowly, Alessandro opened his eyes. "You suspect the killer is in my country?" he asked in a low voice.
Luciana lowered her face. She was reminded again of the bloody night when Adrian took his last breath in her arms. Blood flooded his body, warm and sticky, while the man's life flew away with his last sob. Her two hands clenched tightly, her fingers turning white, holding back her rage.
"Yes," she replied.
She looked back at Alessandro. Her hand reached into her pants pocket, pulling out an old ring with a cold, terrifying carving of a demon's head. Her fingers trembled slightly as the ring was tightly grasped.
"I found this ring on the night my fiancé was murdered," she said.
Her voice sounded very calm, but beneath that calmness lay a rage that could explode at any moment.
Luciana placed the ring on the table. The small sound as the metal touched the wooden surface made the air in the room seem to freeze.
Thump! Alessandro's heart pounded hard again. His eyes were glued to the ring, as if the world around him disappeared. Slowly, with a hand that felt heavy, he picked it up.
"Demon Head!" he muttered.
His eyes narrowed seeing the bloodstains on the ring that had not disappeared, or maybe were deliberately kept there.
"I deliberately kept that bloodstain so it wouldn't disappear. It serves as a symbol of the trail I must find. Blood must be paid with blood," Luciana said, as if understanding what Alessandro was thinking.
Alessandro roughly rubbed his face. Turmoil and old wounds tore at his mind again. He truly did not understand why the tragedy that befell Luciana so resembled the bitter fate he had experienced.
"What is this?" he murmured inwardly, his breath hitched.
He looked back at Luciana's face. Their eyes met, locking onto each other without allowing space to turn away. Instantly, both their chests rumbled, filled with anger, vengeance, and at the same time, something they could not control.
Unconsciously, the look in their eyes changed. Luciana's eyes glowed a pale blue, cold and piercing, as if freezing anything they touched. Meanwhile, Alessandro's eyes emitted a silvery blue, sharp and gleaming like moonlight splitting the darkness of the night.
The pair of white tiger eyes now challenged each other, as if the long-restrained savage souls finally surfaced. Their breathing became heavier, while the surrounding air tensed, vibrating with a wild aura that slowly seeped out from their bodies.
Bianca, who had been silently watching, suddenly shivered. The middle-aged woman's gaze was fixed on the two of them, then she sighed deeply.
"It seems they have been united by vengeance, both past and present," she said inwardly.
Suddenly the wind blew strongly, shaking the window curtains until they creaked loudly. The atmosphere in the room abruptly froze, a cold sensation crept in, making every breath feel heavy. It was no longer just a vague shadow, but an aura far older, more primal, rising from within Luciana's and Alessandro's bodies.
The pair of white tiger spirits that had long possessed their souls showed themselves. Large and imposing silhouettes shadowed behind their backs. Their fangs gleamed, their eyes glowed bluish-green, and every gaze emitted a warning of death.
Now Alessandro and Luciana began to realize that this meeting was not a coincidence. Nor was it merely a common choice, but destiny driven by the same vengeance. Alessandro remembered clearly, earlier that afternoon he had no intention of stopping by the cafe, yet there was a strange urge that was so strong, as if something dragged his steps inside.
And now, facing Luciana, his gaze froze, as if the universe had just opened a secret he was not ready to accept.