Chapter 124 DON'T CONFRONT HIM NOW
Chapter 124 DON'T CONFRONT HIM NOW
~ELENA~
I don’t think. I don’t breathe properly. I just move.
My feet carry me down the hallway like they already know where I’m going.
My blood roars in my ears, louder than my footsteps, louder than the memories clawing their way out of my chest.
Every wall I pass feels too close, too suffocating, like this house itself is trying to stop me.
Lorenzo Romano.
My mother’s killer.
He's currently at the pool.
How can he be at peace and in the pool after he killed my mom? The same pool where he killed his daughter??
That monster! That ruthless man! That murderer!
I grip the diary harder as I storm toward the stairs, rage blinding me.
I don’t care that it’s late. I don’t care who sees me. I don’t care what happens next. I need to look him in the eye. I need to hear him speak. I need him to know that I know.
“Elena.”
The voice stops me mid-step.
I spin around sharply, fury blazing through my tears.
Vincenzo stands at the end of the corridor, his broad shoulders blocking the passage like a living wall. He’s already dressed, already alert, dark eyes sharp as if he sensed the storm coming.
I know why he is standing there. He's trying to stop me and I won't be stopped.
“Move,” I snap, my voice shaking. “Get out of my way.”
He takes a step closer instead. “Not like this, Elena.”
I laugh bitterly. “You don’t get to tell me when or how.”
“Elena,” he says again, softer now, but firmer. “This isn’t the right time.”
“I don’t care.” My chest heaves as I clutch the diary to my heart. “I have proof. I have evidence. He killed her, Vincenzo. He murdered my mother.”
His jaw tightens. For just a second, something dark flashes across his face.
“I know you’re angry,” he says carefully. “But confronting him now will only get you hurt and killed.”
I shake my head violently.
“I don't care about that and I’m not asking for permission,” I tell him.
I try to push past him.
He grabs my arm.
“Let go of me!” I scream, struggling. “Move away from the way!”
“Elena, stop….”
“No!” I shove him, hitting his chest with both hands. “You can’t protect him! Not after this!”
His grip tightens as I thrash against him, tears streaming freely now.
“I am not protecting him, Elena. I really want to take revenge on my sister's death too, but not now. You don’t understand how dangerous this is,” he almost yells.
“I understand perfectly!” I cry. “He killed four people—four that I know of! Who knows how many more are buried under his money and lies?”
My voice breaks, my body trembling with sobs and rage.
“Move,” I whisper hoarsely. “Or I’ll scream.”
Before I can do it, Vincenzo acts.
In one swift motion, he scoops me up, my feet leaving the ground as I gasp in shock.
“Put me down!” I scream, pounding against his chest.
He clamps a hand over my mouth, silencing me as he strides back down the hallway.
“Shh,” he murmurs harshly into my ear. “I’m sorry.”
He carries me into his room and shuts the door firmly behind us.
Nico and Riccardo are already there, tension thick in the air.
The moment he releases me, I stumble backward, collapsing onto the edge of the bed.
My strength drains all at once.
I break.
A sound tears out of me that doesn’t even feel human. I curl in on myself, clutching the diary as I sob bitterly, violently, like something inside my soul is finally shattering.
“She was planning to escape,” I choke. “She tried… and he killed her.”
Riccardo kneels in front of me, his voice low and steady. “We believe you.”
Nico crouches beside him.
“But rushing him now will get you killed,” he tells me softly.
Vincenzo runs a hand through his hair, pacing.
“We need time. We need to be smart. Please Elena, give us a little time and we'll break justice to your mother,” he almost pleads.
I cry until my chest aches, until my throat burns, until I can barely breathe.
“How can one man kill so many people?” I whisper brokenly. “Four… and those are just the ones I know about. What about the ones I don’t?”
Silence answers me.
Heavy. Terrifying.
Eventually, exhaustion drags me under.
Luciano Bianchi, Alessandro’s Father, smiles when the news reaches him.
A slow, satisfied smile that spreads across his scarred face as he leans back in his chair, fingers steepled thoughtfully.
“So,” he murmurs, voice thick with pleasure. “They’ve returned.”
The messenger nods.
“Romano’s sons. And the girl. Their arrival into the city was detected by the men who were assigned to track their whereabouts.”
The girl.
The cause of everything.
Those bastards that caused my son's death are back. Those bastards that killed my son are back.
Isn't it amazing??
Now he can finally have his revenge on them. On Lorenzo Romano too by taking his prized sons away from him just like his sons took away his.
Alessandro’s father lets out a low chuckle.
“I’ve searched everywhere for them. And they walk back into the city like lambs,” he says like he can't believe it.
They must be so stupid to return back to Florence. He had heard that they're nowhere to be found in Florence and it had gotten him so angry.
He had ordered his boys to search everywhere for the Romano boys and the girl but every search was fruitless.
Now, they have returned. So willingly!
Are they stupid? Or did they think he must have forgotten about it and forgotten about taking revenge??
They must be silly if they thought that way.
Luciano Bianchi will clearly have his revenge even if it's twenty years later.
He rises to his feet, eyes gleaming with anticipation. “They’ve stepped into the lion’s den.”
He turns sharply. “Send men. Infiltrate Romano’s house.”
“Yes, boss.”
“We take the girl,” he says coldly. “She’s their weakness.”
A cruel smile curls his lips. “With her, I bring the Romano boys to their knees. All at once.”