“Dante, why am I here?” Elena demanded, her eyes searching his face for any signs of anger. She felt like an antelope trapped at this point between a hunter's gun and a mountain lion. Her eyes were wild and her heart was beating really fast in her ears.She glanced at Dante, trying hard not to look at the man that was beside her who had been castrated.Dante smiled through those disgusting bloodied teeth as he dug his fork into a piece of raw meat then pointed it at her, “You care?”Her face wrinkled, her brows furrowed and her eyes accused him a billion times over from how hard they stared at him. This man definitely had to be kidding right now. “Ew! I'm not that disgusting. Keep your meal to yourself.”Dante started off a short laugh that deepened with each draw. He watched her closely then suddenly his face switched for an even more serious hue. “Yet, you kissed these disgusting things eating mouth over and over the other night on the way to the club...”She could not believe her e

Marco froze where he stood, unable to comprehend the words that had just left Sal’s lips. His heart thudded heavily in his chest, echoing in his ears like the toll of a distant bell. Slowly, almost mechanically, he took a step closer to Sal, his voice trembling with disbelief as he spoke.“What did you just say?”Salvatore Benedetto hung up the call, his expression grave, and turned to Marco. “Calm yourself, Marco. Let Isabella tend to your wound first before we...”“Answer me, Sal!” Marco snapped, his voice rising despite the respect he still managed to hold. “Did I just hear you say that Lorenzo DiMarco is still alive?”The older man was silent for a long moment, his gaze shifting briefly to the floor. Then he sighed deeply, as though the weight of years rested on his shoulders, and finally said in a low voice, “Yes, Marco. He is.”Marco’s stomach turned. His breath caught in his throat, and a strange ringing filled his ears.“You knew?” he whispered, then louder, “You knew all al

Sal’s glare could have melted steel. His nostrils flared as he turned sharply toward Marco, jabbing a finger toward Lorenzo. “You see that?” he barked. “I told you, Marco. Nothing good ever comes out of this man’s mouth. I should’ve known better than to give him a chance to speak. We’ll handle Stefano ourselves.”Clearly, Sal had lost it. He had enough of the whole gimmick the doctor was playing at having on his own knowing that he was not on his side anymore. To him, if Lorenzo could hurt his own daughter then he would do worse to him if given a chance.Lorenzo laughed, a dry, broken sound that echoed mockingly through the room. His hollow sockets faced Sal like an accusation. “Handle him yourselves?” he sneered. “Or are you too scared to lose your own eyes to keep your empire intact? Never knew you to be a coward, El Salvatore.”The insult struck a nerve.Sal’s face darkened with rage. In one swift motion, he flipped the table over, the crash reverberating through the room. Pape

She pulled the phone from her ears, her eyes blinking over and over again. Elena was too stunned even to move at this point. She shot up a gaze towards her mother who sat opposite her.“Well, what happened?” Margaret asked her daughter.Elena swallowed hard.Her eyes rolling then she scoffed in total disbelief. “That was not Marco. I think he is beginning to roll with a dangerous lot or he is really dead, mother.” Elena said while her head did the maths.“Who answered the call?” Margaret demanded.“Apparently, that was actually El Salvatore Benedetto.” Elena explained.Her mother gasped, her eyes blinking over and over again. “The El Salvatore? Like mafia kingpin El Salvatore?”“Yes. That's who he said he was.”Margaret thought it over. To her, there was absolutely nothing that was supposed to tie Marco to Salvatore. Marco was a nobody and that he would always remain in her eyes. “When you were married to him, did you ever notice him having any conversation with the man?”“Not at all.

“Sal!” Marco yelled, grabbing him immediately.Sal’s face twisted in agony, his hand pressing against the bleeding wound. “Damn it!” he growled, his voice breaking through the pain.Marco saw where he had been hit and was instantly shocked. Sal had just lost an eye yet he handled the pain like a man with no pain nerves.The blood seeped through his hands where he covered the wound from, no one could access the damage but the outcome was clear enough.Outside, the firefight intensified, bullets shredding the silent, men shouting orders, the scent of gunpowder thickening the air.Marco dragged Sal back toward the inner bit of the hallway, ducking as glass shattered beside them.“Get down!” one of the guards yelled, returning fire.Sal’s breathing was ragged, but his free eye was still sharp. “Don’t let them get into the house,” he hissed through clenched teeth. Then without warning, he caught Marco’s wrist, “Whatever happens... you protect Lorenzo, Marco. He's our bargain chip.”Marco’