MasukDante’s POVI looked at her for a second. Part of me wanted to keep moving, to keep searching every street myself until my legs gave out, but she was right on the edge of falling apart again. I could see it in the way her shoulders shook and how she couldn’t quite meet my eyes for long. I nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay for now.”I pulled out my phone and called Lia. She answered almost immediately, like she had been waiting with the phone in her hand the whole time.“Dante? Any news?”“Not yet,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady even though my chest felt tight. “We’re still looking. The police put out the alert, and more people are searching. How are you holding up over there?”“I’m okay,” she said softly. “I’m still at the hospital with your dad. He’s stable. They’re watching him closely. The nurses say he’s resting well. Matteo is going to be found, Dante. I believe that. You have to believe it too.”Her words helped a little, but the worry was still thick in my chest. I leaned again
Dante’s POVMarco answered on the second ring. “Boss.”“Matteo is missing,” I said right away, my voice low and tight. “Lola took him to the store this morning and lost track of him. She thinks someone took him. Get the police involved now. I’m heading there.”There was a short pause on the other end, then Marco’s voice came back steady but serious. “I’m on my way. I’ll call the police as soon as we hang up. Where’s the store?”I gave him the name and address Lola had told me. My voice sounded rough even to my own ears. “Triple the security at the hospital,” I added. “I want more men on Lia and my dad. No one gets near either of them. Understand?”“Got it. I’ll handle it.”I hung up and practically ran the rest of the way to the parking lot. My hands were shaking as I got into the car and started the engine. The keys almost slipped from my fingers. The drive to the store felt endless. My heart wouldn’t slow down no matter how many deep breaths I tried to take. Every red light made me
Dante’s POVI stood up right away. Lia stood with me, her hand finding mine and holding on tight. My heart started beating faster, a mix of fear and hope twisting in my chest.“Your father is improving,” the doctor said. His voice was calm but clear. “The vitals are stronger this morning. The swelling has gone down more than we expected, and his oxygen levels are better. Things are looking positive. He could wake up at any minute now. We’re monitoring him closely, but the signs are good. He’s responding well.”I felt the air leave my lungs in one long, heavy breath. Relief hit me so hard my knees felt weak for a second. I closed my eyes and let out a huge sigh, the kind that came from deep in my chest after holding everything in for too long. My hand tightened around Lia’s without me even thinking about it.Lia turned and hugged me tight, her arms wrapping around my waist. I held her back just as hard, burying my face in her hair for a moment. She smelled like her soap and something w
Dante’s POV After my driver drove Lia home, I stood there in the parking lot for a long minute, watching the black car pull away until its lights disappeared into the dark. The night air felt cool against my face, and the hospital lights behind me threw long shadows across the concrete. My chest still felt tight from watching her leave. I didn’t like sending her away, but she looked so tired. The dark circles under her eyes and the way her shoulders had slumped told me she needed rest more than she needed to sit in that hallway with me. I pulled out my phone and called Marco. He answered on the second ring. “Boss,” he said. “Lia’s on her way home,” I told him, my voice low. “I need you to make sure the bodyguards are already stationed at her place. Confirm it.” There was a short pause, then the sound of him checking something. “They’re there. Two outside the building, one covering the back. Another in a car down the street. They’re ready.” “Good. Keep them out of sight. I don’t
Lia’s POVJoella sat up a little and turned to look at me. The blankets rustled softly as she moved. “Lia, no. Don’t say that. You can’t blame yourself for Rob’s actions. He made that choice. Not you. You didn’t make him pick up a gun and shoot his own father. That’s on him, not on you. You’re not responsible for what he did.”I felt tears stinging my eyes, hot and sudden, spilling over before I could stop them. They rolled down my cheeks and onto the pillow. “I’m scared of losing Victor the way I’ve lost basically everyone in my life,” I whispered. My voice cracked a little. “My parents are gone. My grandpa is gone. And now Victor is fighting for his life in that hospital bed. What if being around me is some kind of curse? What if everyone I love ends up hurt because of me? I don’t want to lose him too. I can’t.”Joella reached over and held my shoulders gently but firmly, turning me so I had to look at her. Her eyes were serious but full of love, shining a little in the low light. “
Lia’s POV Dante sent me home to rest later that night. The hospital lights had been so bright all day that my eyes felt tired and heavy, like someone had rubbed sand into them. The sharp smell of antiseptic was still stuck in my nose even though we were standing in the quiet hallway outside Victor’s room. The air felt cold and clean in there, but it made me shiver a little. I tried to tell him I was fine and could stay with him, but he looked at me with those soft, worried eyes and shook his head slow and gentle. “You need to rest, baby,” he said, his voice low and warm like it always was when he was trying to take care of me. “You’ve been here since this morning. You look exhausted. Your eyes are all red and your shoulders are tight. I’ll stay with my dad. He’s stable for now, and the nurses are checking on him every hour. Go home and sleep a little. Please. For me.” I opened my mouth to argue again because I hated the thought of leaving him and Victor here alone in that big hospita
Lia's POVHis large, warm hand glided over the curve of my ass, caressing and squeezing the soft flesh possessively. His fingers trailed downward, brushing against the base of the small plug. He circled it gently, then gave it a subtle push, pressing it a little deeper inside me. The modest size st
I spun around with a sharp intake of breath, my hand flying to my chest.Victor stood just a few feet away, watching me with those piercing blue eyes. He was so quiet I hadn't heard him approach at all. He'd changed since earlier—now he wore a dark suit, perfectly fitted, the kind that probably cos
When I finally got to my room, I stopped in the doorway and just stared.It was beautiful. Really, genuinely beautiful. The room was spacious and airy, with high ceilings and large windows that looked out over the water. The last light of the evening was painting the Mediterranean in shades of oran
Those blue eyes. God, those blue eyes.Up close, they were even more intense than I'd noticed from across the room. They were the kind of blue you saw in pictures of the Mediterranean—deep and clear and impossibly bright. They held a sharpness to them, an intelligence, like he was taking in everyth







