Chapter 58
Five months passed. Sweet Haven Bakery in Brooklyn, New York, remained a beloved local institution. Although Dante and Maya had permanently settled in Italy, they kept the bakery, entrusting it to a reliable manager. However, Maya frequently monitored the business operations via secure online camera feeds. One morning, while checking the security footage from their Tuscan villa, Maya noticed an elderly man who visited the bakery every Tuesday afternoon. He always ordered an espresso and a croissant but never ate them. He simply sat there, staring at an old pocket watch, and left exactly one hour later. The intuition of a woman who had survived chaos told Maya something was unusual. She zoomed in on the man’s face. Despite the deep wrinkles and white hair, those features... she could never forget them. "Dante," Maya called out softly, handing the tablet to her husband. "Look at this man." Dante frowned at the screen. His eyes instantly turned to ice. "That’s... Tony Martinelli. The old owner of Bellanote. But he disappeared ten years ago, after the night I took you and Sophia away." "Why is he at Sweet Haven? And why is he acting so strangely?" Maya asked, a knot of worry forming in her stomach. Dante immediately called Matteo. "Matteo, put a discreet surveillance team on this man. Do not let him spot you. I want to know exactly what he is doing and who he is contacting." A few days later, Matteo reported back with information that shocked them both. Tony Martinelli wasn't visiting the bakery for coffee. He was running a clandestine security detail. He had noticed suspicious individuals loitering near the bakery, gathering intelligence on the Russo family. Feeling indebted to Maya for saving Sophia all those years ago, Tony had utilized his old underworld connections to silently monitor and neutralize any potential threats.
