Chapter 154: Brother, You’re My Last Hope!
"Boss, you wanted to see me?"
Inside the villa’s private study, Luca sat behind the mahogany desk, lightly tapping his index finger against the polished surface in a steady rhythm.
A faint, satisfied smile crossed his face.
"I just received verified intelligence," he said calmly. "Dexter Luiz and Gordon Luiz aren’t related by blood."
Captain Rico’s eyes widened.
"What?! That’s impossible!"
He had spent weeks digging into the Luiz family, yet not once had he uncovered anything that hinted at a secret this explosive.
He quickly regained his composure.
"What are your orders, Boss?"
Luca didn’t summon people over rumors. If he’d called Rico personally, it meant the information had real strategic value.
"First, verify whether Lady Francine is Dexter’s biological mother. If she is, I want you to identify his biological father."
Rico silently weighed the task.
Confirming Dexter’s maternity would be straightforward. Finding the identity of his real father was another matter entirely. Whatever happened had been hidden for more than thirty years.
Even so, he answered without hesitation.
"Understood. I’ll assign an intelligence team immediately."
"Good." Luca nodded. "Thanks for your hard work."
Something else came to mind.
"How are Silas Sr. and Chainsaw?"
"Silas Sr. is in federal custody. Chainsaw is still being held at Crescent Security’s private medical facility." Rico paused. "How do you want to deal with them?"
"Compile every crime Chainsaw committed while working for Gordon and hand the file over to federal prosecutors," Luca said evenly. "If he still has outstanding warrants in other countries after that, extradite him. Once every legal process is finished, cripple his ability to fight, arrange for someone to feed him every day, and let him spend the rest of his life in complete isolation."
Rico gave a firm nod.
"Understood, Boss. I’ll see it through."
Once the call ended, Luca leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. The past few weeks had been exhausting.
A soft knock sounded.
The study door opened, and Naomi stepped inside carrying a porcelain teacup.
"You’ve been working nonstop," she said gently. "Have some tea."
She placed it on the desk before walking behind his chair.
Without saying another word, she rested his head lightly against her chest. Her slender fingers settled onto his shoulders, kneading away the stiffness with slow, practiced movements.
"How does that feel?" she whispered near his ear.
Luca let out a long, comfortable breath.
"Perfect."
"Close your eyes for a little while."
"Mmh."
He relaxed completely, leaning into her warmth as the faint scent of her perfume drifted around him. Feeling his body loosen, Naomi moved her fingers to his temples, gently massaging them in slow circles.
She knew exactly how much pressure he had been carrying.
Ever since they arrived in New Orleans, he’d barely stopped moving. Bringing down the Luiz family had demanded every bit of his attention.
Deep down, Naomi still carried a trace of guilt.
She knew Dexter had always been obsessed with Vivienne, but she also knew his confrontation with Luca truly began because he had tried to corner her backstage.
Sometimes she couldn’t help thinking she was the kind of heroine from a romance novel who constantly stumbled into trouble, leaving the male lead to clean up the aftermath.
Luca had never blamed her.
Not once.
Even so, she wanted to shoulder as much of his burden as she could.
Unlike Vivienne, she wasn’t trained to run billion-dollar corporations or negotiate boardroom politics.
Streaming and content creation were what she understood.
If she couldn’t help him conquer the business world, then she’d make sure his home was a place where he could finally breathe.
To Naomi, being able to stay beside him and care for him like this was more than enough.
...
While peace filled the villa, complete chaos had taken over Lady Francine Luiz’s mansion on the north side of the city.
"My poor Dexter... my baby..."
"He’s still so young! How could they throw him into a federal prison?!"
Her shrill screams echoed through the luxurious living room.
In a fit of rage, she snatched an expensive porcelain vase from a side table and slammed it onto the marble floor.
CRASH!
Porcelain exploded across the room.
That wasn’t enough.
Within minutes, another vase followed. Then a sculpture. Then a priceless antique clock.
By the time she was done, the once-elegant living room looked like a disaster zone. Even the massive television mounted on the wall now had a spiderweb of cracks running across the screen.
One of the housemaids cautiously approached with a broom, hoping to clean the broken porcelain before someone got hurt.
Without warning, Francine grabbed a heavy crystal ashtray and hurled it across the room.
The ashtray struck the maid squarely on the forehead.
"Aah!"
She staggered backward as blood streamed down her face, splattering onto the white carpet.
"GET OUT!"
Francine’s voice echoed through the mansion.
"All of you! Get out of my house!"
The terrified servants fled without looking back.
Within seconds, the enormous mansion fell silent.
She stood alone among the wreckage.
Her hair had come loose, makeup streaked down her cheeks with tears, and several small cuts on her fingers continued to drip blood where sharp porcelain had sliced through her skin.
She didn’t even notice.
The pain in her hands was insignificant compared to the hatred burning inside her.
Dexter was her son.
Her flesh and blood.
"Luca Hale..." she hissed through clenched teeth. "I’ll destroy you. I swear I won’t let this end here."
Her expression twisted with venom.
"And that ungrateful Vivienne from the Day family..."
"My son honored her by choosing her, yet she sided with an outsider to destroy him."
Gordon might be sitting behind bars, but the family still owned non-voting shares in the conglomerate.
She refused to accept defeat.
More importantly, her younger brother, Rodgers, was chairman of Sapphire-Vanguard Group in Miami.
If anyone still had the resources to crush Luca, it was him.
Her bloodstained fingers reached for her phone.
Just as she was about to place the call, it rang.
The caller ID read:
Rodgers.
She answered immediately.
"Francine, I just saw the announcements from the Luiz Conglomerate," he said. "Are they true?"
"They’re true," she replied through gritted teeth.
"What are you planning to do?"
She knew her brother well.
This wasn’t concern.
It was business.
The only thing Rodgers truly cared about was the fifteen percent stake she owned in Sapphire-Vanguard Group. As long as those shares remained in her name, they represented power he couldn’t fully control.
She understood exactly what kind of man he was.
Unfortunately, she had no one else to turn to.
"Rodgers..."
"I’ll transfer ten percent of my Sapphire-Vanguard shares to you..."
"...if you use your influence in Miami to destroy Luca Hale."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Rodgers chuckled softly.
"I want all fifteen percent."
His voice remained smooth and composed.
"If that’s unacceptable, you’ll have to find someone else."
"Fine!" Francine screamed.
"Take all fifteen!"
"But you have to save Dexter!"
"I can’t promise that," Rodgers replied calmly. "Getting him released from federal custody is beyond even my reach."
"Then do everything you can!"
"That much I can promise."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"As for Gordon... the charges against him are far too serious. No one is getting him out."
"I don’t care about Gordon!"
Francine spat the words out with complete contempt.
"What use is a husband who couldn’t even protect our son?"