Dante returned the call, but it went straight to voicemail. He cursed under his breath, his frustration sharp enough to make him almost throw the phone.He dropped it and left for the terrace.At the terrace, the city of Bari stretched out beneath Dante, its lights flickering like distant stars against the darkness of the night.The cool evening breeze carried the metallic tang of the city. Dante allowed himself to breathe it in, letting the tension coiled in his shoulders unwind ever so slightly."It's high time I buy a house of my own in this city," he muttered to himself. His voice carried a mix of irritation and resolve.Dante had been lodging in hotels whenever he visited Bari, and he had become weary of it because every arrival and departure leaves traces, and this could be used against him by his adversaries.A house of his own would mean control and anonymity. In fact, it's a total freedom. A place where he can return at anytime without anyone knowing.He sighed deeply, trying

Given the late hour, Dante didn't respond to the knock. Instead, he quietly got up and walked toward the door to see who it was.The moment he peered through the peephole and realized it was room service, he didn't even say a single word.He turned around and headed back toward the bed.The hotel staff remained outside for a few more seconds before eventually leaving when he wasn't answered.To an ordinary person, the situation might have seemed harmless. But Dante was not ordinary.He knew that anyone could be used to accomplish a mission.All it needed was just the right amount of money or pressure.Dante knew that even a word from him could be used to recognize, and that was why he didn't say a word, as if he hadn't heard the knocks.A single sentence was enough for someone familiar with him to know he was inside the room.He sat back on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face with both hands. His eyes felt heavy out of frustration.The room was silent once again, but the peace las

As soon as the conference came to an end, the atmosphere inside the hall changed completely. The formal silence that had filled the room during Dante’s speech disappeared, replaced by overlapping voices.People began trooping toward him from different directions.Some came with admiration written all over their faces while others approached with calculated smiles, hoping to establish some form of connection with him before he disappeared again.A few carried business cards already prepared in their hands as though they had been waiting for the exact moment the conference would end.“Your speech was exceptional. I’ve attended countless conferences, but yours was different," one said.“You spoke like someone who has seen the future already," came the second person.The compliments came endlessly.Dante responded with polite nods and occasional handshakes, but internally, he was already exhausted.It had started immediately after he stepped down from the podium. He barely had enough time

"Sir, can you show us your residence permit?” one of the ICE agents asked the moment the door opened.The knock that had dragged Greg out of sleep earlier had not even sounded like something official. It had sounded violent. The kind that made a person think armed robbers were trying to break into the house.It was still early morning, the kind of hour where the sky remained dull and quiet, with the sun yet to fully rise. The neighborhood itself looked half-asleep.Even the air carried that heavy silence that comes before dawn properly settles into day.Greg had barely even washed his face before opening the door.Now two ICE officers stood in front of him wearing serious expressions, their jackets marked boldly with white letters.Behind them were more officials near the gate, watching the surroundings like they were carrying out a dangerous operation.The sight alone irritated him.“Who says I don’t have a residence permit?” Greg asked with a raised brow, his voice calm but edged wi

“I hope you’re now convinced that I was not making up claims?” Giulia said to Dante the moment they stepped out of the hospital premises.Dante's thoughts were heavy and disoriented.The test result was still clenched tightly in his hand, the edge of the paper already crumpled from how hard his fingers pressed against it. Every time his eyes drift toward the result, his chest tightens even more.The test had come out positive. It shows that Giulia is truly pregnant.Dante lowered his gaze to the tiled ground as they walked slowly toward the parking area outside the hospital. His shoulders looked heavier than before.In fact, he seemed like a man carrying something beyond his control.Dante said nothing about the question. Not because he had nothing to say, but because too many thoughts were crashing against one another inside his head at once.Words alone could not describe what he was feeling.Shock, anger, and even confusion.The silence stretched between them, but Giulia did not mi