The Awakening

The Awakening
The gates of Adriano’s villa stood tall against the late afternoon sky, guarded as always. Luca slowed his stride only long enough to nod at one of the men stationed outside.

“Diamond around?” he asked casually, though his tone carried that sharp edge of expectation.

The guard straightened immediately. “No, sir. She left not too long ago. With Sir Gabriele.”

Luca’s jaw tightened, then he gave a curt nod before heading inside.

The villa was quiet. Too quiet. Luca made his way through the long corridors until he reached Adriano’s room. As he pushed the door open, a small team of private medics filed out, carrying cases of equipment. One of them offered a short bow of acknowledgment before slipping past him into the hall.

Luca stepped inside.

The room no longer looked like an intensive care unit. The tubes, the monitors, the oxygen machine—all gone a while ago. Adriano lay in the center of the bed, free of wires and machinery. 

Just him. 

Breathing. 

Sleeping.

For a moment, Luca’s chest tightened. Adriano had always seemed untouchable. Seeing him fragile, reduced to silence and stillness, had been almost unbearable. But now, with the machines stripped away, he looked less like a patient and more like himself. 

Just… asleep.

Luca dragged a chair to the far corner and sat down. He pulled out his phone and started to scroll through TikTok to distract himself. Funny clips, stupid dances, memes— he chuckled at first, shaking his head, but eventually even that couldn’t distract him. The weight of the room, the presence of his friend, settled over him.

Boredom turned into stillness. Stillness into drowsiness. His head tilted back, and soon he drifted off.

Hours later, Luca started to wake up. His neck cracked as he stretched, stifling a yawn. The golden haze of dusk leaked through the curtains. He checked the time on his phone.

“Damn, It's almost 6 p.m.”

He blinked the sleep from his eyes and stood, still heavy with fatigue.

His gaze fell on Adriano. He walked closer, looking down at him with quiet intensity. “You’ve gotta wake up soon, brother,” he muttered, his hand brushing Adriano’s.

He lingered a moment longer, then sighed and turned toward the door. His hand was already on the handle when he froze.

He heard something.

So faint, he thought at first he imagined it.

Then it came again — low, strained, unmistakably human.

Luca’s head whipped around. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw Adriano’s body twitch, his brows furrowing, lips parting with a groan.

“Adriano?”

He rushed to the bedside. “Hey, hey. It’s me. Luca. I’m right here.”

Adriano’s eyelids reluctantly fluttered, until they finally cracked open. His hazy and clouded gaze found Luca.

And the first word that passed his lips was a whisper.

“… Diamond.”

Luca’s breath caught. His brows knit tightly.

Adriano tried to sit up, a sluggish struggle, but pain pulled at his body. He groaned, clutching his chest with his hand.

“Easy,” Luca said, pressing him gently back. “Take it slow. Your scar’s still fresh. The surgery hasn’t healed completely.”

Adriano blinked, the confusion sharp in his tired eyes. “Surgery?”

Luca nodded, his voice steady but quiet. “You were shot. Remember?”

Memories flickered across Adriano’s face, faint at first, then sharper. 

Los Angeles. The auction. La Rosa Nera. The gunfire. Diamond standing there. His body, moving on instinct to shield her.

His throat tightened. “… Diamond. Where is she?”

Luca’s lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes, usually so steady, carried something else now. 

Pity.

Adriano caught it instantly. His confusion deepened, frustration flashing across his face. “Luca… what is it? Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

“She’s fine.”

“Then why the look?” His voice cut, sharp despite its weakness.

Luca hesitated. He could already feel Adriano’s anger brewing, barely restrained. He exhaled slowly. “You just woke up. You’re weak. You need care and time to heal. So promise me that if I tell you, you won’t do anything rash.”

Adriano’s jaw clenched, his instinct to refuse written all over him. But finally, he gave a stiff nod. “Fine. What is it?”

Luca’s throat felt dry. He forced the words out.

“Diamond is cheating on you.”

Silence crashed between them.

Adriano stared at him, his expression frozen as if time suddenly came to a halt.

“… Wh–what did you just say?” His voice cracked.

“Diamond is cheating on you,” Luca repeated quietly. “With both of your brothers. And it’s been happening since before the auction.”

Adriano’s lips parted, but nothing came. No words. Just disbelief painted across his face. His head shook faintly, denial in every twitch.

“No,” he whispered. “No. This is… this is a joke. Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Adriano…” Luca’s voice broke, heavy with guilt. “I would never joke about something like this. I wanted to tell you sooner, but… then you were unconscious for nearly three months.”

Tears pricked Adriano’s eyes. He blinked them back furiously, his jaw clenching, nostrils flaring. Slowly, he shoved himself toward the edge of the bed.

“Wait… Adri. What are you—”

Luca tried to stop him by grabbing his arm. Adriano wrenched away, staggering upright. The second he stood on the floor, his legs buckled, sending him crashing to the floor with a cry of pain.

“Fuck!”

Luca dropped down, gripping his shoulders. “Adri, you can’t just leave! You just woke up. Your body is still weak! You need rest—”

“I don’t give a fuck!” Adriano roared, his voice raw, and broken. Tears laced his words. “I don’t care about scars or surgeries or any of that shit. If you ever gave a damn about me, Luca, then take me to Diamond. Now!”

Luca’s jaw tightened. He wanted to argue. But seeing Adriano like this—shattered and desperate—he couldn’t.

He helped him back onto the bed, sitting him upright against the headboard. Adriano clutched his temple, wincing. “My head… it hurts.”

“You should lie down—”

“No!” Adriano snapped, his breath ragged. “Where did she go?”

Luca hesitated for a moment. “One of the men said she left with Gabriele a few hours ago.”

Adriano’s eyes darkened. His voice dropped low, and laced with venom. “Then I guess I’ll have to pay Gabe a surprise visit.”

The drive to Alessandro’s estate was slow, painful. Luca shouldered most of Adriano’s weight, one arm locked around his friend’s waist, the other braced against his shoulder. Every step was measured, careful not to strain the scar that burned across Adriano’s chest.

By the time they reached the car, Adriano’s face was pale, slick with sweat. But he said nothing, only clenched his teeth and climbed in.

The drive felt endless. At Gabriele’s, the guards confirmed he wasn’t home. So they went on to Alessandro’s.

When the car rolled to a stop, Adriano had already shoved the door open, stumbling out before Luca could even unbuckle. He leaned against the car for balance, trembling with effort, but his eyes burned with determination.

The men stationed outside straightened instantly at the sight of him. “Signore,” they greeted. Adriano didn’t even bother to spare them a glance.

Inside, the house seemed empty at first as they walked into the living room.

Too empty. 

But then, they started to hear sounds.

Moans. Low, broken, echoing faintly through the halls.

Adriano stopped dead. His heart stuttered painfully against his chest. He didn’t need to ask. He knew the sound of that voice.

But he refused to believe what his head was already telling him. He didn't want to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

Luca’s face hardened as their eyes met. Without a word, they followed the sounds.

Each step tightened the knot in Adriano’s chest, the moans growing clearer, sharper. His vision swam, his body felt weaker at this point, but his fury and dread drove him forward.

Until the dining room came into view.

He froze.

His lungs forgot how to breathe. His heart slammed once, hard, then seemed to stop altogether. It felt like the world titled and if Luca wasn't holding him upright, he would’ve collapsed.

And with a voice torn between disbelief and devastation, he whispered.

“… Diamond?”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hey guys. Sorry for not uploading for the past 3 days. I'm not well and still in recovery, but I'll try and keep updating chapters for y’all. Bye and stay tuned♥️