The meeting was to be held in Leo's family home. It was a tradition held once every six months to catch up on family members, discuss business progress and to show respect to the head of the family, Antonio Moretti, Leo's father.

My role in all of it was simple; sit still and look pretty, and I had always learned to excel at it. That morning too, Leo had called in a professional make up artist to doll me up. The dress my mother-in-law chose for me was perfect, a deep blue silk with the prettiest white flowers. Leo, being the jealous man he was, had always been against me wearing revealing outfits, so it went all the way to my heels and it had a long sleeve made of a lighter material.

Leo loved my long hair so it was always left flowing down my back. He also loved gold accessories, and I had grown to accept it. My neck, wrists and fingers were adorned with bright heavy jewelry to stand out as the wife of the first son- which I always did.

I sat next to Leo, my back straight and a practiced smile on my face. Not too wide that it looked stupid, and not too small that it looked fake. Just right. Just the way I always did.

"Leo, how have things been at the company?" Antonio asked, his deep voice filling the whole room.

"Very good sir."

Leo smiled so brightly that I couldn't test my eyes off his face. He explained how he had been getting new contracts and deals, his pride-filled smile never leaving his face.

It was moments like this I loved most, the times when he wasn't wearing the strains of our marriage on his face. When he could just smile as freely and as happily as he did when I fell in love with him. But even as he smiled, the light never reached me anymore.

"And Elysium Autos?"

For some reason, I became very attentive when I heard that name. My heart skipped a beat and I could feel my cheeks flush, either out of anger or embarrassment. I looked at Leo, as if his reply would provide me with the answers to my curiosity.

"Good news as well sir. The CEO will be flying into the country by month end and we should finalize the deal by then."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but there was nothing I could do. Asking him was clearly out of the option, and there was no way I could use my phone at such a moment.

At exactly two minutes past twelve, the formal meeting finally ended. I knew because I'd been watching the slow, deliberate ticking of the clock the entire time, counting down each second like it might somehow set me free.

Antonio retreated to the inner part of the living room, leaving the siblings and spouses to mingle.

"Leo, I haven't seen you in a while." Isabella, Leo's older sister walked up to him smiling brightly.

He matched her energy as he hugged her, lifted her and spun around. "I see you're doing well."

"Oh well, what can I say?"

They made small talk, laughing and playing around, and eventually left me seated there like a doll that had been turned off, waiting for its master's orders.

"Is that Leo's wife?"

I heard a woman say somewhere behind me, but I didn't recognize the voice. The masculine voice that replied however, was one I could never forget.

"She's hot, isn't she? Too bad that's the only thing she's good for." The hurtful comment was made by none other than Louis, Leo's younger brother. "She doesn't do anything other than to sit around all day and spend my brother's money." He added, intentionally trying to get under my skin.

"Why not just get a job?" The woman asked. Whether it was out of curiosity or mockery, I didn't know.

"Isn't it obvious? She's a gold digger!" The other part was said louder than was necessary for a conversation between two people.

Leo stopped his chat with Isabella and glanced at me. "Go and stay with mother." He said simply.

Grateful for having a reason to leave the room, I smiled and immediately went in, ignoring the continued mockery going on behind me.

"What are you doing mom?" I found her in the kitchen, humming to herself.

"Making tea for Antonio, help me."

We stayed quiet for the first few minutes, but then she suddenly spoke up. "Why do you let Caleb's babysitter attend all his school events? People will start to wonder if she's his mother."

I looked her in the eyes, confusion and something else filling mine. Anger?

"Doesn't Leo attend his school events?"

"No." Almost as if she realized something, she quickly added. "Don't worry about it too much. Leo cares about you a lot and just doesn't want any stress for you."

Even though I wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong, and that I would want more than anything to be able to be there for my son when he needs me, the only response I could give was an uncertain nod.

She placed the ready tea in my hands and asked me to serve my father-in-law.

My mind had gone blank from what I had just heard but I still walked forward. I dropped to my knees and placed the tray on the table. I poured the right amount of tea into the tiny ceramic cup and handed it to him.

He took a tiny sip and exclaimed loudly. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

His reaction momentarily snapped me out of my thoughts. "What's wrong father -" before I could finish my sentence, the hot liquid in the cup had been splashed all over me, burning my face.

"How do you expect me to drink something so hot?" He complained. "What kind of wife doesn't know how to make tea? Is this how nonchalantly you're treating my son?!"

'But I didn't make the tea.'

That was what I should have said, instead I bowed my head. "I'm deeply sorry, father."

"Get this nonsense out of my sight." In one swift movement, the entire tray-tea and all- had been thrown to the ground.

The noise must have gotten the attention of the others, because Leo walked in, scanning the room for an explanation. When he found me on the floor, he sighed and walked back out.

As I stared at the perfectly broken porcelain, it felt like it mirrored something in me.

I didn't know why but holding back my tears proved to be impossible at that moment. To keep Antonio from seeing, I kept my head bowed as I cleaned up the mess.

I could hear him mutter angrily as he walked away. Only after he had left the room did Sharon allow herself to move towards me.

"Are you okay dear?" She held my shoulders, as if she could see the tremors in them. "Things like this happen, don't let it get to you."

I couldn't find any words to express myself so I just stared at her.

I couldn't tell if she understood my feelings or not, but she hugged me, patting my back.

DANTE.

"Don, Mr Orpheus is here." When he didn't get any response, he said again, "Don, Mr -"

"Do you think I'm deaf?" I sat up.

"N-no sir. I apologize, when you remained quiet I assumed you were sleeping." He explained, keeping his head lowered as a sign of respect. Or fear. I didn't know, and I didn't care.

"So? If I was actually sleeping, you would have woken me up because Orpheus wants to see me?"

"I-I apologize sir, your meeting-"

"Who do you serve?"

"Sir?"

"Do I have to ask again?"

"N-no sir, of course not." He dropped to his knees, one hand placed firmly on his chest. "I serve you, Don."

Bored of the sight in front of me, I got up and casually strolled out to the meeting area.

I already knew what the meeting was about, and if I had the choice I would be doing literally anything else than having it.

"Dante, you look well." Orpheus said with a smile as he reached out for a handshake.

I didn't offer my hand and instead poured myself a glass of whiskey as I sat across him. "Let's keep this brief, shall we?" I downed the alcoholic drink one sip and returned the empty glass on the marble table.

"Of course." The older man leaned back in his seat and folded one leg over the other. "As I'm sure you've heard, old man Arno is dead."

"And?"

He raised a brow, visibly surprised by my reaction. "His district is left unprotected, and you know it's only going to cause trouble."

"And this concerns, how?" I knew what he was hinting at, only an idiot wouldn't. "Orpheus, Arno passed of old age and from the looks of it, you're next. So instead of worrying about someone's unprotected territory, I'd worry about your health."

His wrinkled face turned red and he spoke in a loud voice. "I know what your plan is. You think you can use your devious ways to take control of his district. Well let me tell you, it won't work!" His nostrils were flared and he kept pointing his aged finger at me like it was supposed to intimidate me.

In one swift movement, the golden pistol tucked at the back of my pants was aimed at the old man.

"You think because -" his rants were stopped abruptly and his eyes widened. "What is this?" His tone was much calmer, and even a bit jittery.

"In seven days, the four territories will have a meeting to decide on what to do. Why don't you save this little outburst for that time?"

"Do you realize you're missing out on a golden opportunity to control thirty percent of the Seraphine Circle?"

"We're done here."

I was tired. Too tired.

"Take your golden opportunity somewhere else." I didn't wait for his response before walking back into the room.

"Sometimes I feel you might be too harsh on others."

I sighed and turned around. "Ma, aren't you supposed to be in bed?" I immediately walked up to her and held her by the shoulders, leading her back into her bedroom.

"Dante, I understand the nature of your work requires you to be firm, but it doesn't mean you have to keep yourself from feeling at all."

There was worry in her weak voice and the reason touched me and annoyed me at the same time. "If this is about me having kids again-"

"Dante," she reached up to cup the side of my face. "I don't have much time left in this world. I want to be sure that when I go, you won't be left all alone."

"Ma, let's bring back this issue when I turn thirty." I helped her get in bed and tucked her in. "I'll tell Gloria to bring up your meal, then you take your medication. Okay?"

She looked like she wanted to argue but the sound of my phone interrupted her. "What is it?"

The stern voice on the other end explained that some guys were causing trouble in my territory and had been captured.

"I'm on my way." I hung up and left the room before Ma found something else to say.

When I arrived at the holding center, I immediately sensed something was off. Smiling, I confidently walked in. "Drey, where are the imposters?"

He flinched, almost as if the sound of my voice was painful to him. "Uh they're in the cell."

"Bring them to me." I sat in the only leather chair in the room.

Click!

I smirked. Who did these fools think they were dealing with?

Drey watched with keen interest and was almost too visibly pleased when I sat in the chair. He disappeared into one of the dark rooms and returned seconds later, not with prisoners, but with three armed men.

"Your time is up Dante. All these years, you have been nothing but a bully and a pain in the ass! Everyone knows I'm supposed to be the head of La Rosa Nera, but you stole it from me. Now, I'm going to take it back."

My eyes scanned the room, checking for any hidden subordinates that I might have missed on my way in, but I was almost disappointed when there were none.

"So? You want to kill me and take my place, and you decided to bring three imbeciles from Orpheus?"

Drey threw his head back and laughed maniacally. "Do you even know the situation you're in right now?"

"No. But it seems to me that you forgot who you're dealing with." Before either of them had the time to react, the sound of gun shots echoed through the silent room and the bodies of the three goons from Orpheus group dropped to the ground with a dull thud and my pistol was aimed at Drey.

Sweat trickled down his face as he stared at the lifeless bodies on the ground with horror. He opened his mouth but nothing but slow raspy breaths came out.

I leaned back in the chair, not entirely enjoying the scene in front of me. "Why?" I asked, not that it mattered. Regardless of the reason, betrayal is the same.

"I-I-"

I took the first shot, hitting his left thigh. Drey cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees.

"Why?" I asked again.

Silence.

I took the next shot, hitting his right arm and Drey let out another pained scream.

"It's just a gun shot, Drey." but it wasn't. My guns were customized so the trigger was stronger and the bullets were much sharper and they didn't stop spinning even after piercing through the skin. It was deadlier and definitely more painful.

"Die, you motherfucker!" He took out a small rectangle device with a big red button in the middle but he didn't have the chance to press it.

I fired another shot at his hand and the device flew to the side, along with two of Drey's fingers.

This time, he collapsed to the ground, rolling around. He cradled his hand, crying loudly.

"Drey," I was losing my patience, and it would be a waste to leave without learning anything.

"It wasn't my choice." He finally confessed mid sobs. "Orpheus promised me he would make me the Don if I got rid of you."

"And you thought that was possible?"

"H-how did you know? Did Orpheus betray me?"

"No. But you just betrayed him by spilling. Your traps were just too stupid not to see through." I heard the same clicking sound from before. My cue to get up.

I stretched my legs as I got up, and adjusted my jacket. "Next time, maybe go with a bomb that doesn't make so much noise when activated." I turned like I was about to leave and I heard the light sound of a gun being cocked. I smiled.

Some people just didn't learn.

I heard the gun fire but my reflexes were faster. I dodged and immediately delivered the final blow to Drey. A shot to the head.

As I started to leave, I heard his phone ring and I answered it after seeing the familiar name on the screen.

"Well? Did you finish the job?"

"I was trying to be lenient Orpheus, but you were stupid enough to do something like this. Drey was my favorite bodyguard too, I have to avenge his death, don't I?"

I heard Orpheus swallow hard but he offered no response and instead just hung up the call.

I didn't have the intention of attending the meeting, but things had changed. I called my personal assistant. "We're heading back to Italy tomorrow. It's time I addressed things in person."

The plane touched down with a soft lurch, and I immediately rushed to get down. At the airport, I kept chewing mints to suppress the nausea.

Our bags were cleared and all through the process, my assistant, Hugo, kept glancing at me like he was hiding a bomb in his pocket.

"Hugo,"

He swallowed, flinching at the sound of my voice. But it wasn't out of fear, and that was one of the reasons he became my assistant in the first place. Hugo never feared me.

"Don, your residence in the city, it isn't ready. The staff... uh... they need more time for preparations."

I gave him a slow look. "My residence. The one I purchased months ago."

"Yeah, that one."

"And they need... more time."

His breathing became shallow. He didn't fear me, but he also didn't want to get punished. "That's not all," he added quickly.

"What now?" I turned to face him completely.

"Leonardo Moretti reached out to me yesterday." Hugo took a step away. "He said- insisted, actually- that you stay with his family until your place is ready. He said he already cleared out a master bedroom for you."

I kept my gaze fixed on him, then laughed once- low, humorless. Leonardo Moretti, of all people.

"He sent a car for us, sir," Hugo added softly. "And... he came in person."

My amusement vanished in an instant. "He came. To the airport?"

"Yes."

That was odd, he was too eager. I was certain he was never this welcoming to all his business partners. Which meant only one thing; He was hiding something.

"I assume you accepted," I said.

Hugo nodded nervously. "It seemed like a good solution, and he said he didn't mind waiting-"

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mind."

I stood still, my hands casually slipping into my pockets, while my mind calculated every possible reason behind Leo's actions. The chaos in Italy these last weeks weere annoying enough and now Leo, of all people, wanted me under his roof?

We walked through the VIP exit, and there he was. Leo Moretti. He leaned on the side of an expensive looking car, his arms crossed over his chest. His fitted black coat was adorned with the Moretti crest stitched delicately on the breast pocket.

His expression was smug, and behind the dark sunglasses, I was sure he still had that mighty look in his eyes. I almost shook my head in disappointment, he still looked exactly like the boy who pretended to be perfect.

He spotted us and walked up with a bright, rehearsed smile.

"Dante," he greeted. "Welcome back to Italy."

Dante? Since when were we on a first name basis?

I returned a polite nod, letting my eyes drag over him just long enough to make him uneasy. "Leonardo."

His eye twitched, but his smile never left his face. He probably didn't expect me to address him by his first name as well.

"We've prepared a room for you at my home. My father insisted. He's been eager to meet you."

An obvious lie. Mr Moretti didn't "eagerly meet" anyone. He tolerated, commanded, or eliminated. But I chose not to question him. I simply stepped into the car he opened.

When the door closed behind us, I let a smile curl at the corner of my mouth.

'Why are you so desperate to keep me close, Leo?'

We didn't head to the Moretti mansion as I was expecting, instead he drove to a private estate in the heart of Colline Nere. To think of all the places he could live, it had to be in my father's territory.

But even among the similar looking houses, Leo made sure his stood out. The atmospnere was grand, cold, suffocating beneath its own wealth.

As the car rolled to a stop at the front entrance, I noticed a small figure sitting on the front porch. A boy, probably between seven to nine, or ten. Guessing children's age had always been problematic for me.

I had no idea why, but something about that kid disrupted my entire system. He was holding a book, his deep brown eyes scanning the contents a little too intense for a child.

Leo must have noticed me staring because he smiled and called the boy over. "This is my son, Caleb." He nudged him towards me and the boy bowed his head slightly.

"Hello. I'm Caleb."

My jaw tightened as I stared at him. Caleb returned my gaze boldly. I could feel his eyes tracing the outline of my face. Not knowing how to react, my body stiffened under the delving stare until Leo spoke again.

"Go inside and help your mother."

Caleb glanced at Leo, nodded and returned his gaze to me. "Nice to meet you." He said slowly before walking into the house.

Once we got inside, the scent of herbs and simmering tomatoes drifted from the kitchen, homemade cooking. Leo proudly announced that his wife was an excellent cook and that we'd enjoy all of her meals.

I didn't need anyone to tell me that, the aroma that came from the kitchen was not only inviting, it was familiar. Very familiar.

"Lunch is ready."

That voice. I could never forget it, fragile but burning quietly.

Leo, the lucky bastard.

She walked out of the kitchen in a soft pink dress, wiping her hands on a towel. "Are you ready to-" She lifted her gaze, and they fell on me. "-eat?" the color drained from her face and she clutched the towel so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Those wide grey eyes- just as they were the last time she looked at me as a terrified sixteen-year-old girl, time did nothing to dull them. Her lips parted, but no words came out of her.

Leo didn't notice at all. "Sophia, this is Dante. He'll be staying with us for a while." He said, pulling her forward. "Dante, this is my wife."

She swallowed, her eyes never leaving mine. "Welcome," she whispered with trembling voice.

Leo placed a hand on her back- a gesture he probably thought looked affectionate. "Set the table, I'm sure our guest must be hungry from his trip. Okay?"

She nodded and immediately withdrew from his touch. Interesting.

She recognized me, that was certain. But why was she panicking so much? Her long lashes fluttered everytime she blinked. She looked like she wanted to hide away from my gaze but at the same time she couldn't bear to look away.

I held her gaze a second longer than appropriate.

Long enough to confirm that she knew who I was.

Leo, completely oblivious, walked ahead, talking about the master bedroom and how much privacy I would have.

Sophia stepped aside quietly, letting us pass. But as I walked by, I felt her gaze follow me all the way to the top of the stairs.

When she thought I was out of earshot, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "No."