Luca paced in front of Gabriella's room, where the doctor was still removing the bullet from the girl's chest. He glanced outside every few seconds, waiting for his men. His mind drifted, wondering whose family had suffered such a fate.
Judging from Gabriella's injuries, the attack had happened just moments before they arrived. If only Luca had come sooner, perhaps he could have saved her family. Just then, Marco approached. Luca lifted his head, his eyes sharp and tense.
"Signore," he said softly. "We've identified the man and woman you found with the girl." Luca turned, narrowing his eyes at Marco.
"Continue."
"They're Anthony and Anna Vega. They own several car dealerships and some properties in this area." The crease on Luca's forehead deepened at Marco's report.
"And the girl? What about her background?" Luca asked again, standing with his back to Marco. His cold gaze pierced through the glass window before him.
"She's their only daughter, freshly graduated. I believe they had just attended her graduation ceremony," Marco said. Luca inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply.
"She's just a little girl covered in blood," Luca murmured, his voice low and barely audible. The weight pressed on him— a life torn from celebration into slaughter.
"Do you know who did this?" Luca asked, his hand clenched at his side, his voice icy once more— a tone sharp enough to freeze steel.
"Signore, I suspect it was the Rosso gang. This is the second time they've acted aggressively and caused trouble in our territory, but that's only my suspicion," Marco answered carefully, as he still didn't know who murdered Gabriella's parents.
Luca's jaw tightened as he stared at Gabriella's still form behind the glass—pale, fragile, but breathing.
"The Rosso gang…" He nodded, repeating the name. "If that's true, then you betrayed me the moment you killed someone in my territory. You sealed your fate the moment you harmed an innocent," he said softly, barely audible—yet Marco knew that voice better than anyone. It was the voice of death walking slowly through dark streets.
Inside the room, Dante—Luca's trusted doctor—finished the emergency procedure. His hands trembled slightly from the tension, though his face was hidden behind a mask. He removed his gloves and sighed, giving Gabriella a brief look before stepping out to meet Luca in the hallway.
Breath at the Edge of a Heart
Suddenly, the green line on the monitor flattened—one second, two, three. The world seemed to stop along with the heartbeat that vanished from the girl's body.
"Ah, merda." Dante cursed under his breath. "She's losing her pulse!" he shouted, quickly pressing on her chest in steady rhythm. "Compression, now!" he ordered, tension carved across his face.
"Come on, little one… come on… come back to us!"
Heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway before the door burst open. Luca stormed in without waiting for permission, his face rigid, eyes locked on the body lying on the table.
"Dante!" His voice was hoarse, as if battling anger and fear at once.
"Her heart stopped!" Dante replied quickly, not lifting his gaze. "I need the defibrillator!"
One of the assistants handed him the device, and the hiss of electricity filled the room. Dante placed the metal paddles on the girl's chest.
"Ready! One… two… shock!"
Her body jolted upward, then slumped back down.
The monitor stayed silent.
"Forza, piccola… dai… torna da noi!" Dante kept trying to bring Gabriella's heart back.
Luca stood beside the table, jaw locked, fingers gripping the metal rail until his knuckles turned white. He had never looked this restless—not even on a battlefield.
"Again!" Dante shouted. "Non puoi andartene… ti prego, piccola… respira!" Electric light flashed. The girl's body tensed, then collapsed again.
Beep…
One faint sound.
Beep… beep… The green line moved again.
"Pulse is back," Dante murmured. "Still weak, but stable."
"Sì… brava, piccola… ci sei… ci sei ancora."
"Yes… good girl… you're here… you're still here."
Luca exhaled heavily, but his eyes stayed fixed on her face. A strange, pale face—one that looked freshly stolen back from death. He didn't know who she was, where she came from, but something inside him refused to let her go.
Dante checked the wound on her chest and then covered it with sterile bandages. As he began removing the torn clothing to check for more injuries…
Luca stayed there, staring at the unfamiliar girl. For a moment, he pulled a chair and sat beside the stretcher. His voice was barely audible as he whispered—almost to himself.
"You're not allowed to die," he whispered. "The world is still waiting for you." He looked at her face once more, then stood.
"Take care of her well," he said coldly before walking out.
As the door closed, the quiet rhythm of the heart monitor continued—signaling a life newly reclaimed, for reasons no one yet understood.
****
The next day, Luca came again to see Gabriella. The girl was still unconscious while Dr. Dante remained in the room. Seeing Luca arrive, Dante immediately bowed respectfully.
"How is she?" Luca asked, emotionless.
"She survived," Dante replied calmly. "No vital organs were affected, but she lost a lot of blood."
Luca glanced at Gabriella through the glass—so small and pale in the bed.
"But there's something else," Dante added quietly. "She… was assaulted before she was shot." Luca didn't move. He didn't blink.
Slowly, Luca turned to face him. His once cold, controlled eyes now burned with something darker.
"Is there anything else?" he asked softly—words whispered with the weight of a death sentence.
Dante hesitated…
"Signore… her clothes were severely torn and the trauma is clear. She was raped."
One beat passed, then two. Finally, Luca took a long breath, exhaling slowly as if containing a fury only he could feel.
"Keep her alive," he said flatly. "Protect her with your life."
"And when she wakes… I will make sure whoever touched her dies in agony." It wasn't a scream, a threat, or a promise.
It was certainty—those who harmed Gabriella would never see the world again.
"My advice is to call a female psychologist…"
"Handle everything. Give her the best."
"I want a female guard in her room at all times…"
"Oh, and one more thing. Make sure she doesn't get pregnant."
Dante nodded, fully understanding what he needed to do for Gabriella. He knew that if she became pregnant, it would only bring suffering to the girl.
After giving his orders to Dr. Dante, Luca left the place and returned to his private residence—a penthouse overlooking the dim streets of Modena. He didn't pour himself a drink, didn't answer any calls. He simply stood by the window… waiting and waiting.
Meanwhile inside the headquarters, Dr. Dante re-entered Gabriella's room with quiet steps. He placed the two bullet fragments into a small plastic bag, then approached Gabriella's bed. Before ending his shift, he checked her vital signs one last time—and then stopped.
His eyes caught something strange: a faint seam along the inner lining of Gabriella's blood-stained graduation gown, almost invisible.
Carefully, he cut it open with surgical scissors. Inside he found not jewelry or money, but a small USB drive wrapped in waterproof aluminum foil. Dante took it and immediately went to find Marco.
In another room, Marco was standing in front of the surveillance monitors when Dr. Dante approached him urgently.
"Marco," Dante called. The assistant turned sharply.
"What is it? Is she alright?" Marco asked, the concern in his voice revealing how much the girl had begun to change their world under Luca's command.
"No," Dante replied calmly but seriously, lifting the two bullet fragments sealed in plastic.
"These are what I removed from Gabriella's chest." He gestured toward the men standing across from him.
"I've removed bullets before… but these are different. Their caliber isn't known in our territory." Marco's frown deepened as he examined them under the light.
"Not just rare…" he whispered, "This type…?"
Silence enveloped them like a cold wind seeping through stone corridors.
"Do you think it's connected?" Dante asked cautiously, but Marco merely stared at the projectiles in his hand.
"It's possible," Marco said, placing them on the table. "Alderick, find out everything you can about these two bullets." He gave the order to one of Luca's men who happened to be watching the surveillance monitors.
"Yes, Sir." The man stood, took the projectiles from the table, and left the room, leaving Marco and Dr. Dante behind.
"Oh, Marco, I found this hidden in the girl's clothes." Dante showed him the USB drive. Marco took it.
"I'll examine it." With that, Marco left the room, followed closely by Dr. Dante.
****
Night slipped deeper into the quiet streets of Modena, growing more deserted as the hours passed. Luca lay stretched on the sofa, still fully dressed. His eyes stared at the ceiling as his mind replayed everything that had happened that day. Exhaustion eventually pulled him under.
But peace did not greet him—only dreams as sharp as knives.
He dreamed of Sophia in her final moments, but suddenly her face shifted.
It became Gabriella, pale beneath soot-stained sheets.
Eyes wide. Whispers. Screams.
"Help me…"
"No…" Luca jerked awake, heart pounding violently.
Was it grief? Or something deeper?
He sat at the edge of the sofa, replaying the dream—how Gabriella, unknowingly, reminded him of the love he had lost.
For a moment, Luca remained still, trying to steady his heartbeat. Minutes later, he rose and left his room.
Deep into the night, when everyone else had gone, he stood at the doorway of Gabriella's room, watching her breathe under the soft glow of the lamp.
Slowly, he stepped inside. The female guards tensed but didn't stop him—they knew Luca.
He knelt beside the stretcher, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed against the back of Gabriella's hand as he studied her pale face.
"I don't know why you're here," he whispered softly. "But if fate brought you to me… I won't let death take you again."
Then he left the room without looking back.
Right after Luca walked away, Gabriella's body jolted violently. Her breath hitched. Her limbs convulsed.
The guards immediately hit the emergency button.
An alarm shrieked through the silent corridors.
Red lights flashed rapidly in the hallway.
Security rushed in, calm but alert—they knew only specific people were allowed inside this room.
Gabriella's body trembled uncontrollably on the stretcher. Every sound—every footstep from an adult male, even those of the loyal guards—made her scream and cover her face with both hands. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She shook violently.
When Luca entered slowly to see what was happening, Gabriella screamed. She recoiled, clawing at the air, trying to crawl away—even from the man she believed had saved her.
The female guards immediately stepped forward, holding Luca back so he wouldn't get too close.
"She… she's not ready," one of them whispered. Dante and the nurses hurried in, trying to soothe her.
"Easy, Gabriella… we're here. No one will hurt you," Dante said gently, keeping a safe distance.
Gabriella lowered her head, trembling, tears streaming uncontrollably. She scanned the room with terrified eyes, hearing her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Only Dante's and the nurses' voices kept her from breaking further, while every man—including Luca—had to wait outside until she could handle it.
Outside the door, Luca took a sharp breath.
He stared through the glass, chest tight.
He wanted to approach her—wanted to comfort her—but he knew one wrong move could throw Gabriella back into the nightmare she had lived through. All he could do was wait. Wait, and make sure she stayed alive.
The chaos replayed in his mind: Gabriella struggling, trying to rip out the IV needle from her wrist, nurses restraining her, Dante pulling out a syringe to inject a sedative into the IV line hanging beside the stretcher.
"Don't touch me!" Gabriella screamed, fighting the nurses' grip.
"Mom! Dad! Where are you?" Her eyes searched desperately for her parents.
Her screams echoed through the room, until slowly, her strength faded. The sedative began to calm her trembling body.
Dante took his stethoscope, checking her heart and lungs while a nurse gently patted her shoulder, trying to soothe her small shaking hands.
Her eyes fluttered shut, still murmuring faintly for her mother and father. Finally, she fell asleep again.
Dante exhaled deeply, brushing Gabriella's arm softly.
"You have to be strong. Stay calm. We're here to protect you," he whispered before stepping out.
Outside, Marco monitored everything through the security screens. He nodded and signaled the others to stay on guard. No one was allowed in except Luca.
In the hallway, Luca stood motionless, watching through the glass. He saw her fragile body and felt something rise in him—something he hadn't felt in a long time:
the instinct to protect someone completely.
The headquarters fell quiet again, except for the steady rhythm of Gabriella's heartbeat and Dante's careful footsteps.
But in Luca's eyes, the shadow of the night lingered.
He knew this was only the beginning of a much larger storm.
Inside the room, Dante continued watching Gabriella, thinking about how to help her heal from her trauma.
He stepped outside, pulled out his phone, and dialed someone.
A woman's voice answered softly, "Hello, Dante. You're calling me at this hour?" Dante smiled at the familiarity of her tone.
"Are you still taking patients?" he asked instead of answering her question.
"No, not tonight. Why?"
"Well… I have a patient here. And I think you're the only one who can handle her. I can send the case details if you want." The woman went silent for a moment.
"Is the patient a woman?"
"Yes, Viola," Dante replied, eyes still watching Gabriella through the glass.
"All right. Send it. I'll review it."
"Okay, I'll send it now." Dante smiled and ended the call. He opened his laptop and began sending all of Gabriella's information to Viola.
*****
A car sped through the streets of Modena. Behind the wheel was a man with glasses—Dante—hurrying to pick up Viola before Gabriella woke.
He insisted on personally fetching her because not just anyone was allowed into Luca's headquarters. Dante trusted Viola completely—that was why he chose her.
Viola was already waiting outside her apartment, smiling warmly when Dante's car pulled up. She climbed in quickly and greeted him.
"Good morning, Dante. How's life after leaving that hospital?" Viola asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Better," Dante replied simply as he pulled out of the parking lot toward headquarters.
On the way, he told Viola everything about Gabriella.
When they arrived, Dante led her to meet Luca—who happened to be training outside with his men. Dante jogged over to him.
"Signore, I brought the psychologist for the girl."
Luca stopped, glancing toward the woman Dante mentioned.
"Wait for me inside," he instructed. Wiping his sweat, he ended the training session and went to his office.
Luca stood near the tall window, staring at the gray Modena sky that never seemed to stop raining. His black suit was immaculate, but his hands were clenched too tightly.
"Signore," Dante's voice broke the silence, "this is Viola Santori—the psychologist I spoke of yesterday."
Luca turned. Just a glance. But it was enough to drop the temperature in the room.
Viola, with soft brown hair and gentle eyes, bowed politely.
"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Luca. I'm only here to help."
"Help who?" Luca asked flatly, voice low and measured. "That girl doesn't need sweet words. She needs strength to live."
"And strength often grows from the right words," Viola countered softly, meeting his eyes briefly.
Silence. Only the ticking clock dared make a sound. Finally, Luca exhaled.
"Fine. You will have full access. But don't disrupt her routine without permission. Gabriella is different. She's not an ordinary patient." Viola nodded.
"There's no such thing as an ordinary patient, Signore."
Luca didn't reply. But something in his gaze shifted—
the coldness softened, replaced by a faint spark of curiosity.