The Last Goodbye
798 Words
Valentina POV
The rain fell heavily on the day Luca De Luca was buried.
It was as if the sky itself mourned the loss of a man who had once seemed untouchable.
The De Luca estate, usually filled with voices, movement, and life, had become painfully silent.
Everyone was there.
Family.
Friends.
Business associates.
People who claimed to love Luca.
People who feared him.
People who were already wondering what would happen now that he was gone.
Valentina stood in front of two coffins, dressed in black, her expression unreadable.
Her husband.
Her son.
Two people who had been her entire world.
Gone.
For years, people had known Luca De Luca as a powerful man.
A man who commanded respect.
A man who had built an empire with his own hands.
But to Valentina, he was more than that.
He was the man who held her hand when she was afraid.
The man who made her laugh when life became difficult.
The father who would stop everything just to spend time with Matteo.
And now...
All she had left were memories.
She reached out and touched the flowers resting on Luca's coffin.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Not from weakness.
From the pain she refused to show.
Everyone was watching her.
Waiting.
They wanted to see if Luca's death had broken her.
They wanted to know if the woman left behind could survive without the man who had protected her.
They were looking at the wrong thing.
Because grief had not destroyed Valentina.
It had changed her.
After the funeral ceremony ended, the guests moved into the mansion.
The atmosphere was filled with quiet conversations.
Too many quiet conversations.
Valentina noticed the way certain men looked around.
The way they spoke in groups.
The way they avoided looking directly at her.
They weren't mourning.
They were calculating.
Luca had barely been buried, and some people were already thinking about what they could take.
Marco stood beside her.
"They are waiting."
Valentina didn't look at him.
"Waiting for what?"
"For you to fall."
A cold expression crossed her face.
"They will be waiting for a long time."
Inside the main hall, several of Luca's associates gathered.
Antonio Rossi was among them.
He had known Luca for years.
He had smiled beside him.
Shared drinks with him.
Called himself a loyal friend.
But Valentina had learned something after Luca's death.
People revealed themselves when power was left unattended.
Antonio stepped forward.
"Valentina."
She turned toward him.
"I know this is difficult."
His voice carried fake sympathy.
"But Luca's organization cannot remain without proper leadership."
The room became quiet.
Everyone listened.
"I believe the responsible thing would be to allow experienced men to handle the business while you focus on mourning."
There it was.
The real reason behind his words.
Not concern.
Not kindness.
Control.
Valentina looked at him calmly.
"My husband has been dead for a few days."
Antonio sighed.
"I understand your emotions."
"No."
Her voice was quiet.
"But you don't."
The room fell silent.
Antonio's expression changed slightly.
Valentina stepped closer.
"You think because I lost my husband, I lost my place."
She looked around the room.
"You think because I am grieving, I am weak."
Nobody spoke.
"That is your mistake."
Antonio forced a small smile.
"With all due respect, Mrs. De Luca, this world is not kind to people who don't understand it."
Valentina stared at him.
"And you believe you understand it?"
"I believe I know what is necessary."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Interesting."
A pause.
"Because Luca believed loyalty was necessary."
Antonio's face tightened.
For a brief second, something flashed in his eyes.
Fear.
Suspicion.
Valentina noticed.
She noticed everything.
That night, after everyone left, Valentina returned to Luca's office.
The room still carried his presence.
His chair.
His books.
His photographs.
Everything remained untouched.
Almost like he would walk in any moment.
She stood behind his desk and looked at the photograph of Luca and Matteo.
Her heart ached.
But she refused to cry.
She had cried enough.
Now she needed answers.
"Who did this to you?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She looked at the photograph.
"And why?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
But in that silence, Valentina made a decision.
She would find the person responsible.
She would uncover every secret.
And she would make sure everyone who played a part paid for it.
The next morning, the world expected Valentina De Luca to disappear.
They expected her to become a grieving widow hiding behind her husband's name.
They expected Luca's empire to crumble.
They expected weakness.
They were wrong.
Because they had misunderstood something important.
Luca De Luca had protected Valentina from his world.
But now that he was gone...
There was nothing left protecting them from her.
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