For days, Lorenzo had been silent — not because he had forgiven what happened, but because he was planning something much darker. His mind worked faster than anyone could imagine. He didn't need to raise a gun to destroy someone; he had other, far more effective ways.
By morning, he already had the information he needed. Every dirty secret, every bank account, every hidden asset belonging to Elena's stepmother was laid bare before him.
"She thought she could play games with my woman," Lorenzo muttered coldly, his eyes fixed on the digital files in front of him. "Let's see how she survives without her empire."
Within nine hours, her life was unrecognizable. Her company's accounts were frozen, her investments disappeared, her business license revoked, and her name blacklisted by every major partner she had ever worked with. By nightfall, she sat on the cold marble floor of her mansion, tears running down her face.
"Who did this to me?" she screamed, throwing her phone against the wall. "Who?"
Her daughter — Elena's stepsister — rushed into the room, shaking. "Mother… it's Lorenzo. I heard it's Lorenzo who ruined everything. He did it for Elena."
Her stepmother's eyes widened in disbelief. "That bastard—he did this for her? That useless girl I married her father for?"
Desperation filled her veins. She called Elena's father, her voice trembling. "We need to go to him. We need to beg him. Maybe he'll have mercy."
Elena's father hesitated. "You don't know what that man is capable of. He's dangerous, Luciana. Maybe it's best we stay quiet."
But she wasn't listening. "He destroyed me in less than a day! If we don't go, we'll lose everything!"
After hours of pleading and crying, he finally agreed. Together, they drove to Lorenzo's mansion — the very place she once mocked Elena for living in.
The gates opened before them, slowly and silently, like the entrance to hell. The guards said nothing, only motioned them inside. The mansion was quiet — too quiet. No music, no movement, just a heavy air that pressed on their chests.
Inside, Lorenzo sat on the couch, dressed in black, his expression unreadable. The light from the chandelier above him cast sharp shadows across his face. His presence was enough to make even the strongest man tremble.
"You finally came," he said, his voice calm but deadly. "Took you long enough."
They dropped to their knees immediately, their pride gone. "Please, sir," Luciana stammered. "I beg you. Whatever we did, please forgive us. We'll do anything."
Lorenzo stood up slowly, his cold gaze cutting through them. "You tried to destroy Elena's life. You spread lies, sent spies, and played dirty games. You wanted to ruin her. What you didn't realize is that ruining her means ruining me."
He leaned closer, his tone dropping to a whisper that still carried across the room. "And I don't forgive easily."
At that moment, Elena entered the hall, her soft steps echoing through the silence. Her eyes widened when she saw her stepmother and father kneeling before Lorenzo. The sight alone left her speechless.
"Lorenzo…" she whispered. "What's going on?"
He turned to her with a look that softened only slightly. "I did what I had to do. I made her pay for every tear she made you shed."
"What do you mean?" Elena asked, walking closer.
"I froze her accounts. Destroyed her business. Everything she had is gone," Lorenzo said simply, like it was just another day's work.
Elena's jaw dropped. "You what?"
Before anyone could stop her, she walked up to him and — to everyone's shock — grabbed him by the ear.
"Are you crazy, Lorenzo?!" she snapped, her voice echoing across the hall. "How can you be so cruel?"
Lorenzo blinked, actually confused. "Cruel? Elena, she deserved—"
"Quiet!" she said, hitting his head lightly with her hand. "You don't get to talk right now!"
The guards froze. The maids gasped. No one had ever spoken to Lorenzo like that before — not and lived to tell the tale. But he didn't shout, didn't even move. He just stood there, his head lowered slightly, allowing her to scold him.
Elena turned to him again, eyes fierce but glistening with tears. "You think revenge solves everything? You think destroying people makes you strong? Undo it. Right now."
He wanted to argue, but she reached up and grabbed his ear again — harder this time. "I said undo it, Lorenzo!"
"Yes, ma'am," he said through clenched teeth, trying not to smile.
She turned to his personal assistant, who had been standing in the corner looking utterly stunned. "You heard me. Reverse everything. Restore their accounts, their business — all of it."
"Yes, Miss Elena," the assistant said immediately, hurrying away.
Elena's stepmother and father were speechless. They couldn't believe their eyes — the most feared man in the country, the one they had heard killed men without blinking, was standing there like a scolded schoolboy while their stepdaughter ordered him around.
As Elena dragged Lorenzo by the ear toward his room, he bent slightly, chuckling under his breath. "You really love pulling my ear, don't you?"
"Only when you act like a child," she shot back, opening his bedroom door.
Once inside, she crossed her arms and glared at him. "You can't keep doing things like this, Lorenzo. I don't want blood or tears for me. I just want peace."
He looked at her quietly, then walked closer until she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin. "I can't promise peace, Elena," he said softly. "But I can promise no one will ever hurt you again."
Her anger melted, but she didn't let it show. "Just… try not to destroy anyone else's life, okay?"
He smiled slightly, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Only if you promise not to pull my ear again."
She smirked. "No promises, mafia."
He laughed under his breath, pulling her closer. "You're the only one who can make me lose control, Elena."
Meanwhile, outside the room, her stepmother and father stood frozen — a mix of shame, awe, and disbelief on their faces.
Her father whispered, "I can't believe it… she actually controls him."
Her stepmother's voice trembled. "She's not the same girl anymore… she's stronger than all of us."
And as the heavy doors closed behind Lorenzo and Elena, one truth settled in everyone's heart — the girl they once mocked had now become the queen of the man the world feared most.