Alessandro's POV

The house was quieter than I expected. Too quiet. For years, I'd dreamed of this moment—the day my Serafina would come home. I imagined it would be filled with relief and joy, with her running into Isabella's arms, her laughter filling the halls again.

But this silence? This heaviness? It was suffocating.

Isabella's face had said everything when she came down the stairs, her eyes swollen from crying. She's broken, she'd said. Those words carved through me like a blade.

I'd always thought I was a strong man, but I'd never felt so helpless in my life. My daughter was upstairs, alive but scarred in ways I couldn't begin to fathom. And all I could do was stand here, my fists clenched and my mind racing with thoughts of vengeance.

"Boss?" Calvin's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He stood in the doorway of my office, his usual bravado tempered by the same tension that had settled over the house since Serafina's return.

"What is it?" I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.

"We've got a name," he said simply.

My heart thundered in my chest. "Who?"

"Gary Fowler," Calvin said, his lip curling in disgust. "The bastard who had her all these years. He's a small-time operator, dealing in... trafficking." He spat the word like it was poison. "She was his... property."

The room tilted for a moment as the words sank in. My hand tightened around the edge of my desk until my knuckles turned white.

"Where is he?"

"Still in the city," Calvin said. "But he's laying low. Rumor is, he knows she's where she is."

"Find him," I ordered, my voice low and deadly.

Calvin hesitated. "Alessandro—"

"Find him," I growled, cutting him off. "I want to know every move he's made, every person he's dealt with. I want to know who helped him, who looked the other way, and who profited from my daughter's pain. And when I have them all..." I trailed off, my mind filling in the blanks with visions of blood and retribution.

Calvin nodded, his expression grim. "Consider it done."

When he left, I poured myself a drink, my hands trembling. Gary Fowler. Just the name made my blood boil. For fifteen years, that man had stolen my daughter, had turned her into a ghost while we searched every corner of the earth for her. And now he would pay.

But anger wouldn't be enough. Not this time.

I took a long drink, the burn of the whiskey doing little to numb the ache in my chest. Isabella's words echoed in my mind. She's broken.

I had failed her. As her father, it had been my job to protect her, to keep her safe. And I had failed.

I set the glass down, staring out the window at the darkened city. The De Luca empire had been built on power, respect, and fear. But all the power in the world hadn't been enough to bring her back sooner.

I thought of her upstairs, curled up in a corner like a wounded animal. My Serafina, who used to dance barefoot in the garden, her laughter ringing out like church bells. The little girl who used to sneak cookies from the kitchen and blame her brothers.

I didn't know who she was now.

But I would get her back.

I left the office, my footsteps echoing through the empty hallways. When I reached her door, I hesitated. Isabella had told me to wait, to give her space, but I couldn't stay away. Not tonight.

I knocked softly.

"Fina," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

No response.

I opened the door slowly, stepping inside. The room was dim, the glow of the bedside lamp casting shadows on the walls. She was sitting on the bed now, her knees pulled to her chest, her head resting on them.

"Fina," I said again.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and filled with fear.

It was like a punch to the gut. My own daughter was afraid of me.

I moved closer, keeping my movements slow and deliberate. "It's me," I said gently. "It's Papa."

Her gaze didn't waver, but I saw the way her body tensed, as if she was ready to bolt.

"I just wanted to see you," I continued, stopping a few feet away. "I've missed you, tesoro. Every single day."

Her lip trembled, but she didn't speak.

"I know you've been hurt," I said, my voice breaking. "And I know I wasn't there to stop it. But you're home now. And I swear to you, I will never let anyone hurt you again."

She blinked, tears spilling down her cheeks. For a moment, I thought she might say something. Instead, she buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

I didn't move closer. I didn't touch her. All I could do was kneel there, my own tears falling as I watched my daughter break before me.

And in that moment, I made a vow.

I would destroy anyone who had a hand in her suffering. I would burn their world to ash and make them beg for mercy before I ended their lives.

For Serafina, I would become the devil himself.