Chapter 8 - The Sun Through the Glass
Six months later, Villa De Santis was unrecognizable to those who had known it under Luca's old rule.
The high concrete perimeter walls remained, but the courtyard was now filled with blooming roses, lemon trees, and a wooden playground set built near the fountain. The syndicate operated with the same iron efficiency, but the atmosphere inside the estate had shifted entirely.
It was a warm Tuesday morning. Luca sat at the iron glass table on the terrace, reviewing quarterly financial reports on his tablet.
A soft tap sounded on the glass behind him.
He turned to look through the floor-to-ceiling window—the very window where he had once watched his terrifying war dog wearing a dandelion crown.
Lily was standing on the lawn, wearing bright blue overalls, holding a small garden rake. Beside her, Nero was lying flat on his stomach, patiently allowing her to stack clean wooden blocks along his broad back. Elena stood nearby, laughing as she poured fresh lemonade into glasses on a stone tray.
Luca set his tablet down on the table.
He walked to the window, sliding open the grand glass door, letting the warm summer breeze and the sound of his daughter's joyful laughter fill the quiet terrace.
"Daddy!" Lily called out, waving her tiny rake in the air. "Nero is helping me build a castle! Come help!"
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Luca looked at Elena, who offered him a warm, knowing smile, then looked down at his shoes as the massive, loyal hound thumped his tail against the grass in welcome.
The man who had spent his life building walls stepped out into the sunlight, leaving the cold shadows of his past behind forever.
