Episode 4

The days went by, and Lorenzo and Mark's friendship grew stronger. Mark developed feelings for Lorenzo, even without knowing his true identity, but he kept his feelings to himself.

At home, Mark helped his parents in their little shop, organizing the shelves. "Wouldn't it be better to close this shop for good? I can take care of you both with my job, and this way, you can enjoy life more."

His mother approached him, smiling. "You already do so much for us, son, taking care of everything. With our debts, we can't afford to enjoy life as you said. Besides, this shop helped us pay for your journalism degree."

Mark sighed, looking at his mother. "You're right, but I can't always be here to protect you, like last time. I worry about you both here."

She hugged him. "Don't worry about me or your father, my love. We are old now and can take care of ourselves. You and your sister need to live your own lives."

Anya arrived with their father, carrying bags. "Am I hearing my name? What's going on now?"

Mark helped with the bags. "Nothing, just Mom being stubborn as always. It looks like you two brought the entire grocery store home."

Their father placed the bags on the table and kissed his wife on the forehead. "I brought everything you asked for on the list, including the kids' treats."

Anya looked at her father. "Dad, come on, we're adults now, aren't we, Mark?"

Mark looked into the bag. "Speak for yourself; I want my treat."

Anya looked at him. "How can you be an important reporter at your news station and act like a child at home? I don't deserve this."

Mark smiled at her. "Because I deal with a lot at work, I enjoy it when I'm home."

Anya looked at him. "Are you still after that family, even though you know it's dangerous, brother?"

He looked at her, signaling her to be quiet. "I'm not on that case anymore; you don't need to worry about it. But..."

Their father looked at him. "What was your sister talking about, Mark?"

Mark smiled, changing the subject. "Dad, have you taken your medicine? You know you can't miss the time."

Their mother sighed and took her husband to take his medication.

Mark looked at his sister. "You and your big mouth, Anya."

Anya approached him. "You were the one who said you almost got shot by a stray bullet and that if it weren't for this Lorenzo guy, you wouldn't be here now."

Mark took a deep breath, looking at the floor. "When I finish this case, I won't work as an investigative reporter anymore. I'll take another position, but first, I need to get a photo of the new leader of the Maximiliano family. With that money, I'll pay off our debts, and everything will be fine."

Anya looked at him. "I still have a bad feeling about this, brother, so please be careful, okay?"

Mark hugged her, smiling. "I will. Don't worry. Now, let me go to work and take care of our parents. Love you, little sis." He left.

Meanwhile, everyone was gathered in the meeting room, waiting for the new boss to arrive. Some chatted with Sandro about business, and some disagreed with the youngest Maximiliano brother taking over the family business.

Sandro smiled. "Don't worry about that; it won't be for long, my dear friend."

Willy entered the room, placing some folders on the table. "Mr. Maximiliano will be here shortly." He left them alone again.

Lorenzo stood in his office, looking out the window, remembering Mark. He smiled and sighed.

Willy entered without knocking. "Everyone is in the meeting room, including your brother, and as always, he seems to be plotting something."

Lorenzo turned to him. "Thank you, Willy. And don't forget what I asked you."

Willy looked at him. "You can leave it to me, boss. Are you sure you'll be alright here alone?"

Lorenzo fastened the last buttons of his suit. "Yes, don't worry." He walked towards the meeting room.

Arriving at the meeting room, Lorenzo entered and took his place. "Please, have a seat."

An older man looked at him. "You're still too young to take on such responsibility. Your older brother should be in charge of the family, not you, who's barely out of diapers."

Lorenzo looked at him. "Then you shouldn't be at this table either. At your advanced age, it wouldn't be appropriate, wouldn't you agree?"

The man looked at him in surprise. "How dare you speak to someone much older than you in that manner?"

Lorenzo looked around at everyone. "I'll be straightforward with all of you. I'm here because I'm more than qualified for this position. I've always handled all of your finances abroad, including the shipments transported overseas. I managed it all at my father's behest. I was thoroughly prepared to assume this position when necessary, unlike my half-brother, Sandro, here. The only difference between us is that I took everything I needed to learn seriously, while my brother preferred parties to duty. Now that everything is clear, we can finally begin the meeting. My assistant left a folder with the new rules for each of you. You can take one and read it."

A woman looked at him. "About the robbery of our last shipment, what do you plan to do? The buyers are already demanding answers."

Lorenzo looked at her. "Don't worry about it; we'll get everything back soon."

The older man spoke again. "It says here that we can no longer use mules to transport drugs out of the state or country. Why is that?"

Lorenzo looked at him. "Have you seen how much we've lost in recent months because of this? Not to mention how many of them die before reaching their destination."

The man looked at him. "What are we supposed to do then?"

Lorenzo looked at him sternly. "That's no longer my problem, it's yours. And for those who insist on continuing with this, the punishment will be death."

Sandro looked at his brother. "But without the mules, transportation will be even more difficult. We need a new strategy. You can't simply forbid it and not provide a solution."

Lorenzo looked at him with a smirk. "I decide what's good for business, and you all figure out another way to transport the goods without using mules. You already know what will happen if you disobey me." He left them talking amongst themselves.

Sandro looked at everyone and smiled, lowering his head because of the situation.

In the hallway, Lorenzo answered Willy's call. "I'm on my way," and hung up the phone.

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