Valentina stood frozen for a second, her mind refusing to accept what she had just heard. Marco never spoke to her like that. Not once in five years."Are you insane?" Her voice cracked between fury and disbelief. "You hit my father and now you want a divorce? Marco, think about what you're saying."She stepped closer, trying to soften her tone, the way she always did when she needed to pull him back into line."You're just stressed. You don't mean any of this. Let's talk calmly, okay? We can fix whatever is bothering you."Marco said nothing. He simply stared at her, his eyes flat and unreadable, like he was looking at a stranger wearing his wife's face.Footsteps came from the hallway, light and unhurried. Lorenzo strolled in wearing a smug grin, his hands tucked into his pockets like he owned the place."What happened?" Lorenzo strolled over, looking at the chaos in front of him and putting on a fake peacemaker act. "Cousin-in-law, you're in the wrong here. Uncle Sergio is your eld

Marco reached the lottery shop just as the same heavyset man from his memory was crossing the street toward the door. His pace quickened without him even deciding to move faster.He pushed through the entrance first, his shoulder brushing past the fat man, and grabbed the last ticket off the counter before anyone else could touch it.The fat man froze in the doorway, his round face twisting with annoyance, his breath still heavy from the walk."Hey, that was mine." His voice came out whiny and indignant, his thick eyebrows pulling together in a scowl. "I was already on my way over here. You can't just cut in front of someone like that."Marco glanced at him with a flicker of something close to pity, though his face stayed perfectly calm."Bad luck, friend." His tone was light, almost careless. "Guess you'll have to settle for whatever's left on the shelf."The fat man huffed and muttered something under his breath, but he turned away without pushing the issue further, his shoulders sl

"Professor? What... what do you mean?" Valentina froze on the spot.Dante frowned as he looked Bianca up and down. "Who are you? Do I know you?"With a deeply embarrassed expression, Bianca stammered, "I... I took your Marriage Law and Civil Law classes during my junior year. You probably don't remember me..."Dante's frown deepened. "I remember all of my students, whether top-tier performers or failing ones... unless you skipped too many lectures."Bianca squeezed out a strained, awkward smile. In truth, she had barely attended three or four classes the entire semester and had almost failed to graduate."No wonder you feel so comfortable making up your own legal clauses. Perhaps that is the law in some other country, but certainly not in ours," Dante said smoothly."I... I just remembered it wrong, but..." Bianca forced herself to stay calm, trying to regain her footing.Valentina was completely bewildered. "What on earth do you mean, Bianca? Who is he?!""He's... Dante Acerbi, the t

Giulio blinked. Then he nodded rapidly, already reaching for his radio.By the time Marco signed the final delivery confirmation at the checkout desk, a notification hummed softly through his phone and directly into his mind.FIRST MISSION COMPLETED. REWARD: COMPREHENSIVE PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT.Marco flexed his hand slowly as he walked out toward the parking lot. The difference was subtle but unmistakable, like a dial inside his body had been quietly turned up a few notches. His steps felt steadier, his lungs fuller, his eyes sharper against the afternoon glare.He allowed himself one small, private smile.He did not notice the silver sedan parked across the street from the wholesale center entrance, or the woman sitting in the passenger seat with her phone raised, recording every delivery truck being loaded through the zoom lens of her camera.Valentina lowered her phone slowly, her eyes fixed on the warehouse doors, her mind turning over what she had just spent the last two hours wa

Marco had spent the last three days surrounded by blueprints, delivery schedules, and legal documents. He had earned one quiet evening, and he intended to use it properly.He pulled up the address for Il Cielo Stellato on his phone and walked through the city with his hands loose at his sides, wearing the same clean but unremarkable jacket he had owned for two years. He had never cared much about clothing before, and dying once had not changed that.The restaurant entrance was all warm gold light and heavy glass doors, the kind of place that made people straighten their posture just walking toward it.A young waiter stepped into Marco's path before he could reach the host stand, his chin lifting slightly, his eyes making a quick sweep of Marco's jacket and worn shoes with the practiced efficiency of someone paid to keep the wrong people out."Good evening, sir." His voice was smooth but had a wall behind it. "Do you have a reservation? I'm afraid our wait times tonight are quite long,