Chapter 4 - The Return of the Boss
By eleven that morning, the black armored SUV carrying Luca De Santis screeched to a halt on the gravel driveway of Villa De Santis. The shareholder emergency in Milan had been a setup—a fake crisis engineered by his internal rivals to draw him away from the estate while Matteo breached the physical security.
Luca stepped out of the vehicle, his tailored charcoal suit pristine, his expression an impenetrable wall of cold fury. Marco met him on the steps, delivering a rapid debrief.
"Matteo was working for the Moretti syndicate," Marco reported. "He had the drive containing the shipment routes. But he didn't make it off the grounds."
"Why?" Luca’s voice was like grinding stones. "Who intercepted him?"
"Nero," Marco said simply. "And... Elena’s daughter."
Luca paused on the top step, his piercing gray eyes turning toward the central courtyard. "Explain."
Marco gestured toward the glass doors leading to the interior garden. Luca walked slowly toward the glass, stopping just inside the shadow of the velvet curtains. Through the window, he witnessed a scene that defied every principle by which he had governed his ruthless life.
Nero, the dog he had trained to show no mercy, was sitting patiently in the grass. Lily was placing a crown made of yellow dandelions on top of the dog's pointed ears. Nero didn't move, holding his breath as the little girl adjusted the flowers, before giving her hand a gentle, gigantic lick that made her burst into musical laughter.
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Standing a few feet away was Elena, watching her daughter with a protective, cautious gaze.
Luca stared through the glass for a long, unbroken minute. His hand rested on the brass handle of the door, his cold demeanor cracking for the first time in years.
