Diego, silent with humiliation, finally turned and walked away.
Luca watched him go, then immediately turned his attention to his wife. His concern etched onto his face, he asked, "What happened at your home?"
"Can we talk in your office? Just you and me," Sara urged, her voice low and tight with strain.
"Of course," Luca agreed instantly. He gave a sharp, discreet nod to Fabio, who immediately understood the signal, bowed slightly, and retreated. Luca then guided Sara with a gentle hand on her back, leading her away toward the privacy of his executive office.
Luca poured a glass of water for Sara and placed it on the desk before her.
"Thank you," Sara murmured. She took a few sips of water before setting the glass down. Luca leaned against the edge of the desk.
"Diego was just begging me for forgiveness," Luca said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But he said something strange about you, that you wouldn’t be blamed for ’ruining the family.’ What was that about?"
"Dad wanted me to keep a ’big heart,’ act like an elder sister, and forgive Diego," Sara explained, her voice hardening with resentment. "He said if I didn’t do it, I would have to shoulder the blame. He believes if it wasn’t for my ’negligence,’ none of this would have happened."
"That’s completely ridiculous," Luca scoffed. "Your father was basically trapping you emotionally."
"He thinks he owns me because he took me into the house after Mom left," Sara continued, a deep bitterness surfacing. "I was always at my father’s mercy. He paid close attention to everything in the house, including how I never truly embraced his second wife and her kids as my family. But he failed to see the constant torture I underwent. My stepmother wasn’t a kind lady. She did everything she could to make me run away."
She paused, taking a shaky breath. "But it’s also true the Falcone name is what helped me achieve this level of success. And I want to repay my father for that, for the last time."
She lifted her head to meet Luca’s gaze.
"Don’t fall for your father’s manipulation," Luca cautioned.
"No, Luca. If I don’t repay him now, Dad will have every reason to hold this over me every single day," Sara countered. "I know him better than anyone. It’s true that, in the past, I feared being abandoned by him. But now," she paused, meeting his gaze directly, "I simply don’t care."
"Shouldn’t you say you have me? Why won’t you lean on me?" Luca questioned gently.
"I do have you. That’s precisely why I want you to not send Diego to prison," Sara stated plainly.
"That’s not right, Sara. He deserves the consequences," Luca argued.
"I don’t want to owe my father anything. Please understand me," Sara pleaded, finally rising to her feet. "This is the absolute last thing I want to do for my father, because after this, he will only be a stranger to me."
Luca slowly tapped his fingers on the desk, his eyes locked on Sara.
"I will make sure Diego learns his lesson well this time. I’ll do what you want me to do," Luca finally conceded. "But promise me, this will be the last favor you ever grant them. And also promise me, you won’t interfere with what I do to them." He raised his pinky finger. "Remember you taught me to make promises like this when we were in middle school."
Sara didn’t hesitate for a moment. She walked around the desk and joined her pinky finger with his. "I promise."
Luca smirked, a dark amusement flashing in his eyes, as if he had already finalized the devastating plan he would unleash upon Adam, his wife and the Falcone step-siblings.
As he pulled back his hand from the pinky promise, Sara suddenly embraced him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist and her face resting against his chest, momentarily flustering him.
His initial surprise melted away, and his hands moved to her lower back, moving gently over it as he returned the hug. She didn’t let him go for longer than he expected.
"If you keep hugging me like this," Luca whispered in a teasing tone, "I’ll take this somewhere more private."
Immediately, Sara pulled away, her cheeks flushing slightly, which made him chuckle in amusement.
"I have to go," she said quickly.
"Where?" Luca asked, stepping closer. "Shouldn’t you come with me to your company? The meeting will start this afternoon where I’ll be addressing Diego."
"No. I have to be somewhere else for some work. Don’t ask where because I won’t tell you," Sara stated firmly, though a genuine trust shone in her eyes. "Besides, I trust your decision."
"Fine. But let’s meet up for lunch," Luca stated, unwilling to let her disappear completely.
"Hmm," Sara agreed simply, a small smile playing on her lips. She gave him one last meaningful look and then swiftly left the office
Luca smiled, a calculated look in his eyes, as he returned to his chair. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he swiftly messaged his trusted subordinate, Eriq Ivanov, before settling back into the chair.
Meanwhile, Sara drove to the refined restaurant where she was scheduled to meet Luca’s mother, Vinni De Augustino.
She arrived significantly early, seeking a few moments of solitude. Ordering only a strong coffee to relieve her stress, she sank into a quiet booth. She needed the time to contemplate her drastic choices and how she would truly move forward now that she had severed ties with the Falcone name. She remained immersed in her thoughts until a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"How long have you been here?"
Vinni’s familiar voice pulled her abruptly out of her contemplation. Sara quickly rose from her seat.
"Good afternoon, Mother," Sara greeted her, offering a genuine smile.
Vinni gave a nod and sat down on the chair. The waiter was quick to clean the table and leave two menus behind. Sara took her seat as well.
"What would you like to eat?" Vinni asked.
"Anything Mother wants to," Sara answered.
Vinni hummed and gave out the order. The waiter bowed, taking the menus away.
"Did you ever love my son?" Vinni asked.