Chapter 2 Mysterious person

Italy, Milan

Since her meeting with Zachary, Luna, and Zachary have often been in touch, discussing things that Luna finds trivial. Regarding the unknown message she received yesterday, Luna dismissed it as just a prank. She didn't regret befriending Zachary at all. She felt happy not to feel as lonely as before.

At this moment, Luna was reading a novel Zachary had bought her the day before. She sat on the balcony sofa of her luxurious apartment, a gift from the head of the orphanage where she used to live. Enjoying the evening breeze, hot chocolate, and the novel, Luna felt she had found the world's peace.

After a while, Luna closed her book and stood up, walking to the balcony railing. She looked up at the sky, where the moon shone, surrounded by stars that adorned the night. How beautiful. A faint smile appeared on her face as the evening wind touched her. She remembered her mother and sister and her childhood memories of when the three of them sat in the backyard, gazing at the stars.

...

In the past, Luna, her mother, and her sister would lie on the grass with a cloth beneath them, enjoying the starry night sky. "Luna, if someday Mom and I are up there, what would you do?" her sister, Ranelly Marcelli, asked.

"I'd follow you," Luna answered, not taking her eyes off the stars. "Even if we were with God?" this time, her mother, Orlan Marcelli, asked. "Yes, I'd follow. You two are a part of my life. Wherever you go, I'll go. Even to meet God," Luna replied firmly.

Ranelly sat up and looked at Luna, who was still lying down. "No, Luna, you mustn't follow us. Your future awaits you. You'll be happy one day with a husband who loves you deeply," she said confidently. Luna sat up, smiled softly, and shook her head. "No, Sis. My happiness is only with you." "You're so stubborn, Luna," her sister said, lying back down again. Luna lay back down as well.

Before long, their father, Armon Marcelli, came. "Oh, here you are," he said. Their father, a hardworking man who sometimes struggled to make enough money to feed them, always fought for his family's happiness.

"Dad? You're home?" Their mother got up and approached him near the door connecting the yard to the house. "I've been calling you all, but none of you heard," he said with a hint of irritation. "We were deep in conversation, Dad. Sorry," Luna replied with a sweet smile.

Her father laughed softly. "It's okay, dear. As long as you're happy," he replied. Luna's father was a public bus driver, but he was once a noble's son who chose Luna's mother over his family and wealth.

...

Unknowingly, tears had begun to fall down Luna's cheeks as she remembered the happy times with her family. Her sobs turned into quiet weeping. Suddenly, her phone rang. Luna quickly wiped her tears and went into her room to pick up her phone lying on the bed. When she read the new message, her brow furrowed.

... +33147xxxxxxxx "Don't cry, my dear Luna; your tears would be wasted. Save your tears for tomorrow; you'll cry tears of joy." ...

Luna scanned the balcony, looking for someone around, but only saw passing cars on the street. She reread the message, feeling no inclination to respond. Then, she saw a mysterious figure across the street wearing a black hoodie, pants, mask, and glasses. The man's face and body faced her, and their gazes met momentarily. Moments later, her phone rang again with a message from the same number.

... +33147xxxxxxxx "My dear Luna, I know you're looking at me right now, and you've read my message. Why won't you reply, darling?" ...

Luna looked back toward the mysterious figure, but he was gone. Fear crept into her, and she quickly entered her room, locking the balcony door with a racing heartbeat. She walked toward her bed and lay down. A sense of fear and dizziness suddenly engulfed her.

Her phone rang again, this time showing an incoming call from Zachary. A small smile of relief formed on her lips, and she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Zach, what's up?" Luna asked first. "Hey, Luna. Am I disturbing you by calling this late?" Zachary replied. "No, Zach. I'm actually glad to have someone with me at this hour."

"Should I come to your apartment now? To keep you company?" Zachary offered, though his tone sounded ambiguous to Luna. "No need, Zach! It's already very late."

"All right. Oh, Luna, I've got to go. Mom is calling me. Bye, good night," he said, hanging up before Luna could reply. Luna lay back down, trying to close her eyes, though fear still lingered in her mind.

A man was sitting on the sofa in his study, sipping the wine in his hand. He kept staring at a photo of a girl he'd received from his subordinate. The smile on his lips never faded, and his thumb kept caressing the girl's photo.

A firm knock on the door broke the silence in the room. "Come in!" the man said without taking his eyes off the girl's photo. His subordinate, older than him, entered. The man was Darius, still focused on the girl's picture, unwilling to look away. "What is it?" he asked coldly and sharply, disturbed by this interruption. When his subordinate remained silent, Darius's face changed, his piercing gaze threatening as he growled in anger. "Speak, or why did you interrupt me?" Darius hissed, his anger rising. "If you keep quiet, I'll shoot you before you can say a word!" he snapped.

Raco, his subordinate, swallowed hard, shocked and stammering. "S-sir... it's... it's Mr. Edeve..."

Darius quickly drew his gun and fired toward an antique vase near Raco. The shards shattered, hitting the floor with a sharp sound, making Raco even paler. "Speak quickly! I dislike people who waste my time," Darius thundered. "Sir... Mr. Edeve has cheated us," Raco said hesitantly, bowing his head under his boss's cold stare. "He gave us counterfeit money for the transaction."

Edeve Biancaro, Darius thought, the infamous American mafia known for his cunning. But no matter how sly, he was no match for Darius's sharpness.

Darius's face reddened, and his jaw tightened. "That scoundrel-what did he buy?" he asked, his fury evident. "A hundred Glock 20 pistols and fifty Colt 1911 pistols," replied Raco. Darius snarled, realizing that the items bought were the latest products from his weapons line.

The Glock 20 was lightweight, slim, and deadly. It was made from high-quality materials and could reduce recoil. The Glock 20 held 15 rounds of 10mm caliber and could fire bullets at 1,600 feet per second. On the other hand, the Colt 1911 held seven bullets, each firing at 1,225 feet per second.

Darius stood up and took a harsh gulp of his wine, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat. The flames of his anger masked the heat. Darius felt wronged, losing $1.5 billion, and ordered Raco to capture Edeve, that deceitful scoundrel, by any means necessary. "Have all our men surround Edeve and his group. I'm going to see my girl. When I return, everything should be in place," Darius commanded coldly, then strode out of the room.

That night, Darius planned to see his girl, Luna, disguised as a mysterious figure. Standing in front of the mirror, he put on black pants, a black hoodie, and a black mask and finished his look with a pair of black sunglasses.

Darius exited his room and quickly descended the stairs. "Hey, thief!" One of his men's shouts made him stop. The man didn't recognize his boss. Fool, Darius thought, smirking behind his mask. He turned slowly, looking at the man who had shouted at him. Darius pulled down his mask slightly, just enough to reveal his face without wearing his sunglasses. "Sir...?" the man mumbled nervously, realizing his mistake of calling his boss a thief.

Without a word, Darius pulled his mask back up. He turned away, leaving his subordinate frozen, feeling foolish and anxious for shouting at his boss.

Darius walked toward his black Lamborghini parked outside his mansion's door. He drove off at high speed. Darius arrived outside his girl's apartment. He looked up at her room, the light still on. He smiled, seeing Luna with her eyes closed, enjoying the night breeze on her cute, beautiful face. Soon after, she began to cry, and Darius felt a pang in his heart-even though he wasn't the one who made her cry, his heart felt as if it was already one with hers. Darius pulled out his phone and started sending her a message. He could see Luna looking confused and afraid as if searching for whoever had sent her the message. Darius chuckled softly, finding Luna's confused expression endearing.

Darius was a bit surprised when Luna managed to spot him. She gazed intensely at him, so he sent another message to divert her attention. It worked; she focused back on the message, allowing him to slip away unseen, though he could still see her. He watched as Luna hurriedly went inside her room. After that, Darius didn't know what she was doing in her room.

Darius picked up his phone and made a call. "Keep an eye on my girl while I'm away. I'll be in America for three days to corner that scoundrel Edeve," he ordered, then ended the call without waiting for a response. "See you, my honey," Darius murmured, looking at Luna's closed balcony door.

...

Darius was now dressed in his mafia attire. Without waiting until morning, he was leaving for America that very night. He couldn't wait to crush Edeve's head for deceiving him. Darius walked to his balcony as the sound of his helicopter grew near. He looked up and saw three of his helicopters approaching. Two were for his men, and one larger one was for him and his pilot.

The helicopter he would board descended to align with his balcony. Darius jumped into it, buckling his seatbelt and putting on his microphone.

After a six-hour flight from Italy to America, Darius wasted no time. Darius had no rest when he was furious. At this moment, his and his men's helicopters were hovering above Edeve's mansion.

Darius descended via a long ladder to Edeve's balcony. He peeked through the glass door of Edeve's room. Edeve was sleeping with his wife and five-year-old son. Darius smirked. Edeve, lying with his family, didn't look like a mafia figure.

Darius shot the glass door, waking Edeve, and his startled wife. "Who are you?" Edeve yelled, his voice filled with panic. Darius only stared back with an intimidating, cold smile. His black hat partially covered his face, leaving only his sharp, hate-filled gray eyes visible. "Who are you?" his voice echoed with anger mixed with fear.

"Hello, Mr. Edeve Biancaro, pleased to meet you," Darius said, lifting his head with a sneer. "Darius... Darius... Darius Vallerio?" Edeve stammered, his face turning pale.

"Yes, I'm Darius Vallerio, the Italian mafia you tried to cheat with counterfeit money in our transaction," Darius replied sharply. "How have you been, Mr. Edeve?" he asked, sitting casually on Edeve's sofa and lighting a cigarette. "What do you want from me coming here?" Edeve shouted, his voice rising as he tried to mask his fear.

"Of course, I'm here to crush your skull because it's your head that thought of cheating me," Darius replied calmly, exhaling smoke from his mouth.

Edeve's wife tried to leave the room, carrying her child, but her steps stopped abruptly as the sound of a gunshot echoed in the room. "If you take one more step out of here, I'll shoot your son in the head," Darius said coldly, staring with a furious expression. He grinned, his smile reflecting the cruelty of his intentions behind his face. "Let's begin the game," Darius said in a low voice, the devilish smile lingering on his lips. ....