Chapter 5 Where the fuck do you think you are going?

Marco PoV

I left the office headed directly for Luca's room. The guards outside the room snapped to attention as I approached.The presence of these guards wasn't strictly necessary, every corner of this place is heavily secured—but given recent events, I couldn't afford to take any chances.

I gave them a curt nod and pushed the door open quietly.

Luca lay pale and still against the white sheets, His chest rose and fell with the shallow, rhythmic beat of life. Rose was there, sitting rigidly on the ottoman pulled close to the bedside. Even in the dim light cast by the bedside lamp, I could see the lines of exhaustion and worry carved deep around her eyes, though her composure was, as always, disturbingly perfect.

"How long has he been like this?" I asked Rose, my voice low. Rose didn't flinch or look at me. Her eyes remained fixed on Luca. "He's been this stable for approximately forty-five minutes, Marco. No change in the temperature. No bleeding through the dressings since the doctor finished. Still, I agree with the doctor: he requires a thorough check-up to assess the full extent of the damage"

I ran a hand over the surgical drape covering the wound site, not touching him, just confirming the boundaries of the threat. "She saved his life." I murmured, my voice barely audible.

"She did," Rose confirmed, her voice barely a whisper. She finally looked up at me,the relief instantly replaced by a cold, hard focus "We don't know her at all, Marco. See to it that she doesn't become a liability to us"

I straightened up." I am waiting for Dr Thomas to arrive so that she can update him of his condition then she's gone." I muttered. Dr Thomas will be here in 10 minutes.

"Get some rest, Rose," I instructed, though I knew she wouldn't leave. "I need you focused when Luca wakes up."

I turned, leaving the room as silently as I entered. It was time to deal with the person responsible for the ambush. It was an attack on my entire structure, and that could not stand.

I was closing the door when I saw them, stepping out of the guest room, accompanied by Alex who shut the door with a precise, silent finality, was Emily. She was no longer in the crumpled, revealing dress, but in the soft, sweatpants and T-shirt. She looked exhausted, but the raw terror had been replaced by a harsh determination.

I gave a curt nod to Alex and walked away, heading to my room. The smell of blood, gunpowder, and fear still clinged to me.

Before I even made it back to my room, my phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen: Tom.

I answered immediately, my voice low and dangerous. "Report."

"Marco, we got the last two," Tom's voice was tight but efficient. "They ran further than the first one, but we bagged them. They're on the way to the warehouse now. They should be conscious enough for questioning in about twenty minutes."

Good," I grit out, stopping dead in the hallway. I want answers," I commanded. "I want to know who orchestrated the entire thing—And I want to know what they wanted, Money? Territory? A message?"

"Understood, Marco," Tom confirmed instantly. "We'll have the warehouse ready. You'll get your name."

I hung up, the phone feeling cold and useless in my hand. The waiting was the hard part. I needed that information to dictate my next move: eliminate the threat, or initiate a full-scale war.

I stepped into my room and headed straight for the shower. Though I usually prefer the slow ritual of a bath, today was different—I had only minutes to get ready. I stripped off my clothes and got into the shower, turning the water to maximum heat, seeking a quick, brutal cleansing to clean away the events of the day.

The sharp, urgent knock came just as I was drying off, a sudden sound that cut through the steam and the silence of my room.Before I could say anything —or even reach for the towel—a second, more forceful knock followed, and the door was opened.

Emily Pov

I burst into Luca's room—Rose was gone. My focus snapped to the bedside. I immediately launched into a rapid assessment: manually checking the pulse, scanning the color, and noting the rise and fall of his chest.

I was intensely aware of Alex just inches away. Just like Marco, I felt his presence like a block of ice.I thought about how Marco never once offered a direct glance.

Just as I was checking the vitals, He signaled that he was leaving and slipped out the door. His absence was brief. I caught the sound of him muttering something low and hurried just before he quickly returned, already moving toward the door again. "Go to the room at the corner of the hallway on your left and tell Marco that Dr. Thomas has arrived," he instructed, his eyes meeting mine only for a second. "I'm going to receive him downstairs."

I nodded sharply and immediately turned toward the door to follow Alex's instructions. I headed out and turned left, searching for the room at the end of the hallway.

I found the corner room. I knocked, my heart pounding from the sudden fear, but there was no answer. I knocked again, then, unwilling to waste another second,my hand already reaching for the knob to check if I was simply in the wrong place. I pushed the door open slowly, peeking inside.

The moment I opened the door, I was met by Marco, stepping out of the bathroom—completely, impossibly naked. I stumbled backward, my breath catching as my shoulder hit the wall beside the door frame. I wished desperately the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

I stumbled , my hand found the doorknob, a desperate reflex to shut the sight away. But before i could turn it,  his voice cut through the air, sharp and rough. “Where the fuck do you think you are going?”