Margaret sat on the cream sofa in her living room, one hand resting against the armrest while Benjamin sat across from her.A low fire burned inside the modern fireplace.Dinner had not yet been served.Margaret had invited him earlier that afternoon. After everything that had happened, she wanted to speak with him again without hospital staff moving around them or doctors interrupting their conversation.Benjamin looked around the room briefly before returning his attention to her.“So they questioned you twice?”Margaret nodded.“Both times.”“Moretti?”“Yes. Chief Moretti.”Benjamin leaned back.“He showed you the pictures?”“He did.”“And you couldn't identify them either?”“No.”Margaret picked up the glass of water beside her.“The faces weren't clear enough. They deliberately kept their heads away from the cameras.”Benjamin nodded slowly.“That was the same problem I had.”He remembered the photographs.Two men.Two partially hidden faces.Nothing useful.Moretti had watched h

She told herself that he could be innocent. There were a lot of men who had the same build as Tommaso Giovanni.Her jeans came off first, his fingers working the button and zipper with familiar efficiency. He tugged the denim down her legs, his knuckles brushing her thighs. Then her shirt, lifted over her head, the fabric catching on her earrings for a moment before freeing itself. He unhooked her bra with a single deft motion, and she was bare before him.Tommaso paused, his eyes traveling over her body. “You’re so beautiful, sweetheart.”She looked away.He lowered his mouth to her collarbone, pressing soft kisses along the bone, moving downward. Her skin prickled with goosebumps. Her breath hitched.She wondered why it still felt the same. Why did her body still want him? He undressed himself quickly, his movements efficient, almost hungry. When he returned to her, his skin was warm against hers, his chest hair rough against her breasts. His mouth found her nipple and she arched i

Benjamin spread the pamphlets and booklets across the glass coffee table in the penthouse.Desmond sat opposite him, staring at the papers with a frown.“What is all this?”Benjamin picked up one of the brochures.“The financial advisor gave them to me.”“I see,” Desmond reached for one of the booklets.Benjamin leaned back into the sofa.“He knows what he's doing. He went through the assets, asked me what kind of businesses interested me, and started explaining what I should consider before putting money into anything.”Desmond took another pamphlet and flipped through it.“You understood all of that?”“Some of it.”Desmond looked up.“Some?”Benjamin laughed.“Do you think becoming rich automatically gives someone a degree in finance?”Desmond grinned.“Honestly? I thought you knew everything now.”Benjamin shook his head.“That is exactly why I need people who know what they're doing.”“You know I told you it's an excellent idea.” Desmond said. “He gave me information on property,

Benjamin stood in the middle of the living room and looked around.The house already felt different.Only a few days earlier, the rooms had been empty. Now workers moved around with measuring tapes, fabric samples, furniture catalogues, and boxes.One team worked inside Benjamin's house while another team worked on Desmond's.The two houses had the same structure. Both were two-story detached houses with roughly four hundred square metres of interior space, private gardens, and two-car garages.They were also on the same street, with four other houses between them.Benjamin glanced toward the road through the large windows.Desmond had already stepped outside to look around the property."They're really moving quickly," he said.The head decorator smiled."We have a full team working here and another team working on your friend's house."Benjamin looked toward the staircase."When do you think everything will be finished?""By the end of the month, we don't want to rush things."Desmo

The third property was different.Benjamin knew it the moment the glass entrance doors opened.He stopped just inside the lobby and looked around. Desmond, who had returned from Latina two days earlier, walked in beside him.They looked at each other.Neither spoke.They smiled.The man leading the tour noticed.“I take it you like this one?”Benjamin's eyes remained on the building.“I do.”The property stood in EUR, exactly where Lorenzo had recommended Valmont needed to establish its headquarters. Benjamin had already inspected two other buildings over the previous few days, but neither had felt right. One had excellent offices but poor parking. The other had impressive meeting rooms but lacked enough space for future expansion.This one had everything.It was a newly completed two-storey office complex built specifically for corporate use. Its exterior combined pale stone, wide glass panels and clean modern lines. A landscaped entrance led toward the main doors, while a private pa