Thelma hesitated before she knocked on the door. She had been calling her boss's line, but he refused to pick up. She had no other choice but to come here herself. She took a deep breath and knocked again, but it was the same—no reply. Was Luca alright? She was about to alert security when his voice asked, "Who's that?"
"It's Thelma, boss."
"What is it?"
"Miss Armani is here to see you."
He hesitated before he said, "Bring her in."
"Yes, sir." Thelma hurriedly left to get Gianna while Luca stood up from his desk and sat on the couch.
Seconds later, Gianna walked in, elegantly dressed as always. "Hey, what's up? I've been calling your phone since."
Luca sighed. "It's probably on silent mode. I just wanted a moment's rest."
"Are you alright?" She sat across from him, crossing her legs. "You don't look so bright."
"When have I ever been bright, G?" Luca muttered, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Gianna leaned forward, her expression serious. "I hope that bitch isn't bothering you? Listen, Luca, why don't you just get rid of her for good?"
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "We've already spoken about that, G. I'm not letting her off easily. I want it to be slow and painful."
He had actually thought about ending Sophia once and for all, but he couldn't bring himself to do it—it was too easy. All the pain, shame, and heartbreak he felt and was still feeling, he just couldn't do it.
"Any news about Lucia?" Gianna asked, shifting the topic.
"Same ol'," Luca replied, resting his back on the couch with a sharp sigh.
"Luca... are you sure...?" Gianna hesitated when she saw the death glare he sent her. "Nevermind." She was about to tell him that maybe they were just chasing shadows... maybe his little sister was long dead.
"Why are you here today? I thought you had a shoot or something."
"It has been moved. But I came here to ask if you'll be able to go to the movie premiere with me."
Luca's eyes softened a bit, though his face remained hard. "When is it?"
"Tomorrow night. I thought you could use a distraction," she said, giving him a hopeful smile.
Luca sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, I'll go. But don't expect me to be in a good mood."
Gianna's smile widened. "That's all I ask. Just show up and let me handle the rest."
A knock sounded, and Diego announced his name. Luca immediately invited him in.
"Boss," Diego said, kneeling down and bowing in greeting.
"Any news, Diego?" Luca asked, his voice sharp.
"Yes, sir. It's actually from Greg."
"Greg?" Luca frowned. "What does he fucking want?"
"He said he had something urgent to discuss with you."
"Tell him to fuck himself."
"He said it had something to do with Sophia DeLuca," Diego added.
Luca's eyes widened slightly. Had Greg found out about Sophia? "Tell him I'll send him the location."
"Yes, sir," Diego nodded and then left to deliver the message.
"What do you think he wants to say?" Gianna wondered aloud.
"Maybe he's realized Sophia was the one he got into a confrontation with a few days ago."
"Wow, what the fuck are you going to do now?"
Luca ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. "I'll handle it. Greg's a wildcard, but he's not stupid. If he knows something, we need to be prepared."
Gianna nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Just be careful, Luca. This could get messy."
"It already is," Luca muttered. He couldn't afford any more surprises, especially not when it came to Sophia.
Meanwhile, Diego arrived at Greg's office and stopped in front of the entrance where Ken was waiting.
"Where's your boss?" Diego asked, his voice steady.
Ken scoffed, crossing his arms. "You can talk to me instead."
"You seem to have forgotten the beating I gave your men the last time. Maybe you want a taste of it," Diego said coldly, making Ken nervous.
"He's not around, so just fucking tell me," Ken muttered with a glare.
"Tell him my boss will contact him and give him the location where they'll meet."
Ken laughed. "Why does he have to be the one to determine that?"
Diego didn't reply and turned to leave, but Ken stopped him. "About that money-hungry bitch, Meg...how do you know her?"
Diego didn't reply and kept walking, which infuriated Ken. "Hey, I'm talking to you, you fucking—" he trailed off when Diego turned a dark look at him.
"I was just joking, okay...no need to be angry."
Diego decided to just leave him. He thought Ken was a joke. But his question about Meg rang in his head. He hadn't seen her since that party; she even resigned from working at that restaurant. Maybe she took his advice and kept away from trouble.
He was about to open his car when he heard a little whistle sound. He turned around but didn't see anything. He reached for the door but froze when he heard the sound again.
"Hey, red hair, over here," Meg called from behind a tree, a bright smile on her face.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Diego was stunned and amused that she'd even dare be near Scorpion gang territory.
"I needed to speak to you." She slowly came out from hiding, eyes scanning the area cautiously.
"Wait, how did you know I was here?"
"I saw you when you walked out of the restaurant and followed you," she chuckled awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not a fucking stalker."
"Could have fooled me." Diego scoffed. "You had better get the fuck out of here before Ken and the rest see you."
"Don't worry about that. Let's get out of here." Meg strode over to the car and opened the door.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Diego didn't look pleased. He never invited her to enter his car. She ignored him and sat down on the passenger seat.
"Come on, please. I don't want them to see me here." Meg gave her best puppy dog eyes, which made Diego roll his eyes.
He got inside the car nonetheless and drove into the street.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
"I... wanted to ask you something."
He looked at her before concentrating back on the road. "About what?"
"There's a girl I saw at the party. She was one of the servers."
"A girl?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "She got into a fight with Greg that night."
Diego's eyes narrowed. She was definitely talking about Sophia. "Why, though? Do you have anything against her?"
"No, no...it's not that. It's, um, I knew her from somewhere."
"From the cage, uh?"
Meg met his gaze before looking out of the window. "How did you know?"
"That you were part of the girls Scarface wanted to sell?" Diego squeezed his face. "Well, how else were you able to recognize those girls in the picture?"
"So fucking dumb," she palmed her face, breathing sharply. "So your boss bought her or something?"
Diego didn't reply.
"You know she's no ordinary woman, right?"
"You seem to know a lot."
"Help me..."
He looked at her again. "With what?"
"I want to work there also."
"Why the fuck would I do that?"
"I'm stranded, I've got no home, and those stupid creatures are after me. Please!"
Diego thought for a moment. He couldn't just bring anyone into the estate, but maybe if he told Carla, she'd approve. "I'll think about it."
"Thanks," Meg smiled mischievously before resting her back on the chair. All she needed was to get inside the estate, and then her mission would begin.