MAFIA LOVE SCANDAL

“Open your face cover!”

Anne blinked, trying to adapt to the piercing light. Once fully open, she cast a scanning gaze at the group of people gathered right in front of her.

After the shootout with the Sicilian mafia members, she and her father had no choice but to surrender. They were then forced into a car. With their faces covered by cloth, they were taken to a location whose exact whereabouts were uncertain.

“Happy to be reunited with you, Giorgino Lopez,” greeted a middle-aged man who was lounging in front of them. “I had to deploy quite a few men to catch a rat like you.”

Giorgino smiled. There was not a trace of fear on his face. Instead, he seemed to be mocking.

“Don Luca…” he whispered. “I mourn the fact that I caused you so much trouble in finding me. Was I too clever for your underlings, making them take so long to locate me?”

Luca returned a sardonic smile. Slightly annoyed at being taunted by his own captive, he shifted the conversation to Anna Maria, who had been silent and observant all this while. This time, the middle-aged man rose from his seat and stepped forward toward the elegant woman.

“Mrs. Maximilian,” he greeted. “Delighted to meet the wife of a Kaivan Maximilian in person. My men reported that you managed to injure some of them.” He moved closer and whispered directly into Anne’s ear. “You will pay dearly for what you’ve done.”

Luca stepped back. Shortly after, he took a cigar from the pocket of his jacket. Assisted by Rodrigo, the middle-aged man lit and took a puff from the Cuban cigar he held. Then, moments later, he spoke again.

“I thought you were just an ordinary woman like any other.” A snort escaped the middle-aged man’s lips. “Turns out I was gravely mistaken. You are not to be underestimated,” he stated.

“Does that sound like a compliment?” Anna Maria retorted. Her demeanor was calm. She tried her best not to appear weak in front of her adversary, so as not to be constantly oppressed.

“Yes, consider it praise for a brave woman like yourself. We’ll see if you remain courageous when I use you as bait to seek revenge on your husband.”

While engaged in conversation with his captives, one of Luca’s henchmen entered the room. He approached hurriedly, conveying important news that his leader needed to know.

“Sir, you need to know something. I think this might get you a little emotional,” he cautiously said. It was known that not only Rodrigo but all members of the Sisilian clan were aware of Luca’s tempestuous nature.

Hearing his subordinate’s words, Luca turned immediately. The old man’s face bore a look of curiosity.

“What do you mean by that?”

The young man presented a chip he had with him. He hesitated for a moment but eventually gathered the courage to explain.

“This chip has been sabotaged. Its contents have vanished.”

“What did you say!” Luca’s voice rose. The man’s tone even escalated, and his face turned emotional.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I’ve tried to examine it repeatedly. It seems that what we have now is only a temporary copy, not the original chip.”

Luca’s jaw clenched. His gaze then shifted to the woman sitting across from him. Filled with anger, he extended his right hand, harshly grabbing Anne’s freely flowing hair while whispering.

“Where did you hide the chip?”

A tense atmosphere instantly filled the room. Giorgino could even see how his daughter had become the target of the Sicilian clan’s leader’s fury.

Meanwhile, Anne, who was being intimidated, remained calm. Not afraid, she even smiled mockingly.

“Do you want the real chip?,” her eyes narrowed. Her smile still remained unwavering. “Ask Kaivan himself. He’s the one who has it, or perhaps he’ll deliver the chip to M16 soon. And if that happens, your fate will be sealed.”

Luca fumed, his hand moving from her hair to forcefully slap Anna Maria’s right cheek until it turned red.

“You will regret playing with me.”

Luca clenched his jaw. Still controlled by his emotions, he waved his hand towards Rodrigo. He was getting ready to issue orders to his followers.

“Prepare all the best of Sicilian men to stand guard. Soon, we will be at war with two factions at once.” His gaze shifted back to Anna Maria. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Luca deliberately took a picture of the woman in front of him. Then he sent the image followed by a message to the man who had been his archenemy.

I swear, if you dare hand over that chip to MI6, your wife’s life will never be spared. Remember my words!

****

Kaivan had lost count of how many times he took a deep breath. He did it all to alleviate the tightness gripping his chest. Hans and Dominique, who were with him at the time, could clearly see the frustration on the blue-eyed man.

A day after Anna Maria’s sudden departure, Kaivan immediately instructed Hans and Dominique to meet him at the hotel. Once there, he quickly explained the purpose of summoning them.

“I want you both to find out where Anne is,” Kaivan ordered.

Hans immediately looked up. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“So, your wife has left this hotel?”

Kaivan nodded weakly. The look in his eyes seemed empty. Anne’s sudden departure without notice left him utterly lost. Truly, he wasn’t prepared to face this reality.

“Yes, Anne left suddenly. Maybe it was time for her to complete her mission. Or perhaps there’s another reason. However, I actually anticipated this. I knew that someday she would leave, even though I begged her to stay.”

For a moment, he sighed heavily. Trying to release the heaviness in his chest before continuing to talk.

“However, I’m genuinely worried. I’m afraid that out there, Luca and his men might suddenly capture and harm Anne. Even if her departure this time is for a mission, I want to be there for her. To accompany her and ensure her safety until the mission is completed.”

Hans nodded, understanding what Kaivan was feeling. Anyone would be worried when a loved one leaves suddenly, especially when they’re being targeted by the mafia.

“In that case, I will try to track Anne’s whereabouts. Because even though her destination is the MI6 headquarters, it’s not an easy task to locate their headquarters.”

“You mean?” Kaivan asked, puzzled.

“MI6 and MI6 are quite different, Kai. MI6 agents handle domestic security. They work openly to solve every problem that arises. Their headquarters can be located openly. It’s very different from MI6 agents who deal with major issues like terrorism, international drug trafficking, illegal arms trade between two countries, or other serious crimes. As Secret Agents, MI6 operates like shadows. They’re required to be discreet and hidden in completing every mission given to them.”

Kaivan nodded in understanding after listening to Hans’ lengthy explanation.

“Arrange things as you see fit, Hans. I just want a report on my wife’s whereabouts. I want to make sure she’s alright.” His gaze then shifted to the tattooed man sitting next to Hans. “And you, Dom. I need you to prepare all your men. Somehow, I have a feeling that we’ll be facing a major battle soon. So, I ask you to get ready.”

Dominique nodded, agreeing with the given orders. “I’ll prepare as you’ve instructed. After this, I’ll gather all the members of the Witch Hunter clan to start being on alert.”

Hans and Dominique stood up in unison. After concluding the meeting, each of them chose to leave immediately.

Meanwhile, Kaivan, still preoccupied with thoughts of his wife, decided to return to his room. Once in the room, he sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, taking out his phone and attempting to contact Anne again. Unfortunately, there was no response that he received.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kaivan decided to get up and walk slowly to the bathroom. He thought a warm bath was what he needed to relax his body. Thinking about Anne’s safety was making it hard for him to think clearly.

After the bath and changing into fresh clothes, Kaivan opted to rest. He needed to gather all his strength before resuming the search for his wife’s whereabouts the next day. He was determined to find Anne as soon as possible and accompany her in completing her mission.

However, in the late hours of the night, Kaivan suddenly woke up. He felt an inexplicable urge to go to the old room that Anne used to stay in. His instinct told him that there was something he needed to see there.

Walking quietly, Kaivan turned the doorknob to Anne’s room. When he switched on the light, he was startled by the presence of someone who seemed to be a man. He couldn’t fathom the purpose behind this person’s sudden intrusion into his wife’s room.

A confrontation ensued between the two of them. Feeling threatened, Kaivan threw a punch. The man didn’t stay passive either. He retaliated with a kick, attempting to restrain Kaivan’s movements.

With all his skills, Kaivan fought back. He struggled to break free until he managed to reverse the situation. Swiftly, he pushed the man into a corner of the room, forcing him to kneel.

While still holding onto the man, Kaivan tried to remove the face cover. And when the full mask was removed, he was taken aback. Kaivan recognized the man standing before him. He had seen this man embracing and even kissing his wife a few nights before.

“You?!” he exclaimed loudly. His face clearly displayed anger. “What are you doing in Anne’s room?”

The man looked up, a sardonic smile on his face as he answered Kaivan’s question. He had been waiting for the moment to confront the owner of this neutral territory.

“I came here to take what I should have taken.”

Kaivan quickly pressed the emergency button located beside the electrical outlet on the wall. It didn’t take long before Mike and two of Kaivan’s guards arrived at the room. The trio quickly took control of the man that Kaivan had subdued.

Continuing to hold onto the man, Mike searched the man’s pockets. He carefully examined the identification that the man might have been carrying. Finally, he found what he had been looking for.

“Sir…” he called out. “I’m certain this is his identification.” Mike handed Kaivan what he had just found.

Carefully, Kaivan read what was written on it. Soon after, a deep frown formed on his forehead. A big question mark now occupied his thoughts, prompting him to ask yet another question.

“Who are you really?”

The man let out a frustrated sigh. He thought that after seeing the name on the ID, Kaivan could deduce his identity.

“After reading my identification, you still ask who I am? It clearly states ‘Noah Aldevaro Lopez’,” he said. “If you’re as smart as they say, you should be able to figure out who I am.”

“You’re Giorgino Lopez’s son?” Kaivan asked hesitantly.

This time, the man laughed mockingly.

“More accurately, I’m your brother-in-law, you fool!”

Kaivan widened his eyes, shocked to hear the confession from the man in front of him. So, all this time, it was his own blood brother who had been contacting and visiting Anne so intensely.

Damn it!

Luckily, Kaivan hadn’t recklessly accused Anne. He had chosen to remain silent and wait for her to explain who this man was, the person who had been in such intense contact with her. And now, finally, Kaivan had an answer to the big question he had kept hidden all this time.