Beneath The Bloodline

Volume seven: ❝BENEATH THE BLOODLINE❞

𝐀 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 : "𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐓𝐙 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐙" 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐄 7—BENEATH THE BLOODLINE

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒛

**Chapter 37: Secrets, Training, and Old Wounds**

The next morning, Karla and Colani sat at a café near the design studio, sipping their coffee before their hectic day of project planning began. The fire incident still weighed heavily on Karla's mind, but she had decided to stick to her story. It was better if Colani thought she had missed the fire entirely—after all, there was no need for Colani to ask who brought her home or how Giovanni had saved her life.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for the chaos," Karla lied, trying to appear casual. "I just went home after the show. I missed everything."

Colani, always the understanding and trusting friend, nodded with sympathy. "Oh, don't worry about it! You wouldn't have wanted to be there anyway. It was insane. I'm just glad you're safe."

Karla forced a smile, feeling a twinge of guilt, but she didn't want to risk Colani asking more questions. It was better this way—easier to protect her from the truth. Before Karla could change the subject, Colani leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"You won't believe this," Colani said, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I heard Celeste is dating Giovanni now. Can you imagine? First, she's sabotaging your project, and now she's with the guy you danced with at the event!"

Karla's heart sank, even though she knew the truth. "Giovanni" wasn't with Celeste. It was Giuseppino, his twin brother. But she couldn't reveal any of that to Colani, not yet.

"Yeah," Karla said, keeping her voice neutral, though her mind was racing. "It's... surprising."

As the days went on, Karla found herself thinking more and more about Giovanni. She still hadn't seen him since he disappeared that night on the rooftop, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was dealing with unfinished business—particularly with his brother. Karla couldn't forget how cold and ruthless Giuseppino had been toward her, and the way he looked at her when he pretended to be Giovanni still sent chills down her spine.

But Karla wasn't going to stay vulnerable. She needed to be stronger.

That afternoon, she met up with her uncle Dante at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Milan, where no one would see them. They had arranged to train there—Dante had insisted that she learn to defend herself, and though Karla initially resisted, she soon realized it was necessary. In their world, she couldn't afford to be weak.

Dante's training was grueling, each session pushing her to her limits. He was tough on her, but it was for her own good. Today was no different. She threw a punch, missing the pad in Dante's hand, and let out a frustrated sigh.

"This is too hard!" Karla exclaimed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Why do I need to learn this? I can't even land a punch properly."

Dante's face remained stern, his eyes hard with the weight of his own experiences. "Because the enemies we face, Karla, they won't go easy on you. They'll hit harder. You need to be prepared for anything. If you think this is hard, imagine what happens when you face them."