chapter 55

Nicolo sat at the head of the lavish dining table, watching Alex—who he still thought was Justin—pick at his food. The boy had been oddly different today, more talkative, more engaging, yet something about him still felt off. Before he could dwell on it, his phone buzzed.Elisa: I’m back in England! Where are you?A rare, genuine smile tugged at Nicolo’s lips. He hadn’t seen his younger sister in months. Elisa had always been the light in his otherwise dark life, the only family he had left after everything that had happened.“Change of plans,” Nicolo said, standing up suddenly. “We’re having dinner with someone special.”Alex tilted his head. “Who?”Before Nicolo could answer, another car was already pulling up outside the mansion. The front doors burst open, and in walked Elisa—radiant as ever, her golden-brown hair flowing, her deep blue eyes sparkling with excitement. She was dressed in a fashionable yet comfortable outfit, exuding the same elegance she always had.“Elisa,” Nicolo greeted, his voice softer than usual.“Nico!” Elisa grinned and ran toward him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. Nicolo, who rarely accepted physical affection, allowed it, even squeezing her shoulder.Then her eyes landed on Alex. Her entire face lit up, and before he could react, she scooped him into a hug.“Oh, my little prince! I missed you so much!” she cooed.Nicolo raised an eyebrow at the lack of resistance. The Justin he knew hated hugs. But Alex, playing along, melted into the hug like a natural.“You look even prettier than before, Aunt Elisa,” Alex said smoothly, flashing a charming smile.Elisa blinked in surprise before dramatically pressing a hand to her heart. “Oh my, has my nephew always been such a gentleman? You’re going to break so many hearts when you grow up!”Nicolo’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he was stunned. That was not how Justin ever reacted to affection.Nicolo leaned against the doorway of the dining hall, watching as his little sister cheerfully chatted away with Alex. Her energy filled the room, making it feel warmer—less like the cold, structured life he had built for himself."You’re way too affectionate," Nicolo commented, shaking his head."Oh, shut up," Elisa shot back. "You’ve always been the brooding type. Let me enjoy spoiling my nephew!"Nicolo let out a rare chuckle, and for the first time in years, their home felt… alive. Like a real family.They sat down for dinner, the three of them sharing laughter and stories. Elisa talked about her latest travels, Alex listened intently, and Nicolo, though mostly silent, felt a warmth he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years.But then, as he glanced at his sister—his beloved little sister, alive and well—a memory surfaced. A memory he could never escape.His hand tightened around his glass.That day. The day everything changed.Flashback: Seven years ago.Nicolo had thought revenge would satisfy him. That it would bring him peace.It didn’t.Amaira was gone. The woman he had hurt—destroyed—had vanished from this world, and no matter how much he tried to justify it, the emptiness inside him remained.But there was still one thing that tethered him to reality.His sister.Elisa had been lying in a coma for months, her body still, her heartbeat the only proof she was alive. And then, one day, the call came.“She’s awake.”Nicolo had rushed to the hospital. For the first time in a long while, hope burned in his chest.When he stepped into the room, she was sitting up, her eyes bright but weak. The moment she saw him, she smiled.“Big brother.”He had swallowed hard, his usually unreadable face struggling to maintain its composure. “You’re awake.”“Yeah,” she said softly, then frowned. “You look awful.”A breathless chuckle escaped him. “You try sleeping for months and see how you look.”She smiled, but it faded quickly. She looked around as if searching for someone. Then she met his gaze.“Where’s Dilip?”Nicolo’s expression hardened. “Don’t ask about him.”Elisa’s brows furrowed. “Why? What happened?”His grip on the chair tightened. “He caused your accident.”Elisa’s breath hitched. Then, to his shock, she laughed.Nicolo’s frown deepened. “What’s funny?”She shook her head, still chuckling weakly. “Oh, big brother… you really have no idea, do you?”He stiffened. “What do you mean?”Elisa took a deep breath and met his gaze, her next words shattering his entire reality.“Dilip didn’t try to kill me.”Silence.Nicolo stared at her, his mind rejecting her words.Elisa continued, her voice firm despite her exhaustion. “Dilip and I… we knew each other from India. We were classmates. We were close.”His fists clenched.“But when he found out I was from a mafia family, he felt betrayed. He left for England… and I followed him.”Nicolo’s heartbeat was loud in his ears.“That night… we fought. He was angry that I lied to him. He left to clear his head, went up a hill… and I chased him.” Her voice wavered slightly. “That’s when I realized—someone had tampered with my brakes.”His blood ran cold.“I tried to tell Dilip,” she whispered. “When he understood, he—he tried to save me. He risked his life to stop my car. If it weren’t for him… I would have died that night.”Nicolo’s vision blurred for a moment.Everything.Everything he had believed.Everything he had done.He had blamed Dilip. He had hunted Amaira, hurt her, destroyed her.But it had all been a lie.He felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs.Elisa’s voice softened. “Big brother… what did you do?”Nicolo swallowed hard. “I—”He couldn’t finish the sentence.The weight of his sins crushed him.For the first time in his life, Scar Boss felt powerless.Chapter: A Family Dinner and a Haunting PastElisa was finally here.Nicolo leaned against the doorway of the dining hall, watching as his little sister cheerfully chatted away with Alex. Her energy filled the room, making it feel warmer—less like the cold, structured life he had built for himself.Alex, of course, was playing along perfectly. Unlike Justin, who barely tolerated physical affection, he responded to Elisa’s hugs with genuine warmth, even throwing in charming compliments that left her grinning."You've grown up into such a handsome little gentleman, Justin!" Elisa gushed, pinching Alex’s cheek.Alex smirked. "Well, I got it from my genes, didn't I?"Nicolo raised an eyebrow, amused. That was… surprising. Justin never talked like that. But before he could dwell on it, Elisa pulled Alex into another tight hug, making the boy chuckle."You’re way too affectionate," Nicolo commented, shaking his head."Oh, shut up," Elisa shot back. "You’ve always been the brooding type. Let me enjoy spoiling my nephew!"Nicolo let out a rare chuckle, and for the first time in years, their home felt… alive. Like a real family.They sat down for dinner, the three of them sharing laughter and stories. Elisa talked about her latest travels, Alex listened intently, and Nicolo, though mostly silent, felt a warmth he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years.But then, as he glanced at his sister—his beloved little sister, alive and well—a memory surfaced. A memory he could never escape.His hand tightened around his glass.That day. The day everything changed.Flashback: The Day Everything ChangedSeven years ago.Nicolo had thought revenge would satisfy him. That it would bring him peace.It didn’t.Amaira was gone. The woman he had hurt—destroyed—had vanished from this world, and no matter how much he tried to justify it, the emptiness inside him remained.But there was still one thing that tethered him to reality.His sister.Elisa had been lying in a coma for months, her body still, her heartbeat the only proof she was alive. And then, one day, the call came.“She’s awake.”Nicolo had rushed to the hospital. For the first time in a long while, hope burned in his chest.When he stepped into the room, she was sitting up, her eyes bright but weak. The moment she saw him, she smiled.“Big brother.”He had swallowed hard, his usually unreadable face struggling to maintain its composure. “You’re awake.”“Yeah,” she said softly, then frowned. “You look awful.”A breathless chuckle escaped him. “You try sleeping for months and see how you look.”She smiled, but it faded quickly. She looked around as if searching for someone. Then she met his gaze.“Where’s Dilip?”Nicolo’s expression hardened. “Don’t ask about him.”Elisa’s brows furrowed. “Why? What happened?”His grip on the chair tightened. “He caused your accident.”Elisa’s breath hitched. Then, to his shock, she laughed.Nicolo’s frown deepened. “What’s funny?”She shook her head, still chuckling weakly. “Oh, big brother… you really have no idea, do you?”He stiffened. “What do you mean?”Elisa took a deep breath and met his gaze, her next words shattering his entire reality.“Dilip didn’t try to kill me.”Silence.Nicolo stared at her, his mind rejecting her words.Elisa continued, her voice firm despite her exhaustion. “Dilip and I… we knew each other from India. We were classmates. We were close.”His fists clenched.“But when he found out I was from a mafia family, he felt betrayed. He left for England… and I followed him.”Nicolo’s heartbeat was loud in his ears.“That night… we fought. He was angry that I lied to him. He left to clear his head, went up a hill… and I chased him.” Her voice wavered slightly. “That’s when I realized—someone had tampered with my brakes.”His blood ran cold.“I tried to tell Dilip,” she whispered. “When he understood, he—he tried to save me. He risked his life to stop my car. If it weren’t for him… I would have died that night.”Nicolo’s vision blurred for a moment.Everything.Everything he had believed.Everything he had done.He had blamed Dilip. He had hunted Amaira, hurt her, destroyed her.But it had all been a lie.He felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs.Elisa’s voice softened. “Big brother… what did you do?”Nicolo swallowed hard. “I—”He couldn’t finish the sentence.The weight of his sins crushed him.For the first time in his life, Scar Boss felt powerless.Nicolo stood frozen, Elisa’s words echoing in his mind like a cruel joke.His hands trembled as he ran them over his face.Amaira was already gone. The woman he had tormented had disappeared, taking with her the one chance he had at something real. And now, even the revenge that had consumed him was built on a lie.What was left?Nothing.He reached up and slowly removed his mask—the mask of Scar Boss. The infamous ruler of the underworld.He had worn it for so long, hiding his face from the world, convincing himself that power and fear were all he needed. But now, the weight of his choices pressed down on him, suffocating.Scar Boss was dead.From now on, he would live as the man he was born as—Nicolo Romano.And maybe, just maybe, he would become someone Amaira would have wanted him to be.Back to the PresentNicolo’s fingers unconsciously brushed against his own face, remembering that day. The day he had cast away Scar Boss.His gaze flickered to Alex, who was watching him carefully. That sharp, intelligent look—it reminded him so much of Amaira.His heart clenched.He had lost her once.Would he lose her again?No.This time, he wouldn’t let her go.But then… what about this child?His eyes softened as he looked at Alex. He loved him. There was no doubt about that. But he was Selena’s son.If Amaira knew he had been with Selena, would she still forgive him?Would she still look at him the way she used to?He didn’t know.But he had to try.