Chapter 38: The Devil’s game
Few hours later they arrive on the location Enzo gave to them and they gave him his price.
He checked it....
And it was complete then they ask for the book to seal up with deal.
Immediately Enzo reach out for his Bag, He couldn’t find the Black book..... It’s as if the book disappeared...
You are wasting our time we don’t have all day, you have gotten your price why keeping us waiting they asked him...
When it was obvious he couldn’t get the book. They pointed gun to his face... Pulled the trigger and the metallic tang of blood clung to the river air as Enzo’s limp body sank into the black water, his life snuffed out with four merciless shots.
The ripples closed over him, swallowing every trace.....
except for the echo of his last panicked breaths.
****
On the jet, the Atlans’ leader sat stone-faced, his jaw rigid. "He thought he could cheat us," he said to his second-in-command.
"No one cheats the Atlans." The engines roared as they cut through the clouds, leaving the river to keep Enzo’s secrets.
But the book... The book was gone.
It wasn’t in the bag....
It wasn’t in the room either....
It was nowhere a human hand could touch.
Somewhere, in the shadows between worlds, the black book pulsed with quiet power, as if mocking the fools who thought they could own it.
*****
Luca Morano was halfway home, his black jeep slicing through the city streets under the dying light.
He had just left a meeting that had been all sharp words and dangerous promises.
His phone buzzed against the leather console.
The caller is Bianca.
He stared at the screen, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.
He had been ignoring her calls for weeks, refusing to let her slither her way back into his life.
But she was persistent, and persistence in his world was never innocent.
Another buzz... And this time a text came in... Which reads:
"Your precious woman is dressed and going to have a good time with her ex-lover.. "
A second message followed instantly.
"The hostel receptionist is my friend—she saw them together. Here’s the location.
An image popped up.
Alessia’s face, blurred slightly, but unmistakable.
The caption read: your Lover and wife. Lol.
Luca’s pulse slowed—not with calm, but with the cold stillness of a predator before the kill.
He wanted to dismiss it as one of Bianca’s usual games.
But something in the tone... something calculated... made the blood in his veins feel heavy.
If Bianca was lying, tonight would be the night he ended her games for good.
With a controlled flick of the wheel, he turned the car toward Nuk View Hotel.
*****
The elevator ride felt endless, the red numbers climbing one by one.
Alessia’s heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she stepped into the hallway, her blue gown brushing against her legs— A gown Luca loved, one that made her feel like she was still his favorite person in the world.
She reached Room 407.
She raised her hand to knock, but the door swung open before she touched it.
And there he was...
To her greatest shock it wasn’t her husband Luca but Lorenzo.
For a heartbeat, her mind refused to process what she was seeing.
She had gotten married.
She had buried him in her heart.
She had moved on.
Why is he setting her up..... And playing tricky dangerous games.
Before she could react, his hands shot out, grabbing her wrists.
The door slammed shut behind her.
"Lorenzo.... " Her voice was barely a breath.
"I couldn’t let him keep you," he said, his grip tightening as he backed her toward the bed. "Not when you were mine first."
She twisted, but he was stronger, fueled by some desperate need.
In a blur, he pushed her onto the mattress, his weight pinning her down.
The scent of his cologne familiar and wrong mixed with her rising panic.
****
Luca arrived at the hotel, The lobby was warm and polished, but Luca didn’t notice.
His boots hit the floor with lethal precision, every step a silent countdown.
His men followed like shadows, their presence enough to make the receptionist’s smile falter.
"Room 407," he said. His voice left no room for refusal.
The elevator doors slid open, and moments later he was striding down the carpeted hallway, each footfall measured, deadly.
When he reached the door, he didn’t knock.
He kicked it open.....
And there it was.
Lorenzo, sprawled on top of Alessia, her wrists caught in his hands.
The world narrowed to red.
Luca didn’t speak.
He grabbed Lorenzo by the shirt and ripped him away from the bed, slamming him into the wall.
"You bastard," Luca said, his voice thick with venom.
His fist connected with Lorenzo’s jaw, then his ribs—sharp, punishing blows.
Blood sprayed, dotting the cream wallpaper.
His men moved, guns lifting toward Lorenzo.
"No," Luca barked without looking.
Lorenzo’s lips were split, blood dribbling down his chin.
Yet somehow, impossibly, he smiled. "Always so dramatic, Luca. Afraid she might actually want me back?" He managed to say...
Luca’s grip shifted to his throat, squeezing until Lorenzo’s face darkened.
"Stop please... " Alessia’s voice cracked. She scrambled off the bed, her gown twisted, her hair falling loose.
"Luca, it’s not what you think.. I can explain.... "
His head snapped toward her, and what she saw in his eyes made her take a step back.
They weren’t just angry.
They were inhuman.
Red-rimmed, burning, and endless.
His voice, when it came, was layered as if a hundred voices spoke in unison.
"I divorce you, Alessia."
The words hit like a physical blow.
"I don’t want you near me.
Go pack your things. Leave my house."
And then he turned away, walking out with a calmness more terrifying than rage.
Alessia was shattered
Her vision blurred with tears.
The air felt too thick to breathe.
"You... you did this to me? ," she asked, turning to Lorenzo.
He grinned, teeth stained with blood. "I had to hack into your phone. Saved my number under his name. Made sure the messages would lead you here. All so you’d be free from him and back with me."
Her stomach twisted with disgust. "You are so sick, you are evil and heartless...."
"But you loved me once...," he said, stepping closer.
She grabbed the nearest thing she could a glass vase and held it like a weapon. "Touch me, and I’ll smash your head open."
Her heels clicked sharply as she strode to the door, yanking it open.
The hallway spun as she stepped into it, her sobs breaking free.
She barely felt the cold metal of the staircase rail beneath her hand as she stumbled down, her cries echoing in the stairwell.
*****
Luca’s car cut through the night like a silent blade, the city lights blurring past his windows.
His security men drive behind his car, as he drove too fast.
His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather creaked beneath his fingers.
He didn’t remember the turns, didn’t notice the traffic.
All he could see, burned into the back of his mind, was Alessia’s blue gown.. His favorite and Lorenzo’s body pressing her into that bed.
The devil in him was awake now, and he had no patience for softness.
*****
Bianca was already waiting
The iron gates of the Morano estate swung open, and Bianca was already on the front steps, perfectly dressed in a figure-hugging crimson silk dress that shimmered under the porch lights.
The moment Luca stepped out, she moved toward him, her heels clicking softly on the marble.
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his chest.
"I’m sorry this is happening to you," she murmured, her voice low and warm. "I wish your brother were here to see all this. He should have left her as a maid instead of making her your wife."
Her nails grazed the back of his suit. "We never knew she was... like this."
"No," Luca said sharply, pulling back enough to look at her. "She’s not... tMy anger isn’t because she’s unfaithfu, it’s because she met him there.... Alone. She’s always drawn to him. If she still wants him, she can go."
Bianca’s eyes softened with a false sympathy he didn’t see. "Of course. She still loves him. Look at how she dressed tonight. That gown..." She let her voice trail off, as if pitying him. "Go upstairs. I’ll come over later to make your favorite dinner."
Luca said nothing, his expression unreadable, and walked inside.
His steps were heavy, each one echoing the weight pressing down on his chest.
****
It wasn’t long before the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the entry hall.
Alessia appeared, eyes swollen from crying, hair tangled from her frantic hands running through it.
She clutched the railing as if it might keep her upright.
"Luca, please..." Her voice cracked. "Please listen to me. It wasn’t what you think..... "
He didn’t turn. "Another man touched you, Alessia. If I hadn’t been there, he would have undressed you. Do you expect me to erase that from my mind?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I didn’t know he would be there. It was a trap.... "
"Enough, Everything is always a trap. " He cut her off, finally facing her.
His voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the finality in it. "Leave. I’ll have the official divorce papers sent to you soonest.
But right now, when I look at you, I don’t see my rare gem. I see him... touching you."
The words gutted her.
For a moment, she stood frozen, the silence between them thick enough to choke on.
Then, without another word, she turned toward the bedroom.
She opened the wardrobe, her hands trembling, and began pulling out her clothes.
Every dress, every blouse, every piece of fabric she folded carried memories—memories she wished she could burn from her mind.
When her suitcase was full, she zipped it closed and turned to face him one last time.
"Luca," she said softly, "it was... nice being your wife."
She slipped the expensive diamond ring from her finger.
It felt heavier now than the day he would placed it there.
Crossing the room, she set it on the table between them.
The sound of it touching the wood was like a gunshot in the silence.
"Goodbye, Luca."
"Goodbye, Alessia," he replied, his voice still edged with anger, though his eyes flickered just once with something else.....
Something he refused to name.
Alessia lifted the suitcase handle and walked slowly through the hallway.
Her vision blurred with tears, making the grand staircase sway beneath her feet.
The domestic staff paused in their work, watching in stunned silence.
Some looked away quickly, unable to bear her expression. Others stared openly, sadness in their eyes, but none dared intervene.
Even the security guards at the door shifted uncomfortably, their gazes dropping to the floor as she passed.
When she stepped outside, the cool night air hit her like a slap.
And then Bianca appeared.
Bianca leaned against the wrought iron gate, arms folded, a smirk curling her lips.
"Well, well," she said, her tone dripping with mock sympathy. "You shouldn’t have cheated. Still in love with your ex, huh? How sad." She tilted her head. "Stop faking crocodile tears. No one’s buying it."
Alessia’s chest rose and fell rapidly, but she said nothing.
"Oh, silent now?" Bianca laughed. "Run along, darling. The master doesn’t need you anymore."
Alessia stepped through the gate without looking back. Bianca turned to the guards, her voice sharp.
"Lock it."
The clang of the gates closing was final.
"Why is everyone looking so gloomy?" Bianca’s eyes swept over the staff clustered nearby.
"She cheated on your master. You should be glad she’s gone. Now get back to work, everyone."
*****
Seraphina’s fingers drummed lightly against the armrest as she dialed the number.
The line clicked, and Bianca’s voice came through, smooth but wary.
"Your job is done," Seraphina said, her tone dripping with satisfaction. "Now... how do we get the papers?"
Bianca froze. "What do you mean—your papers?"
"The ones that belong to him," Seraphina replied coolly.
A sharp edge slid into Bianca’s voice. "He’s my man now, and I won’t betray him. You can request something else, but not my man’s property."
"You fucking b*tch," Seraphina hissed, fury flaring in her voice. "I knew you’d pull something like this."
"Oh, yes," Bianca said, her tone turn ing smug. "I’m the master of this game. And if you try anything cunning, I’ll expose you to Luca."
A heavy silence fell broken only by the sound of the door swinging open.
Luca stepped inside, his presence commanding, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Expose... what, exactly?" he asked, with his voice deep and dangerous....