☆Chapter 22: When the Beast Awakens☆
The moment Seraphina's school announced a field trip, Lorenzo felt it coming.
Headache.
"Sir…"
Seraphina stood in front of him, hands clasped together, her big doe eyes shimmering with innocence.
"No."
"Please, sir?"
"Still no."
"But sir—"
"No."
Silence.
And then…
She tilted her head, eyes tearing up just slightly, her bottom lip trembling.
"P-please… Papa?"
Lorenzo's heart stopped.
"What?"
"Papa… can I go?"
Damn it.
Matteo nearly choked in the background.
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.
"You're not playing fair."
"But Papa…"
"Sì, piccola."
He was done.
☆☆☆
If Seraphina was going on this field trip…
Nothing was going to touch her.
Lorenzo personally handled security.
Every vehicle, every route, and every guard was vetted.
Surveillance drones.
Snipers on standby.
Undercover agents.
Matteo raised a brow.
"Boss, are we escorting a child… or the President?"
"Both."
Matteo grinned.
"You're overdoing it."
"I'm not losing her."
Matteo sobered up instantly.
"Understood."
☆☆☆
The day of the Field Trip
Seraphina was ecstatic.
"Papa, look! I packed extra sandwiches!"
Lorenzo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the area.
Clear. Safe. Controlled.
"Stay with the group, Seraphina."
"Yes, sir!"
"And stay close to Lucian."
Lucian puffed his chest out.
"I'll protect her, sir!"
Lorenzo gave him a curt nod.
Good kid.
☆☆☆
The tour went smoothly...
Seraphina laughed, played, and even dragged Lucian along as she explored.
Lorenzo watched from a distance.
Everything was perfect.
Until it wasn't.
It happened too fast.
A moment of distraction.
One blind spot.
And Seraphina was gone.
"SERAPHINA!"
Lucian's cry echoed.
Lorenzo's heart stopped.
Matteo grabbed his earpiece.
"Code red! The target's been taken!"
☆☆☆
In a secluded area, Seraphina was pinned down by two men.
"Let me go!"
"Quiet, brat."
"Sera!"
Lucian rushed toward them, fists flying.
"Get away from her!"
CRACK!
A brutal punch landed on Lucian's little head.
"Lucian!"
He collapsed, blood trailing down his forehead. FAINTED
"No!"
Seraphina screamed. One of the kidnappers yanking her.
"Let's go"
"Are you sure? That kid is a Romano... We could get money from him."
The other kidnapper scoffed.
"Nah, we only need this kid to own the whole city."
☆☆☆
Lorenzo's arrival at the kidnappers meet up place was silent.
Deadly.
Matteo was right behind him.
"Boss, we got eyes on them."
Lorenzo didn't respond.
His eyes spoke enough.
Murder.
☆☆☆
"Mr. MOTHERFUCKING De Luca."
A voice crackled through the phone.
"If you want your precious daughter back…"
"Name it."
"We want the De Luca shareholder title from all the businesses in the city."
Silence.
"Every business. Every turf."
Lorenzo's grip on the phone tightened and give off a deadly smirk.
"You… want the De Luca empire?"
"That's right."
Lorenzo's resolve wavered.
Until…
"Papa…"
Lorenzo froze.
His eyes snapped to Seraphina.
Her dress was torn, her arms bruised turning blue to purple, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Papa… it hurts."
Papa.
For the first time…
She called him Papa sincerely.
Something inside him snapped.
The beast has awakened.
Lorenzo lowered his head.
"Matteo."
"Boss."
"Kill them all."
☆☆☆
The kidnappers never saw it coming.
Lorenzo moved like a shadow.
Silent. Precise. Deadly.
Knives to the throat.
Bullets to the head.
Bones shattered.
No one survived.
Matteo took care of the last one, but Lorenzo…
Lorenzo saved the leader for himself.
"You wanted the De Luca title?"
The man whimpered.
"You forgot one thing…"
Lorenzo's knife glinted under the dim light.
"De Lucas don't negotiate."
And then… silence.
☆☆☆
When Lorenzo scooped Seraphina up, she clung to him tightly.
"Papa…"
Lorenzo's arms tightened around her.
"I'm here, piccola. I'm here."
Her small body trembled.
"They hurt Lucian…"
"He's safe."
"You're safe now."
But Lorenzo wasn't safe.
Because something inside him broke that day.
☆☆☆
As they left the blood-soaked warehouse, Matteo watched Lorenzo closely.
"Boss…"
Lorenzo's jaw was clenched.
"I'm not letting this happen again."
No one was touching his daughter ever again.
Not while he was alive.