Page 112 of Angelo

Luca gave her an obedient nod. "Understood,Signora Vitale."

Outside the hospital, Mariposa was waiting dutifully for Elyse by their car. Shortly after Monte and Luca had been transferred over to Nicco, Elyse chose Mariposa to serve as her personal bodyguard and second-in-command. The dark-eyed girl was a better shot than either Monte or Luca, and, through the years, she'd proven herself to be an invaluable friend and ally.

Mariposa greeted Elyse with a smirk, "Good afternoon, Dr. Vitale. I see you came with the whole fucking entourage again today."

Elyse glanced down at Nicco with a knowing smile. "Naturally."

Mariposa chided Nicco affectionately, "You do not know how to leave yourmammaalone, do you,patatino?"

Nicco glanced up at Mariposa with a shameless grin. "Because Nicco wubMammatoo much!"

Grinning back at Nicco, Mariposa then reached over to ruffle the boy's dark hair. The golden afternoon sunlight kissed her hand, and a hefty-sized diamond glinted on her ring finger. The ring was from Monte. The two had just gotten engaged. Monte was gazing at his fiancée with unmasked devotion, displaying a rare crack in his stoic, soldier-like demeanor.

Luca also laughed at the boy's cheek.

Elyse's heart swelled with a mix of joy and longing. Even at such a young age, it was clear that Nicco had inherited a good dose of hispapà'scharm and silver tongue.

Dios, how she missed Alessandro.

Forcing a pleasant smile on her face to hide the heaviness in her heart, Elyse helped strap Nicco into his car seat while everyone else piled into the large black Bentley. With Monte at the wheel, Luca in the front passenger seat, and the rest of them seated in the back, they drove away from the hospital and sped toward the Vitales' palazzo in Libertà.

Mariposa glanced over to Elyse as the car rolled through the streets of Palermo. "Any word on Alessandro yet?"

With a sigh, Elyse shook her head. "Not yet."

"How much longer will he be in London?"

"As long as it takes to close the merger between Berkshire and Sayer."

This merger was the final step in cementing their businesses away from the shadows and into the light. For the past four years, husband and wife had been working diligently to make their dreams come true. Alessandro oversaw their tech startups and real estate investments while Elyse poured her heart and soul into making the Renata Vitale Memorial Hospital one of the top-rated healthcare facilities in all of Italy.

From behind the scenes, Elyse and Alessandro had schemed together to execute a series of chess-like strategies to cut their ties, thread by thread, from the deep, dark web ofCosa Nostra.

For every vacancy they left in the supply chain of their drug trafficking empire, replacements needed to be ushered in to prevent chaos and in-fighting.

For every new business venture they founded in tech, real estate, and healthcare, protective barriers needed to be set up to prevent old foes—and even old friends—from encroaching on these pristine, legal enterprises.

It hadn't been easy to fortify their new empire. Benedetto, Valentina, and her girlfriend, Célia, had been instrumental in helping them fill the dangerous voids in their old world and forge impenetrable protections in their current one. Money talked. Elyse and Alessandro certainly earned plenty of it, and they knew how to use wealth to their advantage, keeping enemies at bay, and opening doors that were once closed to them.

But even money had limits.

Limits that only Célia's connections in the elite business circles couldcircumvent. Valentina and Célia helped them break down the doors that no amount of riches could open.

Limits that only Benedetto's decades-long connections to high-ranking government officials and politicians could overcome. He'd helped them ward off the enemies that no amount of money could keep away.

It'd taken each and every one of them years of painstaking teamwork and toil to get to this point. Everyone in their inner circle—Malina, Monte, Luca, Mariposa, Valentina, and Benedetto—had carried out a very irreplaceable and specific role, and Elyse and Alessandro made sure to reward their friends handsomely for their efforts with money, houses, and positions of power and influence across their empire.

The Berkshire-Sayer merger was the culmination of everyone's sacrifices. This merger would be the final climactic task to seal the deal. It'd establish the Vitales as international power players, untouchable giants, and a king and a queen with shiny new crowns. Crowns that were no longer drenched with the blood of crime and violence.

Two months ago, Alessandro had traveled to London with Mr. Schmid to lock down this very important merger, leaving Elyse in Palermo to oversee their operations until his return.

Their separation was, once again, a necessary evil. After spending a year apart during their nightmare with Boris, Elyse had come to resent any extended time away from her husband. They spoke every night on the phone, but it simply wasn't the same. Her bed felt empty without Alessandro. Their home wasn't a home without him. Nicco kept acting out without hispapàaround. Elyse couldn't wait for her husband's return, not only because she missed him terribly, but also because there was important news to share.

Elyse rested a hand over her stomach, cradling it protectively.

To take her mind off of Alessandro, Elyse turned her attention to concrete problems instead of emotional ones, opting to address business matters with Monte, Luca, and Mariposa so they could hash out solutions for the little headaches that always seemed to plague her peace of mind. Accounts needed to be settled. New hires needed vetting. Questionable employees needed closer supervision. Discussions about these matters dragged on for the rest of the car ride home.

Around 5 pm, the black Bentley finally made its way through the jam-packed Palemirtan traffic and pulled into the lush courtyard of the Vitales' palazzo.

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