"Oh my god! Why are you in this state, Diego?" Marcella’s voice was a sharp intake of breath that pierced the otherwise quiet living room.
She surged to her feet the instant her son stumbled through the doorway, her gaze instantly locking onto his badly bruised face. She then rushed to his side, her features a mask of pure concern.
Adam had just finalized the will on the phone. His brow immediately furrowed into a deep frown. "Call the doctor," he instructed the impassive butler with a curt, urgent nod before pushing himself up from the couch.
Diego, looking utterly defeated, made a beeline for the nearest couch and practically slumped onto it.
"Who did this to you?" Marcella demanded, kneeling beside him, her eyes already glistening and turning watery with distress.
Diego took a ragged breath.
"Luca," he finally managed. "He called me to his company to hand over the report... I saw Sara there. We were just talking when... she threw a slap at me." He closed his eyes briefly, reliving the humiliation.
"Then, Luca started beating me. He threatened me, Dad. Today... today is such a monumentally important event for you and this family, and they both chose to do this to me."
Adam’s intense gaze didn’t waver, fixing his son with a scrutiny. "What, exactly, did you say to Sara that provoked her to slap you?" he asked, his tone devoid of sympathy, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Can’t you see what they both did to my son? Why are you questioning him?" Marcella’s voice was a shriek as she finally turned her fury on Adam. "Ask your daughter! She is the reason behind these injuries! I will call the police and register a complaint against them."
Adam ignored his wife’s threat. He held his phone tightly and immediately called Luca. The call rang out, unanswered. He redialed, only for the attempt to fail, the line didn’t connect this time.
"Take Diego upstairs to his room," Adam instructed his wife. "The doctor must be on his way."
Marcella, though bristling with anger, reluctantly helped her exhausted son to his feet, and the two left the living room shortly after.
Adam tried calling Luca a third time, but the call still couldn’t connect. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Not wanting to speak to her but left with no other choice, he reluctantly called Sara.
A few rings later, Sara answered.
"Dad," Sara whispered softly from the other side. "Good afternoon," she then offered her greetings.
"Why did your husband beat my son? What exactly is going on?" Adam sounded harsh.
"Diego said I was like my mother, who betrayed her family, then seduced men," Sara replied. She didn’t hesitate, allowing the brutal words to paint a clear picture of the man Diego truly was. "I slapped him. Then, he raised his hand at me." Her voice hardened slightly as she finished the account. "But before Diego could hit me, Luca saw it and threw a punch at him."
The truth contorted Adam’s face. He slowly lowered the phone from his ear. He stared blankly at the screen before pressing the button to hang up.
Meanwhile, Sara remained standing by the expansive glass wall of the tall office building, staring blankly at the screen of her phone.
She was hurt by her father’s silence. He had called. He had spoken to her. But he hadn’t asked the one simple question a concerned parent should: ’Are you doing well?’
Just a few days ago, in anger, she had blocked everyone in her family, except her grandmother. But later, a small, hopeful part of her relented, leading her to unblock her father’s number, foolishly thinking he might reach out.
And he had. Not for her, not to check on her safety, but to furiously demand to know why Diego was injured.
She blinked back, reaching up to quickly wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, which were threatening to spill over. Straightening her spine, she lifted her chin, forcing her head to be held straight in a stubborn show of composure.
"Sara, are you alright?" Fabio’s voice was warm as it came from directly behind her.
"Yes," Sara replied. She quickly pasted a fake smile on her face as she turned to meet his gaze.
Fabio didn’t quite look convinced, but he moved on to business. "You should go to the office. Ryan has been called," he explained with seriousness. "It’s related to the financial report he approved, the one prepared by Diego."
"Hmm," she hummed in acknowledgement. She started to walk past him when Fabio’s voice stopped her again.
"Listen, the Boss is kind of protective of you," he explained, lowering his voice slightly. "So, don’t be upset with him. Even for me, it’s hard to understand him sometimes."
"Does he beat everyone like this?" she asked.
"No. It’s the first time he’s ever lost his temper," Fabio replied, looking serious. He then adopted a softer, almost hopeful tone. "Honestly, you two should try to get to know each other. I heard you two were friends from the past."
"Did Luca tell you that?" Sara turned to him, her curious gaze searching his face.
"Boss doesn’t tell me anything about his life," Fabio answered quickly. "I heard it from Remo. I know him because Remo is the one who handles the outside jobs for the Boss."
"Give me his number," she requested without hesitation. "I don’t want to ask Luca."
Fabio simply nodded, understanding the need for discretion. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent the contact information for Remo. "There, I sent it."
"Thank you." Sara offered him a small smile before she finally turned and walked away.
Entering Luca’s office, she saw Ryan was standing while her husband was behind the desk.
"Here comes your previous CEO," said Luca, looking at Sara and rose to his feet.
Ryan gazed at Sara and greeted her out of respect.
"I find a serious issue in this report. Ryan says he doesn’t know anything about it," Luca began, turning to Sara.
"What is it?" Sara asked.
"There is off-balance sheet transactions done in the last three months. Ryan, being a manager in the company, has failed to account for it. He claims you have authorised these shadow entities and you’ve your signature on one such document."
"I would never do that," Sara argued.
"You did, Sara," Ryan replied with a positive tone.