CHAPTER 103: SICILIAN LULLABY

The static hissed softly in the background, a harsh reminder of everything they didn’t know yet.

Daisy’s hands trembled as she set the remote down, her pulse quickening.

Alessia stood beside her, her gaze locked on the black screen like it might flicker back to life if she stared hard enough.

But it didn’t.

Only that faint buzzing hum filled the room.

"Someone deleted this," Daisy said finally, her voice breaking the silence. "It didn’t just stop on its own, this was cut. Look at the timestamp; it jumped straight from 10:04pm to 10:09pm."

Alessia’s heart sank. "So someone was inside your house, Daisy. While you were still conscious."

Daisy’s fingers clenched around the edge of the table. "No one has access to this place except..."

Her voice trailed off. Her eyes met Alessia’s, two women who had been through too much to believe in coincidences anymore.

"Except Romeo," she finished, her whisper trembling like glass.

Alessia exhaled shakily. "Then we have a bigger problem than we thought."

For a moment, neither spoke, the rain tapped against the windows, soft and relentless.

Bruno paced near the couch, sensing the tension, his tail stiff, his body low as if he too understood danger lingered in the air.

Alessia turned toward Daisy, her expression tightening. "We need to tell Luca."

Daisy froze. "No," she said sharply. "Not yet."

Alessia frowned. "Daisy.... "

"You know what will happen," Daisy cut in, her voice rising slightly. "If Luca finds out Romeo came here last night, and he gave you a weird substance to give to me, even though we suspected he might have change the substance while you were unconscious , he will k*ll him before we even know the truth.... You have seen how he handles betrayal."

Alessia’s chest tightened. She had seen it. She had seen Luca’s eyes turn cold as winter, his tone become sharper than a blade, the same man who had once kissed her like she was the only thing he believed in, gets angry like a beast that can’t be controlled when he is angry.

"I understand," she said softly, her voice trembling between reason and emotion. "But hiding it from him isn’t safe either. Luca has ways he can find out who was in this house even without the footage."

Daisy shook her head, frustration edging into her tone. "Just give me a little more time. Let me confirm this substance again. If Romeo’s involved, I want proof, not assumptions. I won’t let Luca start another war based on suspicion."

Alessia sighed. "Fine, But be careful."

The tension between them hung heavy, stitched with silent worry and old loyalty.

Then Daisy looked up, her expression softening. "You look exhausted, Alessia. Have you even rested since the poisoning incident?"

Alessia managed a tired smile. "Rest? Not when my husband’s temper burns hotter than the mafia world itself."

Daisy gave a quiet laugh, the first trace of warmth between them since the footage. "Still the same Luca Morano?"

"Worse," Alessia murmured, her voice dipping lower. "He’s been colder since that night. More distant, as if something inside him snapped when he thought I could have died.

He barely sleeps.

He stays in his study with those files, talking to Donato on encrypted calls I’m not allowed to listen to."

Her friend studied her quietly. "Do you still love him, after all that?"

Alessia hesitated, her fingers tightening around the hem of her blouse. "Love isn’t the problem. Trust is."

Daisy nodded slowly. "Then maybe this isn’t just about poison anymore."

Alessia tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe," Daisy said quietly, "someone wants to destroy that trust... piece by piece."

The words landed like a weight in Alessia’s chest.

The thought of it, the calculated precision behind every event made her skin crawl.

Before either of them could say another word, a sharp ringtone pierced the air.

Alessia’s phone.

She glanced at the screen.

The number was saved "Mi Carazon Amor"...

It’s luca Morano.

Her heart skipped. "It’s him."

Daisy gave her an uneasy nod. "Answer it."

Alessia swallowed, then pressed accept.

"Babe?" she breathed.

His voice came through the line, low and steady, that familiar blend of command and restraint. "Where are you?"

"At Daisy’s," she replied. "Why?"

"Come home," he said simply. "Now."

Her brows furrowed. "Luca, I..... "

But the line went dead.

The silence that followed was heavier than the rain outside.

Daisy’s eyes met hers. "What happened?"

Alessia shook her head slowly, anxiety creeping into her voice. "He didn’t sound angry. Just... distant. Which is worse."

Daisy walked her to the door, her expression unreadable. "Text me when you get home, okay? And Alessia be careful. Something about this doesn’t feel right."

Alessia forced a small nod, slipped on her coat, and stepped into the soft drizzle outside.

**********

By the time Alessia arrived, the sky had darkened again.

The Morano estate loomed ahead, its tall iron gates opening soundlessly to let her in.

The lights from the fountain glimmered faintly in the courtyard, reflecting off wet cobblestones.

Inside, the air was cold, very cold.

She walked through the marble foyer, her heels echoing against the silence.

The guards at the hallway bowed stiffly but avoided her eyes. That alone was unusual.

Her stomach twisted.

Then she saw him.

Luca stood by the glass wall of his study, a silhouette carved against the dim lights of the city beyond.

His black shirt clung to his broad frame, sleeves rolled up, veins flexing subtly as he turned a tumbler of whiskey in his hand.

He didn’t turn when she entered.

"Babe," she began softly.

He spoke before she could take another step.

"You went to Daisy’s without telling me."

It wasn’t a question. It was a verdict.

Alessia inhaled. "She wasn’t answering calls. I was worried."

He finally turned.

The sight of his face calm but burning behind the eyes made her pulse skip.

He looked like a storm barely contained, every inch of him danger and desire.

"Worried," he repeated quietly. "You walked into another person’s house, the same evening my men reported Romeo’s name on the radar again and you didn’t think that mattered?"

Her eyes widened. "Romeo? What are you talking about?"

He set the glass down, stepped closer. "You think I don’t know, Daisy? That I wouldn’t find out he’s been around again?" His voice grew colder. "He was seen leaving the east side district last night. Near Daisy’s villa."

Alessia froze. Her heartbeat roared in her ears. "Luca, please listen to me... "

"I’m listening," he said softly, stepping closer until she could feel the heat of his breath. "Tell me why you didn’t mention seeing Daisy."

"Because she’s innocent.. I didn’t hear from her and it was urgent" Alessia burst out. "Because not every silence means betrayal, Luca."

He stared at her for long, hard, unblinking.

The air between them thickened, charged with anger and heartbreak.

"Do you know what it does to me," he said suddenly, voice low but trembling with fury, "to imagine someone trying to kill you? To think I almost lost you while standing helplessly a few feet away?"

Her throat tightened. "Then stop treating me like a suspect."

He looked away for a moment, jaw tightening.

Then, slowly, his hand lifted tracing the side of her face, thumb brushing along her jawline.

It wasn’t rough, It wasn’t soft either. It was a touch caught between apology and ownership.

"I don’t trust people easily, Alessia," he murmured. "But you I need to trust you. And you keep making it difficult recently."

Her eyes stung. "Then maybe you should ask yourself why."

For a second, the mask slipped. His gaze softened, something raw flickering there was something that looked like regret.

Then the door burst open.

"Boss," one of his guards said breathlessly, "you need to see this."

Luca’s hand dropped. He turned sharply. "What is it?"

The guard hesitated, glancing nervously at Alessia before continuing. "It’s about the footage from the Morano compound last night. The external cameras... someone tampered with them."

Alessia’s heart stopped.

Luca’s head snapped up. "What do you mean tampered?"

"They’ve been erased, Every backup. Whoever did it used your private access code."

Luca’s entire body went still. "My code?"

The guard nodded, beads of sweat forming on his temple. "Yes, sir. It was entered at exactly 10:06 p.m."

Alessia’s mind reeled. The same time Daisy’s footage cut off.

Luca’s voice dropped, dangerously calm. "Show me the logs."

The guard handed over a small tablet, his hands shaking. Luca’s eyes scanned the screen, his jaw hardening as he read the entries.

10:06 p.m. Override authorization: L.MORANO/MASTER.

10:09 p.m. – Data wipe complete.

10:10 p.m. – Device disconnected from central system.

A slow, controlled breath escaped him. "Only three people have access to this device," he said, his tone sharp. "Myself, Donato. And... " He stopped mid-sentence.

Alessia frowned. "And who, Luca?"

He looked up at her. His expression was unreadable now, all softness gone.

"You."

The word sliced through her like a blade.

She took a step back. "That’s not possible."

"The logs say otherwise," he said evenly, his voice heavy with restrained rage. "You were at the estate when the access happened."

"I was not" she cried. "I was... "

He cut her off, his voice thunderous. "At Daisy’s. Where Romeo was last seen."

The room fell into suffocating silence. Alessia stared at him, her breath shaking. "You think I would erase your security footage? You think I would protect him?"

Luca’s jaw flexed, eyes dark with conflict. "I think someone’s playing a very dangerous game with both of us."....

*********

The soft hum of the air conditioner blended with the clicking of keys at Luca’s office. He sat behind his mahogany desk, eyes fixed on the documents scattered before him.

His suit jacket hung loosely on the back of the chair, sleeves rolled up, veins visible against tanned skin.

The air in his office was heavy thick with silence, authority, and the faint scent of leather and smoke.

He didn’t look up when the door suddenly swung open.

The sound of heels echoed against the polished floor, sharp and deliberate. Whoever it was hadn’t knocked.

"Sorry for barging in," a woman’s voice purred, smooth as silk yet laced with something dangerous.

He didn’t flinch. His pen continued to move across the paper, his tone flat. "You have five seconds to explain why you’re still breathing."

The woman chuckled softly. "Ah, still the same Luca Morano, very Cold and Precise. She switched off his office light, But tell me..."

He finally looked up.

His gaze met hers and for a moment, time stilled.

She stood before him in a figure-hugging black dress, the kind that spoke of elegance and sin in the same breath. Her red lips curved into a slow smile, eyes glinting with mischief and memory.

"My old-time body still misses you," she said softly, stepping closer until her perfume wrapped around him like smoke. "But it comes with a price..."

He frowned. "What do you want?"

Her smile deepened, equal parts temptation and threat.

"A price of pleasure," she whispered, leaning forward. "Sweet pleasure... and an important information to save you..... "

Her voice dropped, almost a whisper.

"Your most cherished wife, Alessia."

She straightened, her gaze locking onto his.

"But you will pay your price..." She said and smile seductively.

"What price? " he asked.

"She smiled and unbuttons her dress revealing her round curve small boobs"..... "Fuck me hard"....