Chapter 22: The Buggy Man "What the hell is going on, Mr... and who are you?" Luca bellowed, his voice laced with fury. "Why the hell didn't Isabella tell me anything? How could she keep this from me?""My name is Ricardo and I'm a friend of Isabella," Ricardo said to Luca "Calm down, Isabella has her reasons. She worries about your safety. She was trying to protect you, to ensure your safety," Ricardo explained to him. Luca clenched his fists, his jaw twitching with pent-up frustration. "Protect me? From what? Bruno!!! It's time we teach him a lesson... Come on, I am the man here. I am the one meant to protect her, not the pi other way around! What's going on? Speak, damn it!"Ricardo took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "Bruno has taken Isabella's father hostage. He has threatened to kill him if she doesn't return to him within 48 hours.""What? Oh, my God ans she kept this from me? I can't believe this," Luca said. "I've been calling her for the past few days now sh

Chapter 24: New BeginningLuca woke up in a cold sweat. He had been having the same nightmare again, the one where Bruno shot Isabella. He sat up in bed and tried to calm his racing heart.He looked over at Ricardo, who was still asleep. Luca reached over and shook him awake."Ricardo," he said. "I had the dream again."Ricardo opened his eyes and looked at Luca. "What dream?" he asked."The one where Bruno shoots Isabella," Luca said. "I am worried. We need to do something."Ricardo nodded. "I know," he said "I have been thinking about it and I have been making some calls. That place is heavily guarded. It's as if Bruno is going to war in Vietnam. There are about more than thirty guards. He got there well-protected." "We can't just give up," Luca said. "We have to find a way to get her back.""I know," Ricardo said. "But we need to be careful. Bruno is a dangerous man. If we are not careful, we could get ourselves killed.""I know you are not," Ricardo said. "But we need to think th

Chapter 26: Cracks in the Plan"Hello! Luca, it's me, Isabella," she whispered, her voice tinged with urgency, as she hid in a secluded spot to make the call."Isabella, is that really you?" Luca's voice quivered with emotion on the other end of the line.With haste, Isabella continued, barely able to contain her anxiety. "Listen, Luca, I don't have much time. Bruno has unleashed twenty-four-hour surveillance on me. They're monitoring my every move. Right now, I'm evading that insufferable bodyguard, Marco, just to make this call. I'm using a burner phone to ensure our conversation can't be traced back to your location."Luca's concern was evident in his voice as he exclaimed, "What do you mean, no time? Isabella, this is madness!"A sense of urgency fueled Isabella's words as she pressed on. "You have to trust me, Luca. Whatever plans you had to rescue me, you need to halt them immediately. Staying there poses a greater danger. Bruno is a monster, but I'll be safe as long as I comply

Chapter 28: Revenge IWhen men act on their emotions, they allow them to control them. Then that's when you get the problems we have in the world today. You get murderers, rapists, and every ill prospect of society.De Mario has gone into hiding since his last encounter with Bruno. The pain of losing everything and his wife gives him nightmares. For a while now he plans on taking revenge. The idea of Bruno being alive and still having control of the mafia underworld vexes him."You think you are invincible, Bruno! Well, I'm coming for you," he said to himself. "I will make sure you rot in hell where you belong."So he went on planning and also making sure he was in shape, not a fat depressed man. This time he plans to do this alone without involving in seeking help. Every day, he goes to Bruno's house to spy but he does that from a very far distance. He can't really see what's going on inside the compound so he came up with a plan that will take him inside. He plans to go there as

  Chapter 30: Debts II   Mr. Irahil got to the location where he would be meeting up with Bruno an hour before Bruno came.    He sure was a good timekeeper. As soon as Bruno arrived, he noticed his daughter wasn't with him.   "Where is my daughter? You said you will come with her," he spoke angrily.   "You are mistaken, Irahil," Bruno replied coldly, "I said you will live happily with her again if I get my money."   It should be obvious to Mr. Irahil that one cannot fool Bruno. He should know that by now. He knew how cunning Mr. Irahil was, so he decided to outsmart Mr. Irahil.