Matteo, Leonardo, and Alessandro, the powerful owners of De Angeli Enterprises, are in their early thirties and have built a fearsome reputation worldwide. Known for their ruthlessness and ambition, these men have amassed wealth and influence by tak...
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Matteo knew it was wrong, but he hadn't called the others. Not yet. He could almost hear Leonardo's voice in his head, demanding to know why he'd held back, but Matteo had made his choice. Noah needed to be dealt with, and if he called Alessandro and Leonardo now, they'd abandon everything to be at Yulia's side. And as much as he understood that urge, they couldn't let Noah slip through their fingers again.
So, he kept his silence, just for a little while longer.
His gaze drifted to her—the reason for all of this. Yulia lay on the soft hospital bed, her face pale but peaceful in sleep, her breath steady, each rise and fall of her chest a small miracle that he couldn't stop staring at. She looked so small, so fragile, swathed in the blankets, but she was here, she was alive. The realization struck him over and over again like a punch to the gut. He never thought they'd find her like this, broken but breathing, a heartbeat where they'd expected only silence.
Matteo had gone to extremes to ensure she was safe. He'd bought another hospital—because of course he had. It was a ridiculous, extravagant gesture, but Matteo was used to doing whatever it took, and he had more riches than he could ever spend. He knew she'd be furious about it once she woke up, once she understood what he'd done. But he couldn't help himself; he'd do anything to keep her from harm again, even if it meant making choices she might not agree with. Hell, he'd even started an organization in her name, one that focused on solving cold cases of disappearances, a tribute to the search they'd never given up on, even when the world had told them to move on.
Montanna's voice pulled him from his thoughts, her tone gentle but firm, as it had been so many times over the past few years. "When will you call them?" she asked, her eyes searching his, as if she could read the weight of his decision on his face. She'd been his anchor during these years, a steady presence that had kept him grounded when he thought he might drown in the weight of it all. Her kid with her wife was a little ball of energy and mischief, and Matteo couldn't wait for Yulia to meet her, to see a small piece of joy that he hoped could be a part of her new world too.
He shrugged, not quite meeting Montanna's eyes. "They need to get rid of him first," he murmured, glancing out the window, the city lights casting shadows across the room. "If I tell them now, they'll drop everything, and he'll slip through our fingers. He has to pay for what he did." He clenched his fists at the thought, anger simmering beneath the surface. Noah had been a shadow over their lives, a poison that had seeped into their days and nights. They needed to end it, to bury that chapter so they could focus on Yulia and what came next.
Montanna folded her arms, her expression skeptical, but she didn't press him further. She understood the complexities of what they were dealing with, the fine line Matteo was walking between his need for justice and his desperation to keep Yulia safe. "They need to know too, Matteo," she reminded him softly, her voice tinged with a gentle insistence that made his chest tighten.
He nodded slowly, his jaw set. "I know. And I'll tell them as soon as they call me," he promised, running a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the tension that had become a constant companion. He had to believe they'd understand, that they'd see why he'd waited, even if it meant they'd be furious with him at first.
