The morning sun broke weakly through the hospital blinds, painting pale stripes across Serena's bed. She sat propped against her pillows, her hair falling loose around her face. Sleep had been fractured, filled with restless dreams that left her heart heavy.
Dante arrived without knocking, his presence as steady as stone. A paper cup of coffee rested in his hand. He set it down beside her, his gaze softening just slightly.
"You look pale," he said.
Serena managed a faint smile. "I was shot in the heart, Dante. Pale comes with the territory."
But beneath the humor, he saw the truth — the exhaustion, the worry that clung to her. His jaw tightened. "And Leo?"
Her eyes flickered. "He's… he's been different. Distant. Or maybe too close. I can't tell anymore. Sometimes I feel like he's protecting me, and sometimes…" She hesitated, struggling to put words to the gnawing unease in her chest. "…sometimes I feel like he's guarding me. Like I'm a prisoner."
Dante's eyes sharpened. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "If he makes you feel that way, you need to trust your instincts. They're rarely wrong."
"But you don't understand," Serena whispered, her voice breaking. "He risked everything for me. He gave me his blood. He stayed by my side. How can I turn my back on that?"
Dante held her gaze, unflinching. "Because devotion doesn't erase deception."
She froze. The weight in his words was unmistakable, and for the first time, Serena wondered if Dante knew something about Leo that she didn't.
The Web Tightens
That same night, Leo walked down a deserted alley, the kind where shadows breathed heavier than people. His footsteps echoed softly against the wet pavement until he reached the spot. The man was already there, waiting in the dark like he belonged to it.
"You're late," the figure said, voice smooth but edged like a blade.
Leo stiffened. "I had to make sure no one followed me."
"Smart. But unnecessary. They aren't watching you yet."
Leo crossed his arms. "You said you had answers. You said my father's death wasn't what I thought it was."
The man stepped closer, his face still obscured by shadow. "And I was right. Dante and Vale built their empire on blood. Your father was a casualty of their ambition. They made him disappear and wrote him off as collateral damage."
Leo's jaw clenched, anger simmering just beneath his skin. "Why should I believe you?"
"Because the scars you carry," the man murmured, pointing to the faint white mark along Leo's jawline, "were given to you the night he died. You may have been too young to understand, but you were there, weren't you?"
The memory slammed into Leo's chest — smoke, shouting, the heat of flames, and a man's hand pulling him out into the night before everything went black.
"Yes," he whispered. "I remember."
The man smiled, though Leo couldn't see it. "Good. Hold on to that memory. Because it will give you the strength to do what must be done."
Leo's heart pounded. "And what's that?"
"Get close to them. Closer than ever. Let them trust you. Let Serena love you. Because when the time comes, you will choose where your loyalty truly lies. And I know which side you'll choose."
Dante's Doubt
In his office, Dante paced while Andres leaned back in a chair, chewing on a toothpick. The photograph from last night's surveillance sat between them, grainy but damning.
"Kid's in deep," Andres muttered. "That shadow's not just whispering in his ear. He's pulling the strings."
Dante rubbed his temple, silent for a long moment. He thought of Serena's pale smile, her trust, her stubborn loyalty. He thought of how quickly she'd forgive Leo, how blind devotion could be mistaken for love.
If Leo turned against her, against them all…
"Do we cut him loose?" Andres asked bluntly.
Dante's hand stilled on the desk. "Not yet. I want to know why. I want to know what this man gains from tearing Leo apart and placing him at Serena's side."
Andres chuckled darkly. "You mean besides watching you sweat?"
Dante's glare silenced him.
Serena's Unease
Back in the hospital, Serena turned the coffee cup in her hands long after it had gone cold. Dante's words echoed in her mind. Devotion doesn't erase deception.
She wanted to dismiss them, to tell herself he was just being protective, suspicious. But the way Leo had gripped her hand the night before, the intensity in his eyes, the silence that pressed down on her — it wasn't love the way she remembered it.
It felt like something else. Something heavy. Something dangerous.
And for the first time, Serena felt truly afraid..