The phone buzzed at 3 AM as Santino rolled over, his hand finding the device on the nightstand an Unknown number. He almost declined, then something made him answer."Santino." The voice was distorted, electronic. "We have something of yours.""Who is this?""Check your laptop. Now."The line went dead as Santino's blood turned cold. He grabbed his laptop from the dresser, fingers shaking as he opened it. A video call request popped up immediately. He accepted.The screen filled with a concrete room as Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. Then he

The explosion shook the warehouse as emergency lights flickered on as the main power died. In the chaos, Santino broke free from his guards' grip and dove toward Zara's chair."Down!" she shouted.Santino hit the concrete as gunfire erupted. Sandra's men were shooting at shadows, confused by the sudden darkness. He crawled toward Zara and found the ropes binding her arms."Can you move?""I think so." Her voice was weak but determined.He untied her hands as he helped her stand. She was shaking but alive nonetheless."This way," she whispered, pointing toward a fire exit barely visible in the red emergency lighting.They moved through the shadows, staying low. Behind them, Sandra screamed orders in Italian and French. Her carefully planned operation was falling apart."The failsafe," Santino whispered as they reached the door, "what did it really do?""Everything I said. Plus a few surprises." Zara managed a bloody smile. "I've been preparing for this day since we started working toge

The police van lurched around a corner as Santino's wrists burned against the metal cuffs."Where are they taking us?" Zara whispered."Safe house," Isabelle said from the front seat. "Away from Sandra's reach.""Your aunt's reach," Santino corrected.Isabelle's shoulders tensed. "It's complicated.""Everything's complicated with your family."Santiano muttered as he squeezed his hands shut.The van stopped as Isabelle opened the back doors. They were at a small cabin surrounded by trees as rain began to fall."Inside," she said, unlocking their cuffs.The cabin was simple. One room with a bed, fireplace as rain hammered the roof."Cozy," Zara said, rubbing her wrists."It's off the grid," Isabelle said. "No one knows about this place.""Except you." Santino watched her light a fire. "And whoever told you about it.""I've been planning this for some time." She said as she turned to face them. "Getting you both out safely.""Why?" Zara asked."Because Sandra's not just my aunt. She's a

Sandra stood twenty feet away, her men fanning out behind her like black wings.“Hello, dear,” she called. Her voice was soft but razor sharp.Santino stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “Sandra.”She tilted her head, examining him. “You look like him. Your father. Same dark eyes. Same stubborn jaw.”Santino’s voice hardened. “What do you want?”Sandra walked closer, slow and unbothered. “To finish what Vincent started. But first… let’s say goodbye to your mother properly.”Ice crawled down Santino’s spine. “What did you do?”A slow smile crept across Sandra’s face. “Nothing yet. But Maria is very sick.”She paused, glancing around with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “It would be such a shame if her medication got mixed up.”Santino’s voice rose. “You touch her and I will”“You’ll what? Kill me?” Sandra laughed, head tossed back. “Like father, like son. Always threatening. Never thinking.”Isabelle stepped forward, grabbing Santino’s arm. “Don’t let her bait you.”“Smart girl,” Sandra

The Dubai skyline stretched out below Santino like a sea of glass and steel. He stood on the rooftop of the Atlantis hotel, forty floors above the city. The wind was strong up here. It pulled at his jacket and made his eyes water.In his hand, he held Ben's key. The metal was warm from his palm. He'd carried it for weeks now, telling himself his father might still be alive. Telling himself there was hope.There wasn't."You're dead, aren't you?" Santino said to the wind. "You've been dead since that day in Naples."The key caught the sunlight. Such a small thing. But it had opened everything. The safety deposit box. The documents. The truth about who he really was."Vincent's son," Santino said. "Not Ben Leandro's boy. Vincent fucking El Amore's son."He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You knew, didn't you? You knew and you never told me."The city noise rose from below. Cars honking. Construction. Life went on while his world fell apart."You protected me," Santino said. "Rai