Chapter 3 Edeve Biancaro

In a dimly lit room with minimal lighting and accompanied by the haunting sound of a painful scream, two middle-aged people sat in worn-out chairs, their hands and feet bound. Anyone who saw them would feel pity at the sight of the couple, now covered in bruises and cuts.

The two were Edeve Biancaro, an American mafia boss, and his wife, Yatty Biancaro. Their faces were bruised and slashed. Darius sat before them as usual, sipping champagne from Edeve's refrigerator. It was not Darius who had tortured them; instead, he had left that to his subordinates.

"Gaston!" Darius called out, his voice echoing through the room. This time, he wanted to torment Edeve and his wife in the basement of Edeve's mansion. "Yes, sir?" Gaston replied respectfully.

"Take all of Edeve's money from the safe and the pistols from our production line that he stole," Darius said coldly. "Hey! I didn't steal your guns, you fool!" Edeve snapped angrily.

"Fine, the guns you bought with counterfeit money, Edeve Biancaro," Darius retorted, his gaze sharp as he looked at Edeve. Suddenly, a young child's voice called out from outside, "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" Darius sneered wickedly. "Oh-ho... seems your son is awake. Should I bring him here, perhaps?"

"Please, don't hurt my son! He's only a child," Yatty pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Ssh, don't cry, my wife. What if Edran hears?" Edeve whispered, referring to their son, Edran Biancaro. "Let Edran hear. This is all your fault for buying guns with fake money! If only you hadn't done that, neither Edran nor I would be in this danger," Yatty snapped angrily.

"Yat-" "What, don't you have enough money to buy real guns? You're so selfish, Ed. I regret not being able to stop you sooner!" she continued, cutting him off.

"What?" Darius asked coldly. "Repeat your last words." "I regret not being able to stop him," Yatty replied, her voice trembling. "What do you mean?" Darius asked, still with a cold gaze. Slowly, Yatty's story began to flow, her words heavy with emotion... . . . Yatty entered the mansion, holding her young son's hand in her right hand while carrying a shopping bag in her left. Once inside, she gently seated Edran on the sofa in the family room, smiling softly as she looked at her innocent son.

"Mom, where's Edran's toy?" Edran asked, his eyes sparkling with hope. Even though he was very young, Edran could pronounce his "R" sounds clearly, which made Yatty proud.

"Yes, which one would you like to play with first?" she replied, smiling gently. "The remote-control car, Mom," Edran said, wiping his nose.

"Alright," Yatty murmured, handing him the toy shopping bag. "Play nicely, okay, sweetie? Mom's going to get a drink in the kitchen." She gently patted the top of Edran's head before leaving. As Yatty walked towards the kitchen, she encountered Damian, one of her husband's bodyguards, who stood guard with a vigilant expression.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Damian greeted her politely. "Good afternoon, Damian," Yatty replied warmly. After a brief pause, she asked, "Where is Edeve?" "The boss is making a payment with Mr. Darius' men," Damian replied, looking hesitant.

Yatty suddenly stopped, her hand still reaching for the orange juice in the fridge. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Damian. "Is Edeve cheating this time?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. Damian swallowed nervously, his face showing reluctance. "N-no, ma'am," he stammered. "Don't lie to me, Damian," Yatty said, her tone calm but her heart beating with worry that her husband might be deceiving Mr. Darius.

Finally, Damian took a deep breath. "Yes, ma'am. Mr. Edeve made the payment using counterfeit money," he confessed. Yatty's eyes widened in shock. "How foolish! Why didn't anyone stop his reckless act? You know that Mr. Darius is a ruthless mafia boss!" she yelled, her voice rising in panic. She rubbed her face roughly, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear.

"Damian, take me to the airport," Yatty said, her face pale. "No, ma'am. It-it's not safe," Damian tried to persuade her.

"What do you mean? My husband could be in big trouble!" Yatty snapped, unable to contain her mixed feelings of anger and anxiety. Yatty walked past Damian, ignoring his objections. "Fine. If you all refuse to take me, I'll go alone!" she declared firmly.

Damian quickly stepped in front of her. "Alright, ma'am. I'll take you," he relented, feeling responsible for the safety of his boss's family. "Kasa!" Yatty called out to the head maid, who quickly came running. "Yes, ma'am?" Kasa responded immediately.

"Watch over Edran. I need to go to the airport," Yatty said urgently before hurrying out of the mansion. As she passed through the family room, Edran looked up, "Mommy, where are you going?"

"Mommy has something to take care of for a bit. You play with Kasa, okay?" Yatty answered, forcing a smile before she rushed out. Edran nodded, although his face showed a hint of confusion. Damian sat in the driver's seat in the car parked in front of the mansion. During the journey, Yatty repeatedly tried to call Edeve, but his line was busy, and her anxiety grew.

"Damian, please, go faster," Yatty urged, her face tense. Finally, they reached the airport. Yatty hurriedly entered and asked about her husband's private jet's departure time. Her hope was crushed-the plane had taken off sixteen minutes earlier, and the next flight to Italy wouldn't be available for another six hours. Yatty could only pray that Darius, the brutal mafia, would somehow forgive her husband for his terrible mistake. . . . Two Days Later

Edeve entered the mansion, having just returned from Italy after deceiving Darius. "Edeve!" Yatty called out sharply. "Yes?" Edeve answered casually, wrapping his arm around her as if nothing had happened.

"Edeve, did you really deceive Mr. Darius?" Yatty asked, her tone laced with bitterness and disappointment. Edeve chuckled lightly. "Yes, so what?" he replied as if his actions had no consequence.

"Do you realize that Mr. Darius is a ruthless mafia boss? I don't want our family to be threatened because of your stupidity! This is all on you, and you'll be the one to bear the consequences!" With that, Yatty turned and walked away, leaving Edeve silent. She ignored his calls as she went. Back in the present, Yatty looked at Darius resignedly, tears streaming down her face.

"A month ago, we planned to escape and hide in a remote town in Sulawesi, Indonesia. We lived there for nearly three weeks, feeling safe. But when we finally felt secure, we returned to America, only to realize today that luck had abandoned our little family. Our lives are in danger," Yatty said, sobbing.

"Gion, release Yatty," Darius commanded, causing Yatty to look at him in disbelief. Gion quickly unfastened the chains on Yatty's hands and feet and began tending to her bruises and cuts.

"You and your son may go. But your wretched husband-I won't let him walk free," Darius sneered, his gaze piercing as he looked at Edeve. "Thank you, sir," Yatty replied softly, though deep down, her heart was still full of love and worry for her husband.

"Yatty, how could you leave me?" Edeve looked at her, full of regret.

Yatty glared at him coldly. "You didn't hesitate to put Edran and me in danger. You only cared about your own pleasures, never thinking about our safety. And for what? I married you not for love, but for Edran. You stole my dignity and planted your seed in me, and for Edran's sake, I accepted this, so he could have a father," she said, her voice full of anger. Edeve hung his head, realizing the magnitude of his mistakes.

If only he hadn't deceived Darius. If only he hadn't been so reckless. If he had loved Yatty the right way, perhaps none of this would have happened. But time only moves forward and can never be rewound, not even by a second.

"I'm sorry, I truly am. I was wrong, selfish. Go, take care of Edran. Find someone who truly loves you. Darius, kill me now. I am ready to face my end," Edeve said firmly, looking Darius in the eyes. "Ed-"

BANG! A gunshot echoed through the room. "EDEVE!!" Yatty screamed in horror, seeing her husband slumped lifelessly, a bullet wound in his head. "Ed... sob... sob..." Yatty shook Edeve's lifeless body, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

"Thank you for freeing Edran and me," Yatty said as she began to walk out of the basement. Her steps faltered when Darius's voice, full of menace, stopped her.

"Dare report this to the police, and you and your son will die before I ever see a prison cell," Darius hissed, his gaze sharp with threat. Yatty simply shook her head without looking back at Darius and continued her steps out of the basement. She saw her son Edran happily munching on a snack while watching TV in the living room. Edran ran up to her and hugged her legs.

"Mom, where were you? I've been calling for you!" Edran said, looking up at her pale face. "Mom... um, Mom..." Yatty hesitated. Should she tell her son the bitter truth that a ruthless mafia had murdered his father? No, Edran was too young to know all of this.

Kneeling to his level, Yatty looked into Edran's innocent face and stroked his chubby cheeks. "No, darling, Mommy is fine," she said, smiling before kissing his cheek. "Can I believe you, Mom?"

"Why not?" "There's a lot of blood on your clothes, Mom. Whose blood is it?" Edran asked innocently.

"It's... it's Daddy's," Yatty started to say, but her words were interrupted as Darius suddenly appeared, his hands in his pockets. "It's your father's blood," Darius said coldly.

Edran's eyes began to fill with tears. "Daddy's blood? What happened to Daddy? Is he hurt, Mom?" he asked, his voice quivering.

"Your Daddy-" "Your Daddy is dead," Darius interrupted once again. Tears began to stream down Edran's cheeks. What child wouldn't cry upon hearing that their father had been killed?

"No! Mom, this man is lying, isn't he? Daddy promised he'd buy me a PlayStation!" Edran screamed, sobbing harder. "Shhh, calm down, darling," Yatty said, holding him close. It wasn't only Edran who felt the loss-she did, too. Edran pulled away and ran off despite Yatty's calls.

"Why did you tell him all that?" Yatty asked bitterly. "The sooner, the better," Darius replied calmly.

Suddenly, Edran reappeared with a kitchen knife, and Yatty was shocked by what he did next. Edran ran the blade over his delicate hand, drawing blood. "EDRAN! What are you doing?!" Yatty shrieked, rushing to grab his bleeding hand.

Edran struggled, but Yatty held him tightly. "Let go of me, Mom! Let go! I want to be with Daddy!" he shouted. Yatty continued to hold him close, trying to soothe him. "Sweetheart, now that Daddy is gone, are you going to leave Mommy all alone too?" Edran finally looked up at his mother. "No, Mom. I will protect you. I'll be Daddy for you," he hugged Yatty tightly.

"Would you really let Mommy live alone, without Daddy and without you?" Yatty added, her voice soft. Edran shook his head, cupping her face. "No, Mom. Edran will never leave you alone. Edran will take Daddy's place to look after you," he replied, hugging Yatty as tightly as he could.

"Good boy," Yatty whispered, kissing Edran's head. Darius watched the entire scene between Edeve's son and wife. He smirked as he saw Edran cut himself with the knife, sensing that Edeve had passed down some of his traits to his son.

"Gaston!" Darius called out, his voice firm. Gaston came in, bowing respectfully. "Yes, sir?" Gaston asked. "Prepare the helicopter. We're heading back to Italy now," Darius said, striding away, leaving Yatty and Edran frozen.

Gaston started directing the other men to prepare for departure. He was confused; his boss had said they would stay in America for three days, but Darius was already calling them back after less than a day. Gaston thought Darius might want to explore this free country for a while, but he had guessed wrong. Darius was still Darius-a man who didn't care for sightseeing, considering it a waste of his valuable time.

Darius was already in the helicopter. Slowly, it began to rise, lifting away from Edeve's mansion. Darius couldn't help but reflect, thinking about all the times he had been cheated with fake money transactions. As he stared at the dark clouds in the night sky, Luna's beautiful face suddenly flashed across his mind. Gradually, he smiled.

"You mischievous girl, how dare you invade my thoughts," he murmured, smiling. Elsewhere, Luna was watching television with a bowl of potato chips on her lap. She felt a deep, trembling unease as she watched the news report about a gruesome murder-committed by Darius.

"A victim was found dead in his own mansion. It's suspected that the victim was a mafia member who was also a police fugitive. Although he was a wanted man, the police are still investigating this murder..." "Following the autopsy, it was revealed that the mafia figure died with three bullets lodged in his skull and numerous slash wounds all over his body. Police are continuing the investigation, as the killer left almost no trace," the reporter stated.

Luna let out a frustrated sigh. Just two days ago, there had been another murder-also of a mafia member.

'Could the killer be another mafia member?' she wondered, biting her nails absentmindedly.

"Ahhh, why do mafias always seem to kill? I'm so traumatized by them. Because of a mafia, I ended up all alone in the world," she murmured sadly. Luna was genuinely terrified of mafias-deeply traumatized.

"Oh God, please let my soulmate not be a mafia or anyone tied to one," she whispered, looking up as if pleading with God. "May I never cross paths with another mafia again." ....