Too Late For Regret, Mafia Capo

Valentina's POV

Dante didn't return to the penthouse that night, nor the next day.

The apartment was unusually quiet. Taking advantage of this rare peace, I opened my laptop and began organizing the assets under my name.

Over the years, Dante had gifted me numerous properties, luxury cars, and shell companies. I contacted hidden brokers, requesting to legally liquidate all assets. I needed untraceable, liquid cash.

On the fourth day, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the front door. I calmly closed my laptop and slid it under a magazine.

Dante walked in, looking haggard. Behind him was Isabella, tightly holding the hand of a pale seven-year-old boy, Leo, the heir to the Salvatore family.

"Leo's condition is unstable," Dante said in an unquestionable tone. "Isabella has a fever, and the estate is too far from the clinic. They are staying here temporarily."

He didn't ask for my permission; he simply issued an order.

I looked at Isabella. She was wearing a soft cashmere sweater, her shoulders slightly hunched as if she were chronically cold, and her eyes remained cast downward.

I nodded silently, accepting the Don's order without a single word of rebuttal.

Seeing my obedience, Dante visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Carrying the faint scent of hospital disinfectant, he kissed me gently on the forehead and walked toward the kitchen to call his men.

That night, as I sat on the edge of the large bed in the master bedroom, the door creaked slightly, and Isabella slipped in quietly.

She offered a forced, polite smile, looking extremely strained.

"Sorry to intrude, Valentina," she said softly.

I didn't answer.

She walked over to my nightstand and pointed to a silver-framed solo photo of Dante.

"Leo is having trouble sleeping," she said. "He needs to look at his father's picture to feel safe."

She reached out and took the frame. I simply showed cold apathy toward her action.

Isabella clutched the photo tightly to her chest and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, an unusual glimmer of tears flashed beneath her eyelashes.

"I am so jealous of you," she whispered. "I am jealous that you get to sleep in his bed."

Before I could respond, the hurried sound of little footsteps came from the hallway, and Leo rushed into the bedroom, his face flushed red.

"You're bullying my mom!" he yelled at me.

He lunged at me and forcefully pushed my shoulder.

Caught off guard, I was pushed a step back. My ankle accidentally tripped over the edge of the floorboards, and a piercing pain shot up my calf straight to my brain.

I fell heavily onto the smooth floor. The impact made my entire body go numb, and the palms of my hands stung as I braced my fall.

Taking advantage of this, Isabella immediately let go of the photo frame, letting it smash onto the floor with a sharp shattering sound. Then she grabbed Leo and shielded him behind her.

"Valentina, I am so sorry!" Isabella cried out in a panicked voice, deliberately raising her volume as if trying to make sure someone at the end of the hall could hear. "Please don't hurt him! He is just a child!"

Leo instantly dropped his innocent disguise and gave me a cold, contemptuous smile.

"Just wait until we go back to the main estate, my dad will definitely back me up," he said through gritted teeth. "Then I will never have to look at your ugly face again."

Just then, steady footsteps came from the hallway. Dante emerged from the shadows.

His pitch-black eyes immediately narrowed as he scanned the chaotic scene before him. His gaze shifted from me, sitting on the floor, to the scattered glass shards.

Isabella immediately knelt beside me, hovering her hands over my arms in a fabricated display of helpless panic.

"Dante, I am so sorry!" she sobbed with a trembling voice. "The photo triggered Leo's trauma, and Valentina was just trying to take it back."

In between her sobs, she quickly cast a glance at Leo, passing a hidden signal through her eyes.

Catching the hint, Leo immediately let out a loud scream, clutched his chest tightly with both hands, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed heavily onto the floor, starting to convulse.

"Dad!" he shrieked.

All the color vanished from Dante's face. He shoved me aside, causing my already bruised shoulder to slam hard against the nightstand.

He scooped up the convulsing Leo and rushed out of the room.

"Isabella, go get the medical kit!" Dante roared.

Isabella wiped her dry cheeks and quickly chased after him.

With a heavy slam, the door shut, and silence descended upon the room once again.

Dante had completely ignored me, not even stopping to ask if I was hurt.

I sat alone in the quiet room. Slowly, I stood up, limped into the master bathroom, and calmly applied ointment to my sprained ankle.

Just then, my phone vibrated on the marble counter. It was a text from Dante.

"Leave the penthouse for now. Your presence is causing the child stress. I have transferred the deed to the luxury safehouse in the West End into your name. Go there."

I stared at the glowing words on the screen, and the anger that should have been in my heart turned into pure calm.

With steady fingers, I typed my reply and hit send.

"Understood."