Page 38 of Tormented Hearts

Gabriel frowns, he still has one more concern. “And what about Bianca herself? She’s not going to sit back and watch you dismantle everything she’s built. You need to be ready for retaliation.”

Luca’s expression hardens. “If she tries to retaliate, I’ll make sure she regrets it. But I don’t think she’ll get the chance.”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. “You’ve got something else in mind?”

Luca leans forward, his eyes cold and calculating. “I know Bianca. She’s ambitious, but she’s also self-preserving. Once she realizes that I’m serious, that she’s lost her power and her influence, she’ll leave on her own.”

Gabriel smirks, but there is an edge of scepticism in his voice. “You think she’ll just walk away?”

“She’ll have no choice,” Luca replies with a shrug, his voice filled with confidence. “Once she has nothing left, she’ll either leave or beg me for mercy. And I’m not giving her any.”

The plan moved quickly. Within days, Luca, Gabriel and Miguel had begun systematically cutting Bianca off from the life she had carefully constructed. Her clubs, which had beenlucrative sources of income, were seized by Luca’s men. Her contacts within the financial world were quietly warned that doing business with her would no longer be tolerated, and the alliances she had tried to form with other families were swiftly dismantled.

Luca didn’t confront her directly—yet. He wanted Bianca to feel the ground shifting beneath her, wanted her to realize just how powerless she was becoming. And it didn’t take long for her to notice.

One night, as Luca sat in his office, going over the latest reports on the operations they had taken from Bianca, his phone buzzes. He glances at the screen and sees her name flashing.

For a moment, he considers on ignoring it. But then he picks up, his voice cold as he answers. “What do you want?”

There is a brief pause on the other end of the line, and then Bianca’s voice comes through, sharp and filled with barely contained fury. “What the hell are you doing, Luca?”

Luca leans back in his chair, a dark smile playing on his lips. “I’m cleaning up my business.”

“You think you can just take everything from me?” Bianca hisses. “I’ve worked for years to build this, and you’re tearing it all down.”

Luca’s smile fades, his voice growing colder. “You never had any of it, Bianca. You were just borrowing my power. And now, I’m taking it back.”

There was another pause, and when Bianca speaks again, her voice is laced with desperation. “We can work this out, Luca. I can help you—help you run things. Phoenix... she doesn’t belong in this world. You know that.”

Luca’s jaw tightens at the mention of Phoenix. “This isn’t about Phoenix,” he warns, though the lie tastes bitter on his tongue. “This is about you overstepping your bounds. You’ve forgotten your place, Bianca, and now you’re paying the price.”

Bianca’s breath hitches, her anger palpable through the phone. “You’re making a mistake. I won’t let you destroy everything I’ve built.”

Luca’s voice is a low growl as he responds. “It’s already gone.”

He ends the call before she can say anything more, his heart pounding with a mixture of satisfaction and tension. The plan was working, but Luca knew this wasn’t over yet. Bianca wouldn’t walk away easily, and he needed to be ready for whatever she would throw at him next.

A week later, after Luca had taken nearly everything from her, Bianca makes her move.

She arrives at Luca’s penthouse unannounced, forcing her way past his guards and demanding to see him. When Luca finally comes out to meet her, she is standing in the middle of his living room, her eyes wild with fury.

“You can’t do this to me,” Bianca spits, her voice trembling with anger. “I gave everything to you, to this life, and you’re just throwing me away?”

Luca’s expression is cold as he looks at her. “You gave nothing to me. You’ve always been out for yourself.”

Bianca steps closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I was loyal to you, Luca. I could have been everything you needed.”

Luca’s eyes darkened. “I already have everything I need.”

Bianca’s face twists in rage, and she takes another step toward him, her voice rising. “Phoenix is going to destroy you. She’s weak. She’ll never survive in this world.”

Luca’s fists clench at his sides, but he forces himself to stay calm. “Phoenix is stronger than you could ever imagine. And you? You’re done.”

For a moment, Bianca just stares at him, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Then, without warning, her face crumbles, and she lets out a bitter laugh.

“You think you’ve won, Luca,” she asks, her voice hollow. “But I’ll make you regret this.”

Luca doesn’t flinch. He has already prepared for this. “You’re leaving, Bianca. One way or another.”

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