Chapter 54: Getting back with her
Luca Morano’s finger tightened on the trigger, his piercing gaze fixed on Lorenzo’s terrified face.
The cold steel of the gun was a promise of death, but when he pulled, nothing happened.
Confusion flashed in his dark eyes.
He checked the weapon and it was fully loaded.
A second attempt yielded the same hollow click. No shot. His jaw clenched, irritation rising like a storm. Without a word, he reached for his second gun, a sleek piece he trusted with his life, and again a silent click. No bullet.
Lorenzo’s breathing came in shallow bursts, fear dancing in his widened pupils. "Who the h*ll are you?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
A dangerous smile curved Luca’s lips. "I am Luca Morano, the most feared and ruthless Mafia’s heir to the Morano empire. You should have thought twice before stepping into my world. I don’t get this angry often, but you’ve pushed me to the wall." His tone was calm, yet every syllable was dipped in menace. "You should be thankful you didn’t have your way with my woman else.... , I’ve spared your life more times than you deserve but this... this is your final grace but you shall live it regrettably in pains."
Luca snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the sound of boots filled the room. Armed officers and Morano guards swarmed in, their presence suffocating.
They seized Lorenzo, forcing him to his knees.
"And where is Seraphina?" Luca asked, his voice like a blade.
"She escaped," one guard reported. "Left her partner behind."
"Coward," Luca muttered, his tone colder than steel. "She’s next."
He turned, his focus softening for the first time that night.
There, on the bed, Alessia stirred. Her lashes fluttered, and her hazel eyes opened, confusion laced with fragility.
The moment she saw him, recognition lit her face like the first rays of dawn breaking through a storm.
"Luca..." she whispered, her voice weak but filled with warmth.
He moved toward her, every step deliberate, controlled, yet driven by an emotion he rarely allowed himself to feel. When he reached her, all his restraint crumbled.
He sank down, pulling her into his arms.
His embrace was firm yet gentle, a man holding the only piece of his heart he had ever surrendered.
The guards, trained and loyal, turned away. Some faced the wall, others bowed their heads.
They understood. When the Morano heir showed tenderness, it was sacred.
Hugging wasn’t enough. Their lips found each other, and the world fell silent.
The kiss was everything, A collision of fear and relief, of love surviving chaos.
Her fingers clung to his jacket, his hand cradled the back of her head.
It was desperate and tender, a promise written without words.
When they finally broke apart, Luca’s voice was rough with emotion. "I promise you, Alessia, I will never leave you again. We are stronger together. Nothing.. no enemy, no betrayal will ever stand between us."
Tears welled in her eyes, but they were the kind that carried hope. "Home?" she asked softly.
"Home," he said, kissing her forehead. "Let’s go home."
******
Far away, Donato soul wandered through an endless gray mist.
The air was heavy, almost metallic, and every step echoed like a whisper in an empty cathedral.
The world around him was neither night nor day, just a cloudy limbo.
A voice broke the silence.
"Isn’t it time you let us get back together?"
Donato turned and found himself staring into his own face, a mirror image cloaked in shadow.
The other Donato smirked. "Why so stubborn, self? Weeks have passed, Are you waiting for them to bury me while I wander here?"
"Not yet," Donato soul replied to himself, calm but unyielding. "The war isn’t over. You know it."
His twin-self tilted his head, studying him. "Or are you afraid? Afraid of what comes next?"
Donato’s gaze hardened. "Stay where you are. Some prisons are necessary."
The shadow-self chuckled, a low, haunting sound. "Prison? Or protection?"
Donato turned away, his coat billowing like smoke. "When the time is right, we’ll merge. Until then, remain trapped."
The mist swallowed his words, and the second Donato faded into the fog.
******
Morning came quietly.
Bianca and Princess Elowen prepared for departure.
The old woman’s home smelled of herbs and ash.
Proncess elowen’s golden hair was gone, hidden beneath dark dye.
Her complexion was altered by a strange magnetic cream that gave her skin a new tone. Makeup transformed her royal elegance into something unrecognizable.
Bianca adjusted her cloak, glancing at their host. "We owe you more than thanks," she said.
The old woman chuckled, her voice rough like dry leaves. "Do you? Strange, neither of you asked my name."
They exchanged surprised looks. "What is your name?" they asked in unison.
The woman’s lips curled into a smile.
My name is "Lapátasodara Valkà."
Elowen froze, the name like a cold wind down her spine. "That name... I heard it in tales as a child. A witch of the old world."
The woman’s laugh was soft, almost mocking. "it’s just a stories, my dear princess, I don’t mean to scare you, Nothing more. But I am pleased to know your home valued its moonlight tales."
She moved closer, her presence almost too heavy for the small room. "From now on, your name is Lowy, Remember that. If Bianca slips and calls you Elowen, your father’s soldiers will find you. They are everywhere."
Bianca and Elowen nodded, gratitude tinged with unease.
They thanked her once more, but as they stepped outside, her smile lingered, secretive and sharp.
Behind them, the door closed with a sound like finality.
*****
The forest air was thick with unease, carrying whispers of ancient tales that refused to die.
The dirt road stretched endlessly, and the silence that lingered between Bianca and Princess Elowen was broken when Bianca finally spoke.
"Can you help me reunite with my son again, in a village not to far from here ?" she asked softly, her voice fragile but laced with an undercurrent of urgency. "I already have his address. Once that’s done... I’ll take you to Morano City. Finding the Morano’s place won’t be difficult from there."
Elowen’s eyes narrowed, reminding her with quiet firmness, "Yes, you promised me that earlier, Bianca."
A pause followed, the weight of unspoken doubts pressing between them.
"I’m scared," Elowen admitted suddenly, her tone vulnerable. "What? About the old scrap tales? The creature from the story the woman told us...?"
Bianca scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Come on, it’s just a tale. An old, foolish one at that." She chuckled dryly.
"A monster that never reveals her name until her guests are leaving? Who then devours them? Really, Elowen, do you expect me to believe such a thing?"
But Elowen shivered. "She looked exactly as the story described. And if the tale was false, why did the woman hesitate to tell us her name?"
Bianca only laughed louder, a sharp sound echoing against the trees. "Please, stop scaring yourself. It’s nothing but a childish story."
The silence fell again, but now it was heavy, almost suffocating.
"I feel bored," Bianca muttered with a forced smile. "And we’ve barely begun the long miles we need to trek. Why don’t we play a game? Hide and seek... just to ease the tension."
Elowen frowned, hesitant. "A game? Now?"
"Yes," Bianca insisted, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Just drop your bag for a while and close your eyes. I’ll hide, and you’ll have to find me."
Elowen’s kind heart betrayed her doubts.
She did as asked, carefully setting her small bag. her only possession, down at her feet before closing her eyes.
"One... two... three..." she began to count softly, her voice trembling in the stillness.
But Bianca never hid.
Instead, her hands moved quickly, stealing the bag that contained the very thing Elowen swore to protect.
The black book. Without a single word, Bianca turned and ran, her figure vanishing into the shadows of the trees.
Elowen’s voice broke into the silence. "Bianca?" She opened her eyes, spinning around. Her heart dropped when she saw the empty space where her bag had been. "Bianca... "
Her cries went unanswered.
*****
In the heart of Morano City, a different storm brewed.
The grand chamber was filled with tense silence, broken only by the soft beeping of machines.
Daisy stood near the window, her worried eyes glancing between the doctors and the fragile figure on the bed.
Beside her, is her mother Mrs. Bianchi and Mrs. Lauretta Morano, Luca’s mother. whispered fervent prayers.
But it was Luca who couldn’t move.
He sat at the edge of Alessia’s bed, his hand wrapped tightly around hers, as though his touch alone could anchor her to life.
And then her fingers twitched. Her eyelids fluttered.
"Alessia..." Luca’s voice cracked with emotion.
Her eyes opened, heavy and glazed with pain, but her first words sliced through the silence like a dagger.
"Where... is my sister... Seraphina?"
The room froze. Daisy gasped. Mrs. Bianchi exchanged a worried glance with Mrs. Lauretta.
Then Alessia’s gaze shifted, and it fell directly on Luca.
Her expression twisted with loathing, her voice gaining a sudden sharpness that cut everyone present to the bone.
"You..." she hissed, her voice trembling with venom. "You nasty enemy. Go away... "
Everyone in the room went still, stunned into silence by her words.
And Luca... his heart stopped..... As he stared in awe