2025-12-31 17:00:49The Santoro estate rose behind wrought-iron gates like a monument to old money and older pride. Manicured gardens, marble fountains, a villa that belonged in Renaissance paintings rather than modern Italy.
Dante stood outside those gates, hands shoved deep in his pockets, while Lorenzo hovered anxiously beside the car.
"Young Master, please reconsider. Let me come with you," Lorenzo pleaded. "The Santoro family is expecting Master Armani's disciple. You need someone to—"
"No." Dante cut him off. "I'm here to break off an engagement, not propose marriage. The fewer witnesses to this disaster, the better."
"But Young Master, the Santoro daughters are what half the men in this city dream of! Beautiful, accomplished, from excellent bloodlines—"
"Lorenzo."
"And Master Armani always said you should settle down before building your career! At least have someone to take care of your daily life, manage your household—"
"Lorenzo."
The older man sighed, defeated. "As you wish, Young Master. I'll wait here."
Dante turned back to the gates, steeling himself. He just hoped—prayed, really—that his supposed fiancée wasn't Giulia's sister. Sleeping with your future sister-in-law before even meeting your bride was definitely not something to put on a résumé.
He took a deep breath, reaching for the intercom button.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Dante froze.
That voice. That cold, flat, utterly unmistakable voice.
He turned slowly.
Giulia stood ten meters away, dressed in an elegant blazer and slacks, her hair pulled back, her expression somewhere between suspicious and murderous. She looked like she'd just returned from somewhere important and was very much not pleased to see him.
Dante's smile looked more like a grimace. More like someone had just told him his execution date.
Of course. Of course it's her.
"Well?" Giulia's eyes narrowed. "I asked you a question. What are you doing at my house?"
Her house. Her house.
Dante wanted to laugh. Or cry. Maybe both.
"I..." He cleared his throat. "I'm just—"
"Did you follow me here?" Her voice dropped to a dangerous register. "After what I told you this morning, you thought it would be a good idea to stalk me to my family home?"
"No, that's not—"
"Are you here to blackmail me?" She stepped closer, her gaze like ice picks. "To threaten me? To demand money in exchange for your silence?"
"Giulia, listen—"
"Don't you dare use my name like we're familiar." She was right in front of him now, her finger jabbing into his chest. "I don't know what kind of delusional fantasy you've constructed, but if you think you can show up at my home and cause trouble, you're even stupider than you look."
"I'm not here to cause trouble—"
"Then leave. Now. Before I call security and have them remove you like the stray dog you are."
Dante opened his mouth. Closed it. What could he possibly say? Actually, I'm here because I'm your fiancé? She'd probably punch him. I came to ask for money? That made him sound like exactly the scumbag she thought he was.
He was saved from responding by the sharp creak of iron gates.
Both of them turned.
An elderly man with a magnificent mane of white hair stepped through, his posture straight despite his age, his eyes sharp behind wire-rimmed glasses. He wore a tailored suit that spoke of old wealth and older traditions.
"Giulia!" His voice was stern, disapproving. "What are you doing arguing with someone at our gates? Especially today, when we're expecting an important guest!" He looked up, ready to dismiss whoever had drawn his granddaughter's ire.
Then his eyes landed on Dante.
The old man's expression transformed—shock, then recognition, then something close to joy.
He bowed deeply at the waist.
"Young Master Moretti! Forgive me—I didn't realize you'd arrived already. Please, please come inside!"
Giulia's mouth fell open.
"Grandfather?" She stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? What are you doing?" The old man—Giulia's grandfather, evidently—straightened and shot her a reproachful look. "This is our honored guest! Show some respect!"
"Honored guest?" Giulia looked between her grandfather and Dante, confusion and suspicion warring on her face. "This... this nobody is your honored guest?"
"Giulia!" Her grandfather's voice cracked like a whip. "Mind your tongue! This young man is—"
"He's a fraud!" She grabbed her grandfather's arm. "Grandfather, please, you don't understand. He's just a poor—"
"Enough!" The old man pulled his arm free, his expression thunderous. "I will not have you embarrassing this family with such rudeness. Go inside immediately and inform your parents that our future son-in-law has arrived. I'll be hosting him personally."
The world stopped.
Giulia's face went white, then red, then white again.
"Your... what?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
The old man blinked, then laughed—a warm, apologetic sound. "Ah, forgive me! I was so excited I forgot you two haven't been properly introduced yet."
He turned to Dante with a gracious smile. "Young Master Moretti, allow me to present my eldest granddaughter, Giulia Santoro. She's twenty-three, graduated summa cum laude from university, speaks four languages fluently, and manages several of our family's business ventures. A bit cold in temperament, I admit, but brilliant and capable beyond measure."
He pulled a stunned Giulia closer. "Giulia, this is Dante Moretti, the prized disciple of the legendary Master Armani. And, as arranged by our families, your fiancé."
Giulia stood frozen, her eyes locked on Dante.
"Here, here!" Her grandfather beamed, pulling out his phone. "Let's exchange contact information! You young people should get to know each other properly—"
"No."
The single word cut through the air like a knife.
The old man paused, confused. "Giulia?"
She hadn't moved. Hadn't blinked. But her eyes—her eyes were absolutely blazing with fury.
"I will never," she said, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage, "marry this man."
"Giulia, what are you—"
"Never." She turned to her grandfather, her expression colder than winter. "I don't care what arrangement was made. I don't care who his master is. I want nothing to do with him."
"But—"
"Nothing." She stepped back, putting distance between herself and Dante like he carried the plague. "I would rather die alone than marry him."
Her grandfather's face cycled through confusion, shock, and growing anger. "Giulia Santoro, this is not how you were raised! This engagement was agreed upon by Master Armani himself—"
"Then Master Armani made a mistake!" Her voice rose for the first time, her composure cracking. "This man is a liar, a fraud, and a—"
She cut herself off, her jaw clenching shut, her eyes darting to Dante with something that looked almost like panic beneath the fury.
She couldn't say it. Couldn't tell her grandfather what had happened between them without admitting she'd spent the night with a man before marriage.
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211: Whose File Is This?
"Officer, this is an outright violation of my fundamental human rights!"Greg's voice thundered through the house as he glared at the officer who had taken the search to an entirely different level.It was seven o'clock in the evening when members of the FBI stormed his home once again, making it the second raid in a matter of weeks.Unlike the previous visit, which had taken place early in the morning, this one came at a time Greg least expected. They had deliberately arrived in the evening, catching him off guard when his defences were down. After all, who would expect federal agents to appear at their doorstep twice within such a short period?The moment they entered, they spread out across the house with practised efficiency. Some headed upstairs while others remained on the ground floor, opening drawers, inspecting cabinets, and searching every corner they deemed necessary.Greg stood in the middle of his living room with his jaw tightened and a clenched fist watching them with gr
210: I'm Sorry It Happened
“Is this why you called me here?”Those were the exact words Jane uttered after Dante finished talking to her.Her voice was calm, but the disappointment behind it struck harder than anger will do.“Calm down, Jane,” Dante replied, doing his best to maintain a composed demeanor.He paused briefly before continuing. “I’m sorry this is happening, but trust me, it was a setup.”Jane fixed him with a sharp stare. The irritation in her eyes gradually softened at the mention of that single word.Almost immediately, memories from their first date resurfaced in her mind. She remembered how Giulia had appeared out of nowhere and attempted to hijack the evening.The woman had been overly familiar, clingy, and possessive around Dante. Yet through it all, Dante had never reciprocated her behavior.That remembrance alone made Jane to believe Dante, though not fully.“So how exactly did it happen?” she asked, her gaze never leaving his face.Dante released a long breath and lowered his eyes. For a
209: 2:00 a.m Banging
After Dante left the police station, night had already settled over the city.As Dante stepped into the parking lot and headed towards his car, exhaustion settled into his bones.Only then did he remember Maverick. The realisation struck him like a punch in the chest.He had completely missed the meeting. To top it off, Maverick had called several times, but he didn't answer any of them, nor did he return the call."He would probably be thinking I intentionally refused to answer," he muttered silently."From his perspective, it would seem as though I had deliberately ignored him. There was no reason for him to assume otherwise."Only if Maverick knew what Dante got into that made him physically present but absent-minded the moment the phone was ringing."He stared at the screen again and sighed heavily."He must be furious."The longer he looks at the phone, the more uncomfortable he becomes.Dante considered returning the call immediately, but something popped up in his head, making a
208: What's That?
When Dante left the firm, he drove straight to the police station to report himself. Deep down, he knew there was no realistic way to evade justice.Cameras are everywhere, and there is a high chance the accident had already been captured from multiple angles.Even if nobody at the scene had managed to identify him, it would only take a matter of time before the authorities would trace him through his car.Once his licence plate becomes public, people will start coming forward with information, especially if a cash reward is attached.The thought weighed heavily on him."No matter how difficult things become, I'll get through them," Dante told himself.His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he continued driving. His mind was so consumed by the accident that everything else around him seemed distant. Images of the incident replayed repeatedly in his head.His phone had been ringing on the dashboard for quite some time, but he hadn't even noticed. The ringtone echoed through
207: Landed Into Another Trouble
The car swerved violently out of its lane to the pedestrian lane. That was when it dawned on Dante that he had hit someone. However, he did avoid the truck.The realization crashed into him harder than even a physical blow.Although he had successfully avoided colliding with the truck, the outcome was far from what he had intended. In his desperate attempt to prevent one disaster, he had created another."No..." he muttered under his breath.His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as disbelief swept through him. The entire incident had happened so quickly that his mind struggled to process it.For several seconds, he remained frozen behind the wheel, staring blankly ahead.When he finally came back to his memory, he hastily pushed the car door open and stepped out.The moment his feet touched the ground, he realized things had already spiraled beyond his control.People have started gathering. Individuals from nearby shops, pedestrians, and passersby all rushed toward the scen
206: More Like Assassination
"Could you come to my office?" Maverick requested.The moment the words left the man's mouth, Dante felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.His grip tightened around the steering wheel as conflicting thoughts battled inside his head. A part of him wanted to agree immediately. After all, the information he needs from Maverick is one of the reasons he returned to the city in the first place. However, another part of him knew there was someone else already waiting, which was Pa Santoro.The old man had extended his stay at the office solely because Dante promised he was coming. It wasn't something the elderly businessman would normally do.Vittorio Santoro valued his time, and despite his stern nature, he had always treated Dante with a level of respect that few others received.Dante glanced at the dashboard clock. The realization made him uneasy.If he chose to meet Maverick now, it would mean keeping the old man waiting for nothing."Umm..." he muttered, struggling to come up with an
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