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• Chapter 71: Smuggler's Escape

  The yacht Sea Serpent cut through the Persian Gulf like a knife through silk. Santino stood on the deck, watching Dubai's skyline shrink behind them. The city lights looked like scattered diamonds against the black water."You're brooding again," Tatiana said.She came up beside him, carrying two glasses of champagne. Her red hair whipped in the sea breeze. She wore a white dress that the wind pressed against her body."I don't brood," Santino said."Right, you meditate aggressively," Tatiana replied.Despite everything, Santino smiled. "Is that what I do?""Among other things." She handed him a glass. "Drink. You look like you need it."The champagne was good. Everything on Tatiana's yacht was expensive."How long until we reach international waters?" Santino asked."Twenty minutes. Then you're officially a free man," Tatiana said."I haven't been free in years.""That's because you choose the wrong women."Santino looked at her. "Present company excluded?""I'm not trying to kill yo

• Chapter 70: Devil's Deal

  Santino stood in the center of the empty space, hands in his pockets. The bomb he'd planted under Sandra's yacht should have killed her twelve hours ago.Instead, she was standing in front of him. Alive and Smiling."You're predictable like Vincent," Sandra said. "Just like your father.""I'm nothing like him," Santino replied."No?" Sandra raised a brow. "You both think violence solves everything. You both underestimate your enemies."Six men with guns surrounded them in a loose circle."How did you know?" Santino asked."About the bomb? Please. I've been doing this since before you were born," Sandra said. "I moved my base the moment you left the marina.""Smart," Santino admitted."Survival requires intelligence. Something Vincent never understood," Sandra said.She walked closer to Santino. Close enough that he could smell her perfume. "Do you want to know why I really hate him?" Sandra asked."Because he killed your husband," Santino said.Sandra laughed. "That's the simple versi

• Chapter 69: Dubai's Height

  The Dubai skyline stretched out below Santino like a sea of glass and steel. He stood on the rooftop of the Atlantis hotel, forty floors above the city. The wind was strong up here. It pulled at his jacket and made his eyes water.In his hand, he held Ben's key. The metal was warm from his palm. He'd carried it for weeks now, telling himself his father might still be alive. Telling himself there was hope.There wasn't."You're dead, aren't you?" Santino said to the wind. "You've been dead since that day in Naples."The key caught the sunlight. Such a small thing. But it had opened everything. The safety deposit box. The documents. The truth about who he really was."Vincent's son," Santino said. "Not Ben Leandro's boy. Vincent fucking El Amore's son."He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You knew, didn't you? You knew and you never told me."The city noise rose from below. Cars honking. Construction. Life went on while his world fell apart."You protected me," Santino said. "Rai

• Chapter 68: Blood Loyalty

  The warehouse was cold and empty. Broken windows let in weak sunlight as Santino sat on a metal crate across from Salvatore. The silence stretched, heavy with history.Twenty years of friendship. Twenty years of lies.Santino’s voice cut through it. “You’ve been talking to Sandra.”Salvatore met his eyes. “Who told you that?”“Does it matter?” Santino’s tone was flat but steady.Salvatore crossed his arms. “It matters to me.”“Why?” Santino snapped. “So you can lie better next time?”Salvatore rubbed his face with both hands. He looked tired like the truth had aged him overnight. “Santino…”But Santino wasn’t finished. “Did you know Mia was adopted?” Salvatore’s head jerked up as his eyes went wide. “What?”“Sandra told me. Mia isn’t El Amore’s real daughter. She was adopted.” Santino said it slowly, watching for a reaction.Shock. Real, unfiltered shock spread across Salvatore’s face. His mouth opened, then closed again.“You didn’t know,” Santino murmured.“I… no. I had no idea.” Sal

• Chapter 67: Mother's Pain

  Sandra stood twenty feet away, her men fanning out behind her like black wings.“Hello, dear,” she called. Her voice was soft but razor sharp.Santino stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “Sandra.”She tilted her head, examining him. “You look like him. Your father. Same dark eyes. Same stubborn jaw.”Santino’s voice hardened. “What do you want?”Sandra walked closer, slow and unbothered. “To finish what Vincent started. But first… let’s say goodbye to your mother properly.”Ice crawled down Santino’s spine. “What did you do?”A slow smile crept across Sandra’s face. “Nothing yet. But Maria is very sick.”She paused, glancing around with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “It would be such a shame if her medication got mixed up.”Santino’s voice rose. “You touch her and I will”“You’ll what? Kill me?” Sandra laughed, head tossed back. “Like father, like son. Always threatening. Never thinking.”Isabelle stepped forward, grabbing Santino’s arm. “Don’t let her bait you.”“Smart girl,” Sandra

• Chapter 66: True Father

  The nursing home smelled like disinfectant and old roses as Santino followed the nurse down a narrow hallway, his heart hammering."She's been asking for you," the nurse said. "For weeks now. Said she knew you'd come.""How could she know?" Santino asked."Room 47." The nurse stopped. "She's fragile. The medication makes her confused sometimes."Santino pushed open the door. The woman in the bed was small, gray-haired. But her eyes were alert. Watching."Santino," his mother whispered."Mama?"She smiled. "I have missed you."He sat beside the bed. Her hand found his. Paper-thin skin. Warm."What happened to you? You seem so frail," he said."I am getting old, Santino. I also heard El Amore is dead. Is that true?" she asked."Yes.""I need to tell you the truth about your father, Santino.""What else should I know? I already know my father Ben is dead.""No, child. Ben raised you. Loved you. But he wasn't your blood," Maria said.The room spun. "Then who?""A man I loved before I met