Chapter 61: The stranger that wears our shadows
The sun had not yet risen when the Morano estate seemed to breathe differently.
Silence pressed on every corner, the kind of silence that carried secrets too heavy for dawn to shoulder.
Far from its iron gates, Lauren pressed his back against a cold stone wall.
His chest rose and fell in nervous breaths, his eyes darting like a thief who had learned too early that shadows were not always allies.
The guards on duty the night before had vanished, replaced by new faces men whose eyes lacked familiarity.
That was both fortune and danger.
He crouched low, waiting.
His heartbeat was loud, loud enough he feared it would echo against the walls.
Then, with a swallow of dry air, he slipped forward, slipping between shadows, stepping where silence was thickest.
His fingers brushed against the carved wood of the side door.
For the first time since his mission began, the lock yielded without resistance.
Finally, he was in.
Inside the mansion’s storage wing, rows of heavy wardrobes lined the walls, their bronze handles glinting faintly.
Some were chained, others locked with unfamiliar mechanisms.
A treasure house but of what? Secrets? Weapons? Letters soaked with blood? Lauren’s palms grew damp. Where to begin?
The answer came unbidden his pocket buzzed, rattling with a faint vibration.
His mother’s name glowed on the small screen.
He clenched his jaw before lifting the phone.
"Hi, Mom."
"Lauren, how are you?" Her voice was steady, a woman’s tone forged from fire and ambition. "Tell me what’s the update?"
He pressed his back to the wardrobe, whispering. "Finally... I’ve gained entrance."
"Good," she said, her words clipped with relief.
"Remember, the heart of the Moranos isn’t in their gold, but in what they hide. Get me what I need."
Lauren exhaled, a storm swelling in his chest.
What if what they hid could burn me before I even touched it?
******
Miles away, on the jagged edges of the mountain path, Alessia stopped walking.
The stone beneath her was rough, biting into her soles, but she didn’t care. Behind her, the echo of her heartbeat blended with the whisper of the wind.
She turned, looking back... back to where Luca had gone on his own path since they went opposite direction from the divided rock.
He too had chosen his path, his strong silhouette swallowed by the opposite slope.
It was almost cruel, two hearts bound by love, forced to step in different directions.
If they climbed down separately, perhaps fate would guide them to meet again in the middle Or perhaps fate had other plans.
Her lips trembled as she whispered to herself, Maybe this is what destiny wants.
Maybe it wants to test us, to break us, only to see if we are strong enough to mend again.
She did not want to believe the others had perished in that boiling water.
Hope was stubborn, and she clung to it, even as her limbs grew heavier.
Each step she took was a rebellion against despair.
At last, she reached the end of the long rock.
Her chest heaved as she placed her hands on the rough edge and climbed down carefully.
When her feet touched the earth below, her body shook. But her spirit? It flared like fire.
"Finally," she breathed, almost laughing, tears springing to her eyes.
"Finally, I did it. Luca may be down too... from his side."
Her heart squeezed. "I just hope... we meet again. I can’t lose him, Not Luca, not the man who loves me deeply, who whispers words sweeter than dreams into my ear. My safe haven... my only haven."
The memory of his arms around her, his promises whispered in the dark, pushed her forward. And then her breath caught.
Not far away, a manly figure appeared, emerging from the trees, tall and firm.
Her heart leapt so violently she thought her ribs would shatter.
"Luca... " she cried, her voice breaking, and she ran.
Her legs carried her faster than her breath, her tears blinding her.
She crashed into him, throwing her arms around his chest. "I thought I would never see you again," she sobbed into his shirt.
But the voice that answered and the smell from the person skin wasn’t him.. It was not the one she longed for.
"I’m sorry, ma’am... I’m Ryan." The figure finally spoke.
Her eyes widened in shock swept through her like icy rain.
She pulled back instantly, releasing him as though she had embraced fire.
Shame burned her cheeks.
"I—I’m sorry," she stammered, not meeting his eyes. "I thought... it was my husband, Luca."
Ryan’s face flushed.
He bowed his head, guilt and respect shaping his voice. "It’s not your fault, ma’am. Please forgive the mistake."
Alessia swallowed hard. The emptiness in her chest ached. "Where are the others?" she asked quickly. "What happened to them?"
Ryan’s brow furrowed. "I... don’t know. I was with Ken. We fell asleep on the rock just like every other person and When I woke, I was alone. Everything... had changed, the air, the ground. I was under a rock, beside grass I would never seen before. I walked forward and... then I saw you."
Alessia’s eyes darkened. A strange, uneasy pull tightened in her chest. "So strange," she murmured. "So mysterious. This place, it’s hiding something. More than we know. But one thing is certain.... Luca will find me. And I’ll find him."
She lifted her chin. "Let’s take this path. I believe my husband will follow it too. Perhaps the others will find us."
"Yes, ma’am," Ryan said, gripping his cutlass firmly.
He moved ahead, cutting through the thick bushes, clearing a narrow passage for her.
Alessia followed, her mind both restless and determined, her heart still chasing the shadow of Luca in every sound of the wind.
******
Midnight draped the city in velvet when Daisy stirred awake.
The soft knock on her apartment door startled her from her dreams. She froze, her heart hammering.
Who could it be at such an hour?
She slipped from her bed, padding softly to her small security monitor.
The cameras showed no suspicious activity. No strangers. Only one familiar face, Romeo.
Her eyes widened. She unlocked the door, pulling it open just enough. "Romeo?"
He stood there, his face pale under the streetlight, his frame trembling. "Come in," she urged.
But he shook his head violently. "No. I can’t."
Confusion clouded her. "Why not?"
His voice was ragged, his words heavy with desperation. "Because I’m eloping... Seraphina is after my life."
Her breath caught. "What?"
"My legs..." he winced, staggering slightly.
"They’re barely healing. Yet she sent assassins after me. If I stay, I’m as good as dead. I swear, I will fight her back when I’m stronger. But now... I need to vanish."
He swayed, and Daisy rushed forward, steadying him with her hands.
His body was warmer than fire, trembling under her touch.
"Where will you go?" she whispered.
His eyes met hers, and something raw glimmered in them. "With you, Only with you. With you, I’ll have a place. Without you, I’ll be a ghost wandering the earth."
Daisy’s lips parted. Her mind reeled. "You mean... I should elope with you?"
"Yes," he breathed, his voice firm despite the pain. "She knows about us. If they fail to kill me, they’ll come for you. We’re bound, Daisy. And I’m smarter than Seraphina thinks. But I can’t outsmart her without you."
Cold shivers cascaded down Daisy’s spine. For a moment, the apartment felt like it had shrunk, like the walls had ears, like the night itself leaned closer to listen.
Her heart drummed. Was this fate or disaster?
****
Back on the trail, Alessia walked close behind Ryan. Every rustle of leaves, every crack of twig beneath their boots, sounded louder than thunder.
Her heart refused to quiet, whispering Luca’s name like a prayer. Memories of their love life filled her head.
Is she now getting too obsessed with Luca? She thought within herself. She had never been this addicted to another family aside hers.
The moranos had truly been her second family, from serving them for ten years, to marrying The mafia’s heir for a lifetime.
Luca is the only reason she is with the morano family, and aside him she truly has no place in thr morano. Could destiny be so cruel to her? So cruel to take Luca away? What if she never gets to see him again? Will she go about rescuing his mother from the Virenkai hostage alone? Many more thoughts ran though her delicate heart.
"I may cry a river if I don’t see luca soonest "... She said to herself, trying to hold back the tears that formed in her eyes.
The air smelled strange, like the mountain itself was alive, breathing secrets around them.
And then....
She saw another Manly figure walking towards them from a distant.
"That must be my luca".. she said and walk passed Ryan, she began to run towards the figure....