Chapter 145: The Critical Stage
Luca ended the call, and Vivienne closed her eyes, resting comfortably against him. She rubbed her cheek lightly against his chin, clearly enjoying the quiet moment.
"Was that Captain Rico?" she asked softly.
Over the past few days, Luca had gradually revealed the extent of his influence in New Orleans. She already knew he was steadily dismantling the Luiz family’s power from the shadows.
"Mmh."
He gently traced his fingers along her smooth shoulder before giving a small nod.
"I honestly didn’t expect Captain Rico to be this efficient," she said with genuine admiration. "The people at Crescent Security Solutions are incredibly capable."
Uncovering Gordon Luiz and Dexter’s past in such a short amount of time was no easy task.
Back in New Orleans’ upper circles, everyone knew Gordon had built his fortune through underground bathhouses and nightclubs. Running businesses like that in those days demanded far more than money. It required ruthless resolve. Men like Gordon never kept their hands clean.
As for Dexter...
His reputation as a notorious playboy stretched across the entire Southern Gulf region. Some women willingly chased his wealth, but many others had been manipulated, cornered, or outright forced into his grasp.
Yet as the years passed, those women quietly disappeared from New Orleans’ social scene while Dexter continued living like untouchable royalty.
Had none of them reported him?
That was impossible.
Some had accepted enormous settlements from the Luiz family to stay silent.
The few who refused...
Gordon made sure they disappeared permanently.
Still, no crime vanished without leaving behind at least one loose thread.
And now...
Silas Sr. had become that thread.
"Captain Rico really did assemble an elite team," Luca said with a faint smile. "Hackers, investigators, tactical specialists... they’ve got just about everything."
He paused for a moment before looking at her.
"By the way, Rico reported something interesting last night."
"Gordon and Dexter paid a visit to a certain influential estate two days ago."
"Want to guess who they met?"
Vivienne barely needed a second.
"So..."
"They’re trying to use the Day family here to pressure me into marrying Dexter."
"My little vixen really is clever."
Luca leaned down until his nose brushed against her soft crimson hair, breathing in its faint floral fragrance.
"Pathetic."
She let out a cold laugh.
Even without Luca standing beside her, the Day family in New Orleans had absolutely no right to dictate her life.
Yes, they shared the same bloodline.
But decades ago, her father had severed ties with that branch of the family before leaving for the west. There, he built his empire in San Fierro before founding Octaveo Pharmaceutical.
From that day onward, the two families had lived completely separate lives.
When her father passed away years later, only one person from New Orleans had attended his funeral.
David.
The rest hadn’t even bothered to call.
People like that had long since lost the right to call themselves family.
So why would she ever allow them to interfere with her future now?
Why were Gordon and Dexter so convinced they could pressure her through them?
Even though her roots weren’t in New Orleans, she remained the undisputed chairwoman and CEO of Octaveo Pharmaceutical.
Across San Fierro, only a handful of business leaders possessed greater influence than she did.
At this point, only two people could truly sway her heart.
Luca...
And her stepmother, Valerie.
"Mmm..."
A sleepy murmur drifted from the other side of the bed.
Naomi slowly stirred awake, blinking several times before opening her eyes.
The moment she saw the two of them smiling at her, her cheeks turned bright red.
She hurriedly pulled the silk blanket over the lower half of her face, leaving only her sparkling eyes exposed.
"Luca... Sister Vivienne..."
"Good morning..."
Her voice came out muffled beneath the blanket.
Vivienne couldn’t help laughing.
"Naomi, you’re far too adorable."
She reached over and gently brushed a few loose strands of hair away from Naomi’s face.
"Come on."
"I can already hear Chloe setting breakfast on the table."
After breakfast, Captain Rico confirmed that Silas "Chainsaw" Vance had been secured by Crescent Security’s tactical unit.
"Ladies."
Luca wrapped an arm around each of them, lowering his voice.
"I want both of you to stay inside the estate for the next few days."
"Once everything with the Luiz family is settled, we’ll head back to San Fierro together."
Things had reached a critical stage.
The last thing he would do was allow either of them to face unnecessary danger.
"Alright."
Vivienne slipped an arm around his waist and rested her forehead briefly against his shoulder.
"Just be careful."
Naomi didn’t say anything.
She simply tightened her grip on the front of his jacket.
That alone was enough.
Before leaving, Luca turned toward Marceline and PB.
"I want the two of you maintaining full security around them."
"If anything unusual happens, contact Captain Rico or me immediately."
"Understood, Boss!"
Outside the estate, a black Range Rover waited quietly by the curb.
As Luca approached, two imposing men in tailored suits stepped out.
The older of the pair spoke first.
"Good morning, Mr. Hale."
"I’m Captain Rico."
"And this is my operational assistant, Agent Zeffen."
"Morning."
Luca nodded politely before getting straight to the point.
"Where’s Chainsaw?"
"We’ve secured him inside one of Crescent’s private medical facilities," Rico replied.
"Our in-house trauma physician has treated his fractured ribs while tactical personnel maintain full lockdown."
"Excellent."
"Take me there."
"Right away, sir."
The Range Rover pulled smoothly onto the road and accelerated toward downtown.
Less than ten minutes after Luca left Greenland Garden Villas, Vivienne’s phone began ringing.
She glanced at the unfamiliar local number and smiled coldly.
"Heh..."
"They’re quick."
Although she didn’t recognize the number, she already knew exactly who was calling.
The Day family.
She let it ring for several seconds before finally answering.
"Who is this?"
A middle-aged woman’s overly warm voice came through the speaker.
"Vivi! We heard you came back to New Orleans!"
"Why haven’t you stopped by the family estate?"
"Your uncle was talking about you just last night."
Vivienne’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
"First..."
"I don’t have an uncle in this city."
"Second..."
"I don’t have family in New Orleans."
"Don’t call this number again."
Click.
She ended the call immediately.
Although she’d long since accepted the true nature of the New Orleans Day family, the conversation still left a faint chill in her chest.
Luca had barely driven away.
Yet they’d already contacted her.
That meant only one thing.
Someone loyal to Gordon or Dexter had been watching Greenland Garden Villas, reporting every vehicle that entered or left.
If she’d walked into the Day estate today...
She would’ve become the perfect bargaining chip against Luca.
Her own blood relatives were willingly working alongside her enemies.
"Heh..."
"Dexter Luiz..."
"I’ll never give you that opportunity."
Without wasting another second, she called Luca and explained exactly what had happened, including her suspicion that the estate’s perimeter was under surveillance.
Inside the moving Range Rover, Luca’s expression sharpened immediately.
He had nearly overlooked a dangerous blind spot.
He turned toward Rico.
"Double the security around Greenland Garden Villas."
"I want the entire perimeter locked down."
"Immediately."