The icy silence of Martina's house had thawed, replaced by the clinking of cutlery and the low hum of conversation. Seated around the grand dining table, the four boys had transformed from mere pawns on a chessboard into laughing, talking faces, immersed in an atmosphere Martina never expected to create.
Martina herself sat at the head of the table, observing them with a glass of wine in hand. Her mind, once solely a calculator for strategy, now registered every detail with an almost affectionate focus. Near—who at twelve was an island of intellectual quiet—exchanged a joke with his rag doll, making Cristian smile. The latter, at eleven, was the light of the room. His laughter was a pure sound, an echo of an innocence Martina thought she had destroyed long ago.
Matt, fifteen, was the silent protector, watching over the younger two with an athletic grace. And S, seventeen, the shadow who had followed them, sat in silence. Though his mask remained on his face, his emerald-green eyes shone with an unusual peace.
"It pleases me to see you like this," Martina said, her tone that of a proud mother—a role she was improvising, yet one that felt surprisingly natural. "Cristian has never had friends, and you... well, you haven't had a family. Now you are here; you are step-brothers."
Cristian looked up from his plate of pasta. "They are my brothers," he said, his voice firm. "I don't care if we have the same father or not. We are a family."
Near smiled, a look that brightened his entire face. "And we are happy to have you with us, Cristian. You are our little brother."
Matt nodded, his gaze a mix of affection and pride. "It's true. Now we have a younger brother to protect."
S, who had remained still, stood up and approached Cristian. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder; his emerald eyes softened. It was a gesture of acceptance that needed no words. In that moment, Martina felt her heart beat in a way she had never experienced. It wasn't the pulse of power, but of desire. The desire for a family.
Martina's Internal Monologue: The Game Becomes Real
Martina pulled back mentally, forcing herself to take a sip of wine as she analyzed the scene like a strategist. The plan was simple: use Juglian's biological son to get close to him. The arrival of Near, Matt, and S had been an unexpected stroke of luck—an opportunity that doubled her hand. Now she didn't just have one ace; she had four. Near, the genius; Matt, the brute strength; S, the shadow; and Cristian, the thread binding them all to her. It was a perfect puzzle, and she was the only one who could solve it.
But there was something strange. It wasn't the cold satisfaction of an imminent victory. There was a warmth, a glimmer of happiness that made her hands tremble. She watched Cristian laugh at Near's observation about the calories in a bowl of pasta. Her "sons" weren't just pieces on a board. They were human beings with emotions and pasts. For the first time, she wondered if her game was no longer just about power, but about something more. About a family.
The Dialogue Between Martina and Cristian
After eating, Near went to the lounge to play with his dolls, followed by Matt and S, leaving Martina and Cristian alone.
"I'm happy you met them," Martina said, her voice a silk whisper. "You always wanted a brother."
Cristian looked at her, his eyes full of an emotion Martina couldn't quite decipher. "Yes, I did," he said. "But not at this price. Not at your expense."
Martina looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that Juglian left you. He left you for these three boys. You suffered, and I suffered. I've always hated that man for what he did to you. I hated the thought of there being another family. But now..."
Cristian paused, his eyes filling with tears. "Now I've met them. And they are my brothers. They are my friends. They are my family. I don't want you to suffer anymore. I don't want you to be alone."
Martina stood up, approached Cristian, and embraced him. It was an embrace born not of malice, but of love—a love sparked in a single night across a dinner table.
"I will never be alone," Martina whispered. "I have you. And now I have them. Now... I have a family."
Cristian's Internal Monologue: Between Hate and Love
Cristian looked at his mother. He saw her strength and intelligence, but he also saw her fragility. He saw her loneliness and her rage. He understood then that his mission wasn't just to find his father, but to protect his mother. To ensure she never suffered again.
"I know I hated you for what you did," he thought, "but now I love you. And I will protect you. If I must forgive Juglian for your sake, I will. Because you are my mother. and I love you more than anything in the world."
Martina's Internal Monologue: The Family I Never Had
Martina looked at the boys, her heart filling with an unknown emotion. Love. Love for her children. Love for a family she never possessed.
"I always thought power was everything," she thought. "I thought loneliness was the price of greatness. But now... I'm not so sure."
Her plan remained the same: use them to get to Juglian. But now there was a new element—one that terrified and excited her. The concept of a real family.
"I will use you to get close to him," she thought, "but I won't destroy you. I will use you to build a family. A family that will make me happy."
The chapter concluded with Martina smiling—a smile not of malice, but of hope. She looked like a normal woman, a normal mother. A woman who was no longer just a strategist, but a human being craving happiness. And that desire was now her greatest enemy.