Chapter 273: Dig Literally
"It’s been a while, darling."
Lola stared at the man slouched leisurely on the couch in nothing but a black silk robe. His body underneath was exposed confidently, with his buffed chest peeking. One hand rested on the arm of the couch, the other holding a glass of rum. His thin lips curled into an amused smirk, eyelids drooping as his gaze fixed on her.
A cold layer of frost coated her eyes as she stared at him—the very man who had shown her hell, thinking that showing her his kingdom in hell would erase the fact that it was still hell.
"Vito," she called, her voice carrying a clear coldness that made the atmosphere around them drop. "It has been. Thought you’re dead."
"I do not die." A low chuckle escaped Vito as he tilted his head back, as if to take in her entire figure. "Come here, darling."
But Lola completely ignored him.
"What do you want, Vito?" she asked bluntly. "You sent your men to my workplace, even when we already agreed never to meet again in this lifetime. I hope you have a good explanation for that."
"A good explanation..." Vito leaned back lazily, letting his head hang over the couch. "A good explanation... let me think. Do I have one...?"
Lola narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "God," she breathed. "He’s so damn wasted."
"Ah!" Vito intoned, snapping his gaze back to her with a smile. "I missed my darling, that’s my explanation. I missed you so much I just couldn’t take it anymore. So I asked Salvo to get you because Amala is threatening me."
His words were far from touching; if anything, she knew he was mocking her. Saying all that when, through the open door of the bed, she could see a sleeping woman sprawled in the other room. Probably too exhausted from trying to please him.
"Vito, Amala doesn’t make empty threats," she replied coldly. "If I don’t make it home tonight, she’ll come barging in here."
"Do not worry, princess. Amala and I have come a long way," he mused. "That’s why I told my men—if they see her or Haji..."
His mouth twisted into a smirk. "...kill them on the spot. Don’t worry. I know you don’t like blood, so I told them to do it quickly and clean it up."
"..." Lola didn’t react, only stared at him.
Unfazed by her familiar coldness, Vito motioned to his side.
"Come here," he uttered slowly and clearly. "Lola. Do not make me repeat myself."
She didn’t move, but her eyes flicked toward Salvo, who was standing just an arm’s length away. Catching the look, Vito snapped his brows up.
"Salvo, leave us alone," he ordered.
Salvo frowned. "Boss—"
"She’s not going to kill me." Vito waved dismissively. "Even if she wants to, she won’t. Otherwise, Haji dies tonight."
Reluctance was clear in Salvo’s eyes, but in the end, he obeyed. Once out of sight, Vito flashed Lola a broad smile.
"Come," he urged, patting the space beside him. "He’s gone now."
Lola huffed but sat across from him instead.
"Vito, I don’t have plenty of time for you," she said flatly. "Just tell me why I’m here. Otherwise, I’m leaving even if I have to fight everyone who tries to stop me."
Vito laughed. "Darling, why are you being so cold? I gave you what you wanted, on the condition that you’d meet me when I called."
"I never heard of that condition."
"I added it later. You were already gone, so I didn’t ask—I just did it."
"Stop spouting nonsense." Lola leaned back, her eyes glinting. "We had a deal, and I trusted you to keep your end of that deal. Not just before or now, but forever."
Vito frowned, tilting his head lazily to the side. "And I trusted you would stay away from me. To never be in a place where I am, or anywhere I could reach you. Yet here you are." He raised his hand, narrowing his eyes as though pinching the air between them.
"But here you sit, right across from me, looking as gorgeous as ever," he went on. "You should’ve stayed away."
"You mean you wanted me to kill Salvo?" she laughed, running her tongue across her cheek. "Then what—come running back to you for help? Vito, the way you tied me to your world is something I’ll never fall for again."
She pushed herself up, looking down at him. "I bought my freedom. The freedom you stole from me. And I’m not giving it up again."
She turned to leave, but stopped to glance back.
"Also, stop harassing Haji. He might not tell me, but the second I heard you were in Novera, I knew you’d been bothering him. If you send your men to him, Amala, or Silo again, you don’t need to send Salvo to fetch me. I’ll come myself—and it won’t be a visit you want."
With that, she resumed walking without pause. Vito, however, chuckled despite her cold, decisive words.
"Surely, she hasn’t changed," he muttered, eyes snapping to her retreating figure. "Someone dug up your son’s grave."
Her steps halted instantly. Her brows knit as she looked back at him.
"What did you say?"
Vito wiggled his brows and pushed himself up. He marched toward her, stopping a few steps away.
"I said someone exhumed your kid’s grave," he drawled, stepping closer. "Not only is someone digging up your history—they did it literally."
Lola held her breath, her eyes widening as she studied his face. Amusement glittered in his sadistic eyes, relishing every flicker of change in her expression. Yet there wasn’t a trace of deception in them.
Vito was many things, but he would never touch the one wound that cut deepest—her child.
"You want to know who did it?" he smirked, leaning closer. His grin stretched until his eyes squinted. Then he drew back, spun, and returned to his seat. He picked up a folder from the table.
Pulling out a photo, he held it up. "You know this guy?" he asked, still smiling. "Isn’t he... your boy toy?"
Lola’s eyes shook as they fell on the photo. A man stood near a grave, watching as others exhumed it.
And that man was...
"Atlas."