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."

SOPHIA

I set the table, constantly glancing at Dante, who never tore his eyes off me. Why was he here? How?

The whole of Italy mourned for him after his 'tragic death' in a fire accident. The guilt of not being able to save him had weighed on me for years, and now here he was, seated at my dining.

"Sophia," he said my name so casually, as if it was something he said everyday. "May I call you Sophia? I'm afraid I have the habit of addressing everyone by their first name." he smiled, that same downturned smile I used to hate seeing.

"Dante, is it?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

He nodded, still smiling at me.

"Okay. So you work with my husband?"

He smiled again, like he was amused by my words. "Temporarily. It's a contract, and your husband still needs to convince me that all this is worth my time."

"I can assure you Dante, signing this contract will be of a huge benefit to your company as well." Leo said. "But we shouldn't discuss business over a meal. You should eat and then we can talk."

The dining room was filled with an odd kind of tension. Dante kept his eyes on me, and I noticed Caleb studying him. The only person who seemed to eat carefree was Leo. Clearly he had no idea who Dante was.

"What's your eye color?"

My fork clanked on my plate when I heard Caleb's question. "Come on now baby, we shouldn't bother our guest."

"The little dude is just curious, it's no bother at all." Dante leaned closer to Caleb. "It's obsidian, just like yours."

"I thought so." Caleb nodded thoughtfully.

The room fell silent once more, except for the sound of the cutlery clicking against the ceramic plates. Unable to eat anymore, I pushed my plate forward, waiting for the others to finish.

"Since we're on the topic, Sophia, might I say that you have such lovely eyes."

I glanced at Dante but looked away just as quickly.

Leo was the one who answered. "Yes, that has always been one of her best qualities." The smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes. "As her husband, I must be so lucky that someone with such lovely eyes belongs to me, right?"

Dante tilted his head slightly but offered no reply.

I sat quietly, counting the seconds till I could excuse myself. The only thing stopping me was Leo's rule to never leave while he was still eating.

"Sophia, if I remember correctly, your birthday is this week right? Do you have anything special planned?"

I slowly looked up at Dante, "How.... did you know my birthday?" I asked in a daze. Leo had never remembered, or maybe he just didn't care about it.

He raised a brow at me, as if to say, 'how could I forget?'

My heart tightened and I felt like I would cry. I found it hard to believe that he would remember, especially after being apart for nine long years.

Leo must have been waiting for Dante's response, because he asked again. "How did you know my wife's birthday?"

"Not sure." Dante replied nonchalantly. "Must have seen it somewhere online." He turned to Caleb. "What about you? Did you prepare anything special?"

The kid perked up, a childish grin on his face. "It's a secret."

"Ohh, cool. If you need any help, come to me."

"You mean it?"

The happiness on his face almost broke my heart.

"Of course." Dante raised his hand and Caleb high fived him. "We'll be a cool team."

"We can start tomorrow. I have-" he paused abruptly, glancing at Leo. "Daddy, can I? You already said you don't have time and I can't do it on my own."

Leo forced a smile, but it did little to hide his discomfort. "Of course." He dropped his fork and pushed his chair back. "Dante, you'll have to excuse me, there's something I need to do." He got up and left the dining room.

Seeing that moment as an opportunity, I quickly packed up his plate along with mine and rushed off to the kitchen.

Once alone, my curiosity came crashing down on me. I dropped to my knees as I contemplated what Dante's appearance meant for me.

Did he know something?

Was he planning something?

Was it really just a coincidence? But if that was the case, why didn't he tell Leo who he was? It was clear that Leo was unaware of their high school connection.

I had too many questions, and no answer. My mind went back to the first time I met Dante.

It was the beginning of senior year, and I was a part of the student committee. That morning, I was returning from the teacher's office when someone bumped into me.

"Watch where you're going." I bent to retrieve his notebook which had fallen. "Here. You should be more careful next time."

He yanked the note from my hand and walked past me, bumping my shoulder intentionally as he passed.

I remember thinking that he was an asshole then.

"What are we doing?"

For some reason, I wasn't surprised when he walked in. In fact, it was almost like I was .... expecting him to?

Still on my knees, I raised my head to meet his gaze. "Why are you here?"

"The house I bought isn't ready yet, and your husband so generously insisted I stay here rather than a hotel."

"That's not what I meant. Why?"

"Why? Cause we have a business deal together."

"Dante -"

"You still look so beautiful,"

The compliment caught me off guard and I looked away to prevent him from seeing my flushed cheeks.

"..you seem to have lost your edge though." He continued. "Is it because you got married?"

With every word he spoke, his voice was getting closer. Somehow I knew that he would stop if I looked at him, but I just couldn't bring myself to.

"Do you remember how you rejected me back in high school? No one had ever said no to me before."

I felt his hand touch my hair, then he wrapped a lock around his finger. The gesture brought back memories and something else....

"What do you say? Should I try again?"

My breath caught. And for the first time in years, I didn't know whether to run from him.... or toward him.