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Chapter 12 – The Lies We Bleed
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Rain lashed the windows of the villa like a warning that came too late.
Lorenzo stood in front of the fireplace, shirt stained with blood, jaw tight. He hadn't changed clothes. He hadn't spoken since the attack. The flames crackled behind him, casting violent shadows on the marble walls.
Across the room, Seraphina sat on the edge of a velvet chaise, trembling in her soaked dress. Her fingers twisted the hem of her skirt — not from fear, but confusion. Her body was here, but her mind was still in the cellar, replaying the gunshots, the smell of iron, the look in his eyes when he said…
> "You were always in danger. But not from me."
She didn't know whether to believe him.
But she hadn't left.
And that said enough.
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Lorenzo's Study – 2:00 AM
The storm refused to let up, so neither did sleep. Seraphina paced Lorenzo's study, a space full of old books, dark leather, and secrets.
She paused in front of a painting — abstract, violent strokes of black and crimson.
"You painted this?" she asked.
Lorenzo looked up from where he was cleaning his wounds. "When I was seventeen."
"What is it?"
"The last night I saw my father alive."
She turned slowly. "You lost them both?"
"My mother was murdered in front of me. My father… disappeared. We only found his ring three years later."
Seraphina stepped closer. "And you?"
"I took what was left of the empire and rebuilt it. First as a businessman. Then as a producer. Then as…" He paused. "Something darker."
She didn't flinch. "Why tell me all this?"
"Because you didn't run."
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Flashback – The Girl in the Alley
Lorenzo remembered her — not Seraphina, but a girl with wide eyes and trembling hands, years ago. She had witnessed a killing his men carried out on the streets of Naples.
He had given her two choices: silence… or death.
She had chosen silence, but her eyes haunted him.
Back then, he thought silence meant safety.
Now he realized — truth did.
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Present – Florence Studio, Next Morning
The next day, the set was in chaos. News of the "break-in" at Lorenzo's estate had leaked. No one mentioned the mafia. They wouldn't dare. But eyes shifted. Tongues whispered.
Elira arrived with large sunglasses and a dramatic sigh.
"I suppose you heard," she said, gripping his arm in front of the crew. "So scary, the attack. But you're okay now, right?"
He removed her hand. "Your scenes are cut."
"What?"
"You're off the film."
"Lorenzo—!"
"You leaked the production plans. I warned you once."
"I gave up everything for you!"
He looked her dead in the eye. "No. You sold everything for yourself."
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Seraphina's Apartment – That Night
She opened her door to find a velvet box on her doorstep.
Inside: a key. Small. Silver. With a note attached:
> For when you're ready to stop hiding.
— L.
She closed the lid and held it against her chest.
And didn't sleep at all.
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Mafia Safehouse – Venice, Two Days Later
Lorenzo entered the stone building tucked between the canals, flanked by two of his men. Inside sat a thin, wiry man in a long coat.
"Tell me," Lorenzo said.
The man nodded. "The attack wasn't random. It was ordered by Marco Ferreni."
Lorenzo's jaw flexed. "Ferreni's dead."
The man smirked. "His son isn't."
Lorenzo turned away slowly. "So we're at war again."
"Not yet. But your girl…"
Lorenzo froze. "What about her?"
"She's the new crack in your empire. They know she matters. Even if you pretend she doesn't."
Silence.
Then: "Double her security."
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Seraphina's Audition Room – The Next Week
She rehearsed under the bright stage lights, pouring raw heartbreak into every line.
Lorenzo watched from the back, silent, unreadable.
When she finished, she walked toward him.
"I got a callback," she said, breathless.
"I know."
"You helped?"
He shook his head. "You earned it."
"But you were there."
"I was."
Seraphina looked up at him. "Why do you keep protecting me?"
He hesitated. Then stepped closer.
"Because you're the only thing in my life that isn't built on lies."
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The Kiss
He reached for her slowly, giving her time to move — but she didn't.
Their lips met with the gentleness of fire touching paper — soft at first, then consuming.
Her hands gripped his shirt. His palm cradled her jaw.
When they pulled away, they were both breathing hard.
Lorenzo rested his forehead against hers. "If I let you in, you'll see the ashes."
"I'm not afraid of fire."
"No," he whispered. "But I am."
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Back at the Villa – Midnight
Alone again, Lorenzo opened his safe.
Inside: an old photo of his parents. A folded letter. And a list — names crossed out, one remaining.
Ferreni.
He added a new name beneath it.
Seraphina Bellini.
Not to destroy. To protect.
But it meant she was now part of the game.
And there was no going back.
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End of Chapter 12 – The Lies We Bleed