The Bad News
For a long, awful moment, no one spoke.
The doctor’s words, “I have very bad news,” echoed like they’d been carved into their skulls.
Diamond’s nails dug into her palms. Her throat felt like it was closing up, but she forced out the words, her voice trembling. “W–what… what does that mean? What’s the bad news?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses, glancing over each of them like he was bracing for impact. “The bullet that hit him was very close to his heart,” he said slowly. “We managed to remove it without causing further damage, but…”
“But what?!” Alessandro snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through bone.
The doctor exhaled, steadying himself. “But the bullet nicked his descending thoracic aorta—one of the major blood vessels. It’s causing severe internal bleeding. He needs immediate open heart surgery to repair the vessel.”
The words hit them like a punch to the gut.
“Open heart surgery?” Luca’s face paled. “Dio santo.”
Diamond’s breath caught in her chest. Her knees felt weak, like they were about to give out.
But the doctor wasn’t finished.
“We can’t operate right now,” he continued.
“Why the hell not?!” Gabriele barked, his voice laced with both anger and desperation.
“Because your brother has gone into hypovolemic shock,” the doctor said.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Marco’s voice cracked, his usual bravado failing him.
The doctor looked directly at them. “It means his body has lost so much blood that his organs are shutting down. He doesn’t have enough circulating blood for us to safely put him under anesthesia. Before we can attempt surgery, we need to stabilize him with an immediate blood transfusion.”
Gabriele let out a shaky sigh, slapping a hand on Alessandro’s chest as if that was supposed to ground him. “Okay. Then we don’t have anything to worry about. Adriano and our older brother here, share the same blood group. So it’s all sorted. Just—” He turned to the doctor. “Take him. Take as much as you need.”
The doctor nodded briskly. “That’s excellent. Mr. Greco, if you’ll come with me, we’ll begin the transfusion right away. Time is critical.”
But Alessandro didn’t move.
Instead, he hesitated. His jaw flexed, and he drew in a sharp breath before muttering, “Actually…” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I–I can't.”
Everyone froze.
Diamond turned to him, blinking in disbelief. “You… can’t?! Wha–what do you mean you can’t?”
Alessandro closed his eyes, rubbing his temple like the words themselves were giving him a migraine.
“Sir, we don’t have time for this,” the doctor interrupted. “If you’re compatible, you need to—”
Alessandro cut him off sharply. “I need a moment with my friends, please.”
The doctor scowled but stepped aside, clearly furious at the delay.
Alessandro motioned them all away from the doctor, his movements tense, agitated.
Gabriele stormed up to him first, his stormy gray eyes blazing with anger. “What the fuck are you doing? Did you not hear him? They’re running out of time—donate the fucking blood already!”
“Watch your tone,” Alessandro barked, his voice suddenly cold and dangerous. “And calm the fuck down.”
“Calm down?!” Gabriele laughed. A harsh, bitter and humorless laugh. “Our little brother’s bleeding out on a table, and you’re playing word games? You think I’m going to calm down?”
They squared up, the tension sparking between them like static.
Diamond stepped between them, her voice cutting through the chaos like a whip. “Both of you! Stop!”
They froze.
Her hands trembled, but her voice didn’t waver. “We don’t have time for this dick measuring contest. Why can’t you donate blood, Alessandro?”
Alessandro’s eyes darted to the floor. He let out a long, frustrated sigh, his shoulders sagging. “Because…”
He paused, then finally said it. “Because recently, I’ve been using hard drugs.”
The words hit the group like a grenade.
Gabriele blinked. “What?!”
Even Marco, usually ready with a quip, stayed silent, his face a mix of shock and disgust.
Serena folded her arms, her voice low and sharp. “What drug, Alessandro?”
He glanced at her, his jaw locked tight. “Heroin.”
Serena’s expression didn’t change, but the disappointment in her eyes stung worse than anything she could have said.
“Heroin.” Gabriele let out a bitter laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Wow. Just… wow. You never cease to amaze me, Sandro.”
Alessandro’s face hardened. “You think I planned for this? Huh? You think I knew this would happen? I was trying to keep my head straight. Preparing for the auction. Taking the edge off that night. I didn’t know we’d end up here.”
Gabriele barked out another humorless laugh. “Then whose fault is it? Huh? You gonna blame Adriano for getting shot? Blame La Rosa Nera for showing up? Or are you gonna admit you fucked up and own it?”
Alessandro stepped forward, his eyes flashing. “Careful, Gabriele. You forget who you’re talking to.”
Luca finally stepped in, his voice firm but calm. “Enough. Both of you. This isn’t helping Adriano.”
The room fell into a tense silence.
Luca turned to everyone. “Adriano’s blood group is A-negative. If anyone here can donate, step up. Now.”
The answer was silence.
Marco shook his head. Serena looked away. Enzo raised his hands in surrender. Gabriele cursed under his breath.
“Great,” Gabriele said finally, his voice bitter. “Just great. So the only person who can save Adriano right now is Papà. And he’s all the way in Italy.”
The hopelessness in the room grew heavier.
But then—
Diamond’s eyes widened.
“I can save him,” she said suddenly.
Every head in the room turned toward her.
Her voice was steady. Unshakable.
“I don't have the same blood group,” she said. “but I can save him.”