Mafia's Dangerous Desire

Thunderclap broke the thick night sky of Naples, Italy. Raindrop roared, submerging the noise of night life glitter in a part of that city, Vomero district.

A tall lady with straight bob haircut could be seen slamming the table in Vomero's well-known discotheque's VIP room.

"You can't do this to me! Don't think I'm the same with stupid whores you've been sleeping with until now!" she yelled rudely.

A man whose face hidden by his black fedora could only giggle in response to the anger spilled by that woman.

"I am Vellina, sole daughter of Pacnozzi clan. Don't take me for a fool! Do you think I can't destroy you?" continued that woman named Vellina.

Half-hearted response given by that man really made her upset. Up until now, no man dared to underestimate her.

"Just you wait until I expose everything to my father! You will be finished! Do you hear me? You will be finished!" ended Vellina before finally she reached her small purse on top of the table and left.

Vellina slammed the door of that VIP room violently. Her wrath had reached the top of her head. She wouldn't let any man to stomp on her dignity.

Just when Vellina entered her car she parked in the special parking area for the elite customer in that discotheque, her phone rang.

Vellina took a glimpse of the name on her phone's screen before finally she picked up that phone call.

"What's wrong?" Vellina asked, answering that call straight to the point.

She already knew from the name on her phone screen before, that the one who called was her husband, Diego.

"Where are you now? Arianna is looking for you!" said Diego with his high tone.

Vellina scoffed upset. Again, her husband kept pestering her just because their daughter was nosily looking for her mother.

"I'm busy. Just give that little brat a sleeping pill to stop her bawling!" ordered Vellina, clearly bothered.

Diego could be heard cursing at her on the other side.

"Just leave all of your business behind and come home at this very moment! Arianna is sick, she's missing you!" commanded Diego, annoyed.

"I said I'm busy! Are you deaf? Just shut her up, no matter what it takes! Just leave her to die, if it's necessary! It's you who wanted a child, not me! So, take care of her!" scolded Vellina rudely.

"You animal! If you don't come home at once, I will order Fabian to drag you by force, no matter where you are!" threatened Diego.

Vellina just scoffed for a while before finally she ended that phone call without the other side's approval.

She threw that phone to her car's backseat because she wanted to ignore the incoming phone call, which she knew would be heard a little while later.

Vellina was well aware of her husband's characteristic. He wouldn't want to lose an argument. Since the beginning, their marriage wasn't something she wanted.

Diego was one of many subordinates of her father, the leader of a mafia clan in Naples.

Nobody knew how he did it, Diego successfully made Vellina's father impressed so much that he was eager to take Diego as his son-in-law.

Of course, Vellina had attempted to refuse that matchmaking, but because there were so many benefits and advantages promised by her father, Vellina eventually was willing to become Diego's wife.

In fact, at that time, Vellina's heart already belonged to another man. Unfortunately, instead that man supported their marriage because he felt he wouldn't be able to make Vellina happy with his current condition, a nobody at the time.

In the end, although Vellina married Diego, she still had a relationship with that man in secret.

Vellina slowly helped that man to become an influential figure so one day she could leave Diego and return to the embrace of the man whom she truly loved.

Her phone rang again for the umpteenth time. Vellina grumbled while gripping the steering wheel even tighter.

She regretted her decision to throw her phone to the car backseat, making her unable to reach it.

Upset, Vellina threw her small purse to the direction of that phone, whose ringing deafening her ears along with the time.

Meanwhile, Diego still hadn't given up to connect with his wife's phone. That sturdy-looking guy paced back and forth in his working room, with the phone on his ear.

Although Diego knew his call would be ignored by his wife, still he didn't surrender yet. He would keep calling his wife's phone until that lady was eager to pick it up.

Just when Diego was about to redial her wife's number, Fabian, his trusted aide, came knocking on his half-opened office door.

"What?" asked Diego when he saw Fabian's arrival.

"The owner of Pezcatores printing refused to return the money printing plate we lent them," answered Fabian, giving out his report.

Diego's eyebrow frowned upon hearing that report. Lately in these months, that printing company which had been designated for years as the site for money laundry and fake money printing for his clan, indeed was facing the downtrend performance, which was quite significant.

Fabian, whom he ordered to examine the place, had told him before that the cause of that performance reduction was because Enrico Pezcatores, the owner of the printing who worked under them, was in a chronic poor health condition.

Diego who was worried of their fake money production low achievement, finally decided to search another printing company they could squeeze and use, for the sake of Pacnozzi clan.

The weird thing was, nobody knew why Enrico, the owner of that Pezcatores printing company now instead refused to return the money printing plate which had been entrusted to him for years.

"If you order me to take back that plate by force, I will execute it at once," offered Fabian, waking Diego up from his train of thought.

"You don't need to, let me see Enrico by myself. I have more important task for you," answered Diego, with a slight tone of urge behind his words.

Fabian could only raised her eyebrows as his response. He was waiting for his boss to express the aforementioned task.

"Find my wife's whereabouts and drag her by force at once! I want her here before 10 pm!" commanded Diego, disclosing the detail of the task he spoke before.

"Understood, Boss," answered Fabian obediently before finally he took his leave to accomplish his

duty.

Diego himself now had finally given up the attempt to call his wife anymore.

Instead, he contacted another one of his subordinates to prepare themselves in two hours, in order to accompany him to Pezcatores residence that night.

Diego peeked at the clock in his office; its short hand pointed at 7. He sighed heavily.

Sluggishly, he stepeed toward the room of Arianna, his only daughter who was having a fever at the time.

For hours later, Diego could only sit beside Arianna's bed while her daughter kept on calling the name of her mother in her sleep.

Diego couldn't understand, why Arianna yearned so much for the affection of the woman who never loved her, even once.

In fact, if Arianna had asked for it, Diego wouldn't have had a second thought to present the entire world for her.

That was how big the parental love of that man with purplish blue eyes and brown wavy hair, to his daughter.

Diego finally left Arianna alone with the two maids when his subordinates he contacted earlier had come.

Diego glimpsed at his watch. He was a little bit annoyed because Fabian hadn't returned with Vellina yet. In fact, he expected Vellina to be already here to replace him watching over Arianna.

Diego was forced to leave his daughter behind. He wanted to clear the issue with Enrico as soon as possible and immediately return home so he could be on her daughter's side again.

Along the way, Diego kept sending the messages to Fabian, asking him about the progress of his search. It was unusual for Fabian to take this long time to locate Vellina.

But even before he received the reply from Fabian, the car he was on had arrived in the residence of Pezcatores family.

Diego chose to visit Enrico's house directly, because he knew one thing for sure, that there was no way for sickly Enrico to be in the printing building.

Three of his men who accompanied him swiftly got off the car and went before him, to ring the bell of the house for Diego.

A quite luxurious house compared to other houses in this housing complex. Of course, Diego thought Enrico was using the money from their dirty business to enjoy that extravagance.

A maid opened the door for them.

Without wasting any time, Diego's henchmen entered just like that, without even explaining the intention of their arrival to that astonished maid.

Not only the maid, even a lady who seemed like she was the wife of the house owner, looked like she was in shock when those four uninvited guests broke through the living room.

"Who are you people?" she asked in panic.

"Where's Enrico?" asked Diego loudly in response.

"My husband is currently not at home," answered that lady; her lips trembling.

"Ah, you must be Mrs. Laura Pezcatores. Very good, nice to meet you. I am Diego Ludovicci, the Underboss of Pacnozzi clan," Diego introduced himself in a relaxed way.

"Where did you know...," Laura was choked on her words, unable to finish her sentence. Her face grew ghostly pale to hear the name of Pacnozzi clan being mentioned.

"It doesn't matter where did I know your name from. Isn't it a common sense for a good business partner to know each other? I know Enrico so well that knowing her wife's name is also a given," answered Diego while sitting casually on one of the armchairs in that room.

"Now, before I command my subordinates to search around your entire house, you better call Enrico to come before me," continued Diego with a threatening voice.

He knew from Laura's behavior that she lied about her husband's whereabouts. When Diego mentioned Enrico's name, that lady by reflex glanced on the upper floor defensively.

Laura now could be seen sneaking a peek to her maid, who nodded in fear. Her maid as if understood the intention of her master.

With a slight rush, that maid went on to the second floor of that house where the room of her master was located.

"A good house, certainly it needs a lot of money to build a home this luxurious," commented Diego.

Laura could only froze in her place, without any response to the comment of the man in front of him. Her hand gripped hard the edge of her own plain blouse.

When finally her husband came down together with the maid who supported his steps, Laura could breathe in relief although a hint of panic was still dominating her face.

Diego wasted no time. Upon seeing Enrico, he snapped his finger as the sign for his henchmen to seize that old man immediately.

Laura and the maid spontaneously screamed to see those three vicious-looking man, grabbed the sickly old man violently.

Just when Diego was about to ask the whereabouts of his clan's fake money plate, a loud voice of a woman took him by surprise.

"What the hell is going on here? Who are you people and what are you doing to my father?"

Diego turned around to see the source of that voice. He was unable to hide his surprise to see a figure of a lady who resembled her wife so much.

Diego froze on his place for a moment, while watching the woman who just came from God knew where. Behind that woman, there was a girl who looked far younger than her.

Both of them rushed to approach Laura, who welcomed them to her embrace.

The younger girl directly threw herself into her mother's embrace and looked at Diego with horror in her eyes.

Meanwhile, the woman who spoke loudly before came closer to her father, who was being seized by Diego's henchmen.

"Release my father at once! Or I will contact the police to arrest all of you!" she said while pointing at Diego's subordinates with the phone in her hand.

Diego tried his best to hold his laughter back to hear that woman's threat. It had been way too long time since he was threatened that way.

"Relax, Missy. I have an important affair with your father. No need to cry to the police, they already have their hands full with other stuffs," said Diego, pretending to persuade her.

"If you guys really have something to do with my father, then sit down and talk it out like a gentlemen. This is not the way it's supposed to be! Come, let my father go! I'm not playing around, I will call the police if you're not listening to me!" exclaimed that woman again.

Diego chuckled slowly. The woman before him was indeed courageous. She was not hesitant to face four men who could easily seize her.

"Stellina, I'm okay. Just take Patrizia and your mother to the room. I will come there too after I finish talking with our guests," said Enrico softly.

Diego was baffled. It was not only her face and intonation which resembled her wife, even her name was also similar to Vellina.

"But father...," Stellina cut her father's statement, albeit in doubt.

"Trust me, I can solve all of this. Just go upstairs with your mother and sister. Wait for me there," said Enrico again in the middle of the coughings he couldn't hold back.

Stellina glared at Diego as if warning that man not to harm her father. Diego winked while smiling at Stellina to sneer at that lady's guts.

When finally those three women left the living room, Diego and Enrico could speak seriously regarding their issue.

"Why did you refuse to return the money plat which belongs to Pacnozzi clan?" asked Diego straight to the point.

"It was Mr. Eston who gave that plate as the proof of our cooperation. You can't take it away just like that," answered Enrico.

Diego gritted his teeth to hear the name of his father in law being mentioned. He couldn't believe this old man would play his card like this.

"It was only a matter of time for the Pacnozzi Boss to know that your performance is going down. Do you think he would keep hiring a person who is no longer useful?" asked Diego. Enrico wheezed.

"After my health improved, I would not only fix my performance, but I would also increase it even further in order to cover the loss you face, so have patience," answered Enrico calmly.

"Three months have been enough to stay patiently waiting. I have found another printing company I can rely on, so return that plate," urged Diego. Enrico coughed again, even louder this time.

"No can do. If I return that plate, it equals to cut the income of my printing company. Haven't businessmen like you known that our main income isn't from the conventional printing business, but from the fake money distribution we've been doing up until now?" Enrico struggled to answer with his hypothetical question.

"Don't be greedy! Just return that plate then enjoy your retirement with your family in a faraway place!" yelled Diego rudely.

"You know I can take that plate by force, right? It's a piece of cake for me to search the entire printing building, even this house as well!" he continued.

"I'm still being generous to ask you politely, to return it voluntarily instead of transforming you into a corpse for refusing to give it back," said Diego again while getting his face closer to the ear of his conversation partner.

When Diego returned to his seat, he could see the change in Enrico's face, which started to grow pale.

Obviously, for a stubborn person like Enrico, the most effective way was to make the life of that old man on the line.

Diego's phone rang, giving the chance for Enrico to breath a sigh of relief, because Diego decided to pick up the call.

Of course Diego answered it, that call was from Fabian's number. Diego who had been curious of his wife's location wasted no time in picking the phone up.

"How is it?" asked Diego immediately.

Fabian's answer was drowning in the loud raindrops in his side.

"Talk louder, I can't hear you!" said Diego, almost yelling.

"Boss, I couldn't find Madam Vellina," answered Fabian with a shout from the other side of the phone. Diego scoffed.

"What have you been doing? How couldn't you locate a single woman?" scolded Diego in fury.

"No, it's not like that, Boss. I've found Madam's position, but I was unable to pinpoint her," explained Fabian.

"What do you mean?" asked Diego, trying to comprehend Fabian's convoluted statement.

"Boss, Madam's car had an accident in Scaligero Bridge. The car sank in Oglio River. I couldn't find Madam because the river current was so swift," answered Fabian, offering a more detailed explanation.

Diego swore he could feel his heart stopped beating for a while. How could Vellina be involved in that kind of accident?

The noise from the rain still floded his ears although their conversation went silent.

Diego still couldn't accept the fact that Vellina, his wife, was possibly a goner.

"Have you confirmed it? Is it true that...," Diego fell on his bottom on the couch; his words were hung in doubt.

"I've checked carefully before reporting to you. I'm truly certain, that this is Madam's car and there were some people who witnessed Madam being thrown to the river when her car collided with the bridge's edge, and crashed into the river," answered Fabian full of conviction.

Diego wiped his face, annoyed. When he blinked, he regained his focus and calmed himself.

"Alright, if you're really certain, come here, to Pezcatores residence, I need you here," responded Diego with a flat tone before he finally ended his call.

Diego stared straight at Enrico who seemed like he wanted to take advantage of this situation to free himself from Diego's demand.

Unfortunately, no matter what happened, Diego must obtain back that money-printing plate, no matter what it takes.

Diego pondered, wringing his brain in order to solve the situation he was facing now. He mustn't fall into the abyss of despair.

Actually, Diego didn't love Vellina at all, so no wonder he didn't feel sorrow nor the loss of his soulmate even though Vellina had passed away in that accident.

His reason to marry Vellina was obviously to be the inheritor of Pacnozzi clan. That's the only way for him, who was nobody at that time, to conquer Naples.

Eston Pacnozzi only had a daughter, who of course couldn't be the leader of the clan. Automatically, Diego as Vellina's husband, was the one who would be the successor.

But if Vellina's death was known by other clan officials, obviously Diego's position as the Underboss in this clan is threatened.

Not to mention the popularity of Matteo, Eston's nephew, which was rising lately thanks to his achievement of selling huge amount of firearms.

Compared to him who just lost Vellina, the only factor which strengthened his status in Pacnozzi clan, obviously he would lose big time if he had to stand head-to-head with Matteo who had Pacnozzi blood in him.

He hadn't finished the issue about money-printing plate, now he had to deal with another problem which could wobble his position.

In this situation, he mustn't be panicked. He mustn't allow everything to be thrown into mess.

Just another step, and he would inherit Pacnozzi clan. Just one year from now, on Eston's 80th birthday, when he would announce to whom Mafiosso ring would be entrusted next.

That ring's owner would earn absolute loyalty from the entire clan members, as well as other privileges related to the incomes from their businesses and assets belonged to the Godfather himself.

Enrico couldn't hold his cough anymore thanks to the pressure filling that room.

The sound of footsteps running down the stairs, stole the attention of everyone who went silent up until now.

Stellina came with a glass of water in her hand, which seemed almost half of it had been spilled because she was so in a rush to go down from the upper floor.

"Stellina...," said Enrico with his hoarse voice.

"Have a drink first," interrupted Stellina briefly. She ignored the presence of the four guests in that house.

Diligently she helped her father to gulp down the water in the glass which she just brought.

"You've been talking for a while, just let my father rest now," pleaded Stellina to Diego.

Diego was flabbergasted on his comfy couch. He had been struggling just now, squeezing out his brain in order to find the solution from his problem, when the way out was exactly in front of his own eyes.

Diego rose from the couch and walked towards Stellina. He gazed at that woman from head to toe.

Her face and figure were really the same with his wife who just passed away.

The only different thing was only the haircut. His wife was having a short bob haircut while the hair of the woman before him was let down to her waist.

Stellina noticed Diego staring at her, as if observing her entire look.

For a moment, she regretted her decision to go down here with her night gown, a little bit thin here and open there, displaying her smooth, snow-white thigh and her full, bountiful cleavage.

By reflex, Stellina pulled her night gown down and attempted to cover her cleavage with both of her hands, crossed in front of her chest and hugging her own shoulders.

Unpredictably, Diego reached at Stellina's chin and examined her face contour carefully.

Diego was no longer surprised, to find the similarities between Stellina and her late wife.

Enrico who saw how Diego looked at his daughter, suddenly went mental.

"Stellina, go upstairs, and don't come back here again," asked Enrico with his trembling voice.

Stellina nodded quickly, but she didn't even have the time to leave, Diego had gripped Stellina's arm, making that girl scream in pain.

"Please, let my daughter go! I will tell you where I keep that plate, I will return it to you!" requested Enrico with a desperate tone.

Diego grinned. Just like killing two birds with one stone. He just found a solution for his two problems he was facing right now.

"Tell me where!" said Diego without turning his eyes away from Stellina who in turn looked at him nervously.

Enrico told him the location of the plate he was hiding. Diego nodded in approval for knowing where the place that Enrico was talking about.

"Now let my daughter go! We will pack our things and leave tonight!" said Enrico, upset.

"Yeah, all of you will pack and leave tonight, but not with this woman. She's going nowhere," decided Diego while smiling; his cunning eyes were gleaming.

Stellina gulped nervously. She couldn't look away from Diego, who stared at her wildly.

"What do you mean, Sir?" asked Enrico in confusion.

Before Diego could answer Enrico's question, Fabian appeared; his clothes all drenched wet.

Diego turned to have a look at Fabian without even once loosening his tight grip on Stellina's arm.

Fabian was so shocked as if he was seeing ghost, when his gaze accidentally met Stellina's. She resembled his Boss' wife so much.

Diego cleared his throat to snatch Fabian's attention back to him.

"Sorry, Boss. I had no time to change my clothes because I wanted to make it here as fast as possible," reasoned Fabian, as if disguising his apology behind a formal report.

"I understand. Now, do you understand why do I need you here?" asked Diego with his ice-cold voice.

Fabian scanned around the entire room to digest down the situation happening.

When his eyes made their way back to Diego, his boss nodded his head up, as if anticipating what kind of decision Fabian would take.

Without any words, Fabian took out a gun with a silencer behind his suit.

With minimum movement, Fabian shot down the other three henchmen in that room before finally pointing his gun at Enrico's head.

"Stop it," said Diego without expression.

Stellina and her father were dumbfounded; no words escaping their mouths, to see Fabian slaughtered Diego's three underlings without any remorse.

Diego wasn't surprised at all with what Fabian did. Instead, he smiled in satisfaction because Fabian understood what he wanted.

This is one of the things that made Fabian so special, enough to make Diego favored him more than his other subordinates.

"Don't kill this one," continued Diego while pointing at Enrico with his head.

That father and daughter could finally sigh in relief after Fabian put his gun back, followiing Diego's order.

"Listen to me if you still want to live," said Diego again, still with his cold tone.

"Enrico, pack up your belongings together with your daughter and wife up there. Fabian will arrange your destination," he continued.

"And you, come with me," said Diego to Stellina.

"No, please don't take my daughter away! I've told you where that printing plate is! Release us, please, let us go!" pleaded Enrico.

Diego grinned. His eyes couldn't be taken off of Stellina who was still trying to break free from Diego's clutch.

"If only you have told me from the beginning, surely I would have gone long time ago. Or, if you have wanted to voluntarily return that plate way before this, I wouldn't have to come here and meet this angel," answered Diego while touching Stellina's cheek softly.

Stellina flailed her shoulder in retaliation, trying to get her face away from Diego's reach.

"What to do, I've already fallen in love with your daughter. I want to take her tonight and make her mine," lied Diego.

There was no love at all in his heart for Stellina nor to his late wife. In front of him now was only a woman who would smoothen his way to become the next inheritor of Pacnozzi clan.

"You bastard, unhand me!" shouted Stellina, attempting her hardest to break herself free.

"Please, Sir! Forgive my wrongdoings! Please don't involve my daughter!" pleaded Enrico. "I will do anything, as long as you let my family go!"

Stellina kept struggling, but the more she struggled, the tighter Diego's grip on her arm became.

Suddenly, Enrico who was crushed under the pressure all the time, wheezed so loud. That old man coughed repeatedly with the increasing intensity and volume.

When Enrico coughed blood, Stellina spontaneously screamed in panic. Stellina's voice calling out her father invited the attention of her mother and sister who were hiding in the upper floor's room.

Laura, Patrizia, and the maid went down when they heard Stellina's scream.

At the beginning, they also shrieked hysterically to see the dead bodies of Diego's henchmen lying on the floor. But after they saw Enrico, those three ladies swiftly approached him.

"Fabian, bring Enrico to the hospital," ordered Diego calmly.

"You, come to the hospital with us," he continued, telling Stellina what to do.

"In the meantime, three of you, start packing up. Fabian will pick you up later," instructed Diego.

Stellina no longer cared to the words coming out from the mouth of that man who still gripped her wrist tight.

Stellina's mind was only occupied with her father's critical condition at the moment.

Swiftly, Fabian supported Enrico and put him inside his car. Meanwhile, Diego dragged Stellina into the car he drove with his three henchmen before.

"I want to come with my father to the hospital!" roared Stellina.

"Relax, all of us will go to the hospital," answered Diego, completely ignoring that woman's growl.

Stellina had no other choice but to follow Diego because she didn't want Fabian to harm her father. The scenery of slaughter Fabian did before remained in Stellina's memory, making her paranoid enough to Diego's right-hand man.

Along the way to the hospital, Diego glanced at Stellina's wrist a few times, which looked black and blue thanks to his strong grip earlier.

There was a little bit of guilt in his heart, considering he never really intended to hurt that woman.

But, the urgency of the problem he was facing made him lost his sight and mind for a little while.

When they arrived at the hospital, Diego who was annoyed slightly at Stellina who was still wearing thin and revealing night gown, held her back in the car.

"Don't stand in my way! I want to be with my father!" protested Stellina in panic.

Diego didn't react at Stellina's protest. Instead, he took off his suit in front of Stellina who seemed misunderstanding him.

"Stop it! This is hospital, you can't do it here!" argued Stellina, drowning even deeper in panic.

Diego paused for a moment; he was still unable to wrap his head around Stellina's words.

When finally he realized that Stellina thought he was about to harass her, Diego could only chuckle while putting his suit over Stellina before they entered the hospital.

Stellina's cheek blushed in red for noticing her misunderstanding. In silence, she grabbed that suit even closer to her body in order to cover it.

When they entered the hospital, Diego's connection gave them access to the doctor's room without the need to queue.

Fabian immediately left the hospital to return to Enrico's house. Diego had ordered him to assist Pezcatores family to pack up and bring them away tonight.

Now it's only Diego and Stellina who were waiting the result of Enrico's examination in the hospital. While waiting, Diego asked the nurses to treat Stellina's black and blue arm.

The nurses appointed by Diego nimbly treated and bandaged Stellina's wrist.

Even when Stellina finished her treatment, doctor's diagnosis regarding her father condition was still not done. Both of them could only wait patiently in the corridor of that examination room.

Stellina was the first one to rise from her seat when the doctor came out of the room where her father was being treated on.

That doctor approached Diego to tell the examination result. Stellina who was there also heard that result.

Stellina fell on her bottom on the hospital's floor helplessly when she heard that her father needed lungs transplantation in order to survive.

Pulmonary Hypertension disease which her father suffered had reached the stage where he needed lungs transplantation in order to avoid the possibility of heart failure.

Obviously for this thing, the issue laid not in the cost. Pezcatores family had enough money to pay any kind of medical treatment.

The problem was to find the lungs donor. Unlike kidney which could be obtained from living donor, or heart which was quite popular, lungs was an organ which was hard enough to get your hands on.

It was almost impossible to find lungs donor, not to mention the one compatible with the patient's body. It could be said that the patients in need of lungs transplantation, had no difference with them who received their death verdict.

Stellina was unable to hold back her tears. She cried with her broken heart on the floor of that hospital, imagining she would lose her father whom she loved so much.

Diego allowed Stellina to cry a few minutes to spill her sorrow away. He even already prepared a handkerchief in his hand.

Diego folded that handkerchief then he crouched in front of Stellina who was still sobbing.

Then he offered that light blue handkerchief to Stellina. That girl accepted that handkerchief which she directly used to wipe away her tears.

"Stop crying, your father is not dead yet," suggested Diego coldly.

"But he needs lungs donor. Where can I find it? It's better if we use my lungs instead," replied Stellina with her nasal voice; her nose was blocked by her tears.

"Nope, you musnt' die yet," mumbled Diego, almost inaudible.

Stellina continued weeping to the point that it annoyed Diego.

Diego himself felt odd to see this woman who looked so much like his wife, was crying defenselessly.

It was very hard for him to imagine the death of his wife, who used to be so arrogant and stubborn, to cry her heart out because of other people.

"I said stop crying. Looking for a lungs donor is just a walk in the park," said Diego in his attempt to silence Stellina down.

"How could you make it sound so easy? Are human lives that meaningless in your eyes?" yelled Stellina in between her tears.

"Listen, I'm the Underboss of Pacnozzi clan. Finding a lungs donor in the black market isn't a big deal for me," said Diego calmly.

Stellina stopped crying at once. She lifted her face to look at Diego. She wanted to confirm whether what that man had just said was the truth or only a ruse.

"You can find a lungs donor for my father?" asked Stellina, as if she wanted to confirm it.

"Yes, of course!" answered Diego firmly.

"You are not lying to me, right?" asked Stellina again, still unconvinced.

"I'm not lying. I can find your father a lungs donor in the black market. I will exert all connections I have," said Diego. He really meant it.

Stellina tried to digest down Diego's statement in between her sobbings although her tears were still dripping.

It was impossible for the man in front of him to be generous out of pity. This calculative guy must aim for something as his reward.

"I will pay you no matter how much the cost is," said Stellina to Diego.

That man just giggled for a while while shaking his head.

"I don't need your money," answered Diego with his flat tone.

"Then what do you want as your reward?" interrogated Stellina sharply.

Diego stared intently at that woman who looked like a mess. Her brown hair down to her waist had been tangled all over; her eyes were swollen and her nose red.

"I like a smart woman like you. I want you as my reward," answered Diego with his enchanting smile.

Stellina scoffed out of annoyance. She had thought that Diego was not a gentleman, but she never thought at all that this dandy guy was in fact so low.

"In the end, you're just a brute who aim for my body," reacted Stellina with the anger shining from her eyes.

Diego clicked his tongue while pointing up his index finger, waving it left and right as his sign of saying no.

"I want you to be my wife," answered Diego softly.

Stellina was taken aback to hear Diego's words which came so out of the blue. She couldn't even resist when Diego reached her hands and led her to stand up.

Stellina couldn't imagine what would happen next if she really becomes the wife of a dangerous man such as Diego.