Chapter 29: A woman in love

The following morning, Soraya and Santino returned to their home in Italy.

As they stepped inside, Soraya was surprised to find Angelo waiting for them. Her face immediately lit up, and she hurried toward her brother without a second thought.

"Angelo!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a warm embrace.

Angelo smiled and hugged her back, clearly pleased to see her. Santino watched them from a short distance away, surprised by how quickly Soraya had grown attached to Angelo.

Of all the people she had recently discovered were part of her family, her elder brother seemed to be the one she had bonded with most easily.

For now, he was the only person she regarded as family without any lingering hesitation, and Santino couldn’t help noticing how comfortable she was around him.

"Did you have fun?" Angelo asked as they pulled apart. He rested his hands on her arms and looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear about her trip.

"It was such a fun trip!" Soraya replied enthusiastically. "I played in the snow, and everything was so peaceful there. I really enjoyed myself." She paused before taking his hand. "Come on, let’s go upstairs and continue our conversation."

She then turned toward Santino, who was still watching them, and gave him an innocent smile. "I can take my brother upstairs, can’t I?"

"Yeah, you can," Santino replied, allowing Soraya to take Angelo upstairs.

Once the siblings were out of sight, Santino turned toward Marco and Leo, who had been standing nearby. Leo adjusted his glasses before glancing in the direction Soraya had disappeared.

"Madam seems to be softening toward Boss," Leo remarked.

"I don’t think Madam will give Boss a chance so easily," Marco commented, shaking his head. "Not anytime soon, at least."

"What do you mean?" Santino demanded, his brows drawing together in displeasure.

Marco hesitated briefly before deciding to speak honestly. "Boss, you’re the one forcing your love on Madam. You keep showering her with gifts, taking her places, and pampering her in every way you can think of. But she’s not the kind of woman who will fall for someone just because he gives her everything she wants." He paused, making sure Santino was listening before continuing. "She barely looks at you with the eyes of a woman in love. She might be getting comfortable around you, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to accept your feelings."

Santino’s brows furrowed as he listened to Marco’s assessment.

"Forgive me if I’ve offended you, Boss," Marco said, sensing that his earlier remarks might have displeased Santino.

Santino gave him a brief glance but said nothing. Instead, he settled onto the sofa and shifted his attention to the matters that required his attention.

"Did you look into the port administration?" he asked, his expression turning serious.

"I did," Leo replied, taking a seat across from him and opening his tablet. "I have my suspicions about three of the managers. Franco was confident when he told us that the Spanish Syndicate would attack our ports. He seemed far too certain about something that should have been difficult to predict." Leo swiped through the information on his screen before looking up at Santino.

"Someone on the inside might be working with them, Boss. If that’s the case, they could be feeding the syndicate information about our operations."

Santino’s expression hardened as he considered the possibility of a traitor within his own organization.

"A threat from outside is one thing, but someone secretly working against me from within could put our people at risk," Santino remarked.

"I agree, Boss. That’s why I have made sure our confidant keep a close on these three," Leo asserted.

Marco took out his phone and began explaining what he had discovered. "I’ve done some deeper research as well. For years, we’ve been unable to uncover the identities of the people truly running the Spanish Syndicate. They have kept their leadership and operations well hidden." He paused as he searched for something on his phone. "However, a news story about their young heir was circulating not long ago. I came across it during my research, and I think you should take a look at it, Boss."

He turned his phone toward Santino, ready to show him the article.

Santino read through the article carefully, his expression growing more serious as he reached the end. "He was last seen in Sicily," he murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes, Boss. That was six months ago," Marco confirmed.

Leo leaned forward, considering the information. "Perhaps he came to gather information about us. We were in Sicily around the same time, six months ago. It’s possible he was observing our movements without drawing attention to himself."

"Or he could have been looking for a suitable base from which to launch his operations," Santino suggested, his mind already working through the possibilities.

"That’s a strong possibility, Boss," Marco agreed with a nod.

"What’s a strong possibility?" Soraya asked, interrupting their conversation as she approached with an empty water jar in her hand. Santino turned his head toward her, while Marco and Leo exchanged a brief glance.

Soraya looked from one man to another before fixing her gaze on Santino. "Are you planning to hurt someone again?"

"Why? Will you hate me even more if I do?" Santino asked with a chuckle, seemingly amused by her suspicion.

Marco and Leo silently wondered whether they should intervene or allow the couple to handle the conversation themselves.

"I thought we were finally getting on the same page," Soraya remarked, rolling her eyes in frustration. "Well, never mind. Do whatever you want. Just make sure I don’t see any bullets lying around here." She gave him a pointed look before turning toward the kitchen, leaving without waiting for his response.

Santino watched her walk away, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

"Why didn’t you explain things to her, Boss?" Leo asked once Soraya was out of their sight. "Madam is misunderstanding you."

"It’s better that way," Santino replied, his expression becoming more serious. "The less she knows about these matters, the farther she’ll remain from them. I don’t want her getting involved in something that could put her in danger."