Chapter 168: That’s Quite Comforting

She was lost in this fragile sense of accomplishment when the door opened. A man stepped inside. Her eyes flicked up. The resemblance was uncanny, impossible to miss. His features were angular, commanding—almost as if he had opened his mouth and spat out Luca.

There was the same intensity in his eyes, the same movements, the same predatory grace. He was Don Genovese, the patriarch, the one who had shaped the world Luca now moved through with both ease and peril.

“Hospital meals have always been yuck. I thought it was only in Vienna; seems the same applies here too,” Don said.

“Hello,” Veronica said cautiously.

“I’m guessing you know who I am,” he said, his gaze sweeping over her assessing.

“It’s hard not to if you know Luciano Genovese,” she replied, lifting her chin slightly.

“And yet you look at me like you would want to aim a gun at me,” Don said, a small tilt to his lips, amusement threading his deep, commanding voice.

“Because you aren’t my favorite person at the moment,” Veronica shot back, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Really?” Don said. “And what have I done to earn your animosity, Miss Scalese?”

Veronica inhaled sharply, the words started pouring out of her before she could second-guess them. “What kind of man punishes his sons with such brutality? How can you even live with yourself? It doesn’t matter what he could have done. Are you so wrapped up in this god-like fantasy you have built for yourself that you do not recognize that what you do to your son is barbaric? Do you even care about him, or is he just a child you had for your ambitions, someone you decided to brutally shape into the man you want him to be?” Her words tumbled out in a rush that left her breathless.

Don’s eyes darkened slightly, the faintest flicker of surprise crossing his features. “Damn, Bianca should have shot you in the mouth,” he said.

“Gee… Thank you. That’s quite comforting,” Veronica replied, sarcasm lacing her tone.

“You will learn the ways of the familia now that Luca has claimed you as one,” he said, his eyes locking onto hers.

“What?” she asked, her brow furrowed.

“I’m sure he will have that conversation with you,” Don said, his gaze steady, unwavering.

“Why are you here?” Veronica asked cautiously, the fire in her eyes not fully extinguished.

“To give you an out,” he replied.

“Excuse me?!” she barked, incredulous.

“As soon as you say the word, I will offer you a hundred million euros, to relocate anywhere in the world. I will change your identity, I will change your life, I will change even your look if you want,” Don said.

Veronica’s lips curled into a wry, mocking smile. “Ain’t you generous? And what will I have to do for you?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All you have to do is leave Luca to enjoy his marriage, connect with his wife, produce a legitimate heir,” Don said.

Vee leaned back, pretending to consider the offer, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Finally, she lifted her gaze to Don’s. “Fuck you!”

Don’s composed expression flickered. She knew the risks, the consequences, and yet it felt impossibly intoxicating to be telling him off.

Don Genovese stared at her.

The look on his face was priceless.

“Excuse me?” he said slowly.

She could feel the ache in her leg, the tightness of the bandages, the vulnerability of sitting half-propped in a hospital bed while facing one of the most powerful men in the world Luca belonged to.

“You heard me,” she said coolly. “I said fuck you! You don’t know me! You don’t know what I want! Does money really solve all of your problems? Because if that’s what you are used to then you are in for a shock, Luca’s father.” She paused, tilting her head slightly with insolence. “Can I call you Luca’s father?”

Don’s brows climbed higher and higher with every word.

A dangerous smile ghosted across his lips.

“I’m itching to shoot you in the mouth myself,” he said.

Veronica shrugged faintly. “Then I guess we can put to test how far Luca is willing to go for me.”

Suddenly it clicked.

The defiance. The reckless courage. The way she spoke without calculating consequences. The way her eyes burned with conviction. Carol.

Lord have mercy.

This girl was exactly like Carol.

The same fire.

The same stubborn will.

The same dangerous refusal to bend.

Did Luca even realize this? Did his son understand that he had fallen for a woman who carried the same wild spirit that had once driven Don Genovese completely mad with love?

The irony was poetic.

Of course Luca would fall for a woman like this.

The boy had inherited his worst instincts from both parents.

Don exhaled slowly, recovering his composure. “The offer is open for whenever you want it,” he said calmly. “I do hope it will be soon.”

“Or what?”

“Or this life will weigh you down just like it weighed his mother. And if he sacrifices everything for you and it turns out that you are a fluke,” Don continued, “I will kill you. Is that understood, Miss Scalese?”

“Are you threatening me?” Vee demanded.

“No,” he said evenly. “Maybe you do not understand what he has done for you already. First, he saved your sister. He thinks I don’t know but be rest assured, I know everything.”

Her jaw tightened.

“Second,” Don continued, “he is giving up a life with a woman that has dedicated her life to him, a woman he almost killed because of you, a woman who loves him just as much as you claim to do. He is willing to suffer just to keep you,” Don said. “Tell me what have you given up for him?”

Veronica’s throat tightened, but she refused to answer. Refused to let him see the flicker of uncertainty that his words had ignited somewhere deep inside her.

Don stepped a little closer. “Miss Scalese,” he said slowly. “Read my lips. I am not threatening you. I am spitting facts. You break him, you die. Are we clear, Miss Scalese?”

(This is to 400 power stones. Congratulations people. Our first 400!!! Yay!!!)

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