I didn’t move. I didn’t blink. I wasn’t sure I could. After all, the mafia boss, the criminal named Vincent Vescari, had his eyes on me.
There was nothing overtly threatening about him, to be honest. No dark scowl or vicious sneer, no arrogance in his posture. Just the kind of intensity as he looked at me like he was reading scripture etched into my bones.Vincent moved with slow, assured steps. The same way waves hit the shore, or winter followed fall. And still, his gaze didn’t shift. Didn’t flicker. Not even once.I felt like I was standing beneath a stormcloud that hadn’t decided whether to strike lightning or pour rain.Then, without warning, Misha positioned himself between me and the man with whom I apparently shared a bloodline. A subtle move, really. Non-confrontational by normal standards, but there was nothing casual about the tension that rippled beneath it.Misha extended a hand. “Mr. Vescari.”Vincent stopped a fooA soft knock stirred me from sleep. I blinked up at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented, until the knocking came again. Hesitant, but persistent.“Miss Lorraine?” came a voice through the door. “Breakfast is ready.”Right.Vescari’s mansion.Last night’s storm of memories.And Misha’s silence.I sat up slowly, rubbing the heaviness from my eyes. I didn’t remember falling asleep. Just that I’d collapsed on the edge of the bed after the thoughts gutted me, clothes still on, and my heart still aching. I padded to the door and opened it halfway. A young maid stood there, maybe twenty or so, her dark hair tied back in a low bun, eyes kind but a little unsure. “Would you like to have breakfast in the dining hall or upstairs like dinner last night?”“I get to choose?”She gave a small smile. “Yes, of course. Most of us eat in the hall. Mr. Vescari usually joins when he’s here, unless he’s having a
I asked before I could stop myself.“…Did you know I was going to accidentally kidnap you?”Misha didn’t answer right away. Of course he didn't. He just looked at me like the question was a ripple he’d already anticipated long before I ever utter the first word. “I was bored,” he said casually, eyes narrowing with that infuriating calm of his. “It was an… interesting detour.”I stared right back at him, swallowed hard. “You let me kidnap you.”“Not many things surprise me anymore.” His voice was almost light. Almost teasing. But it didn’t reach his eyes. “But that night? That was a good surprise.”“So you didn’t fight back not because you couldn’t, but because you thought it’d be fun?”Misha considered it for a second, “I wouldn’t have said fun, but it turned out to be.”I clenched my fists. “Did you know who I was when it happened?”He didn’t respond, just let the silence stretch.“Misha.” I
Misha finally broke the silence before I could even breathe out a question. “What if I told you I’ve got a wager worth your time?” I saw the flicker in Ace’s expression. He blinked, tilting his head like a dog catching a sound just interesting enough to prick its ears. “Go on, golden boy, I’m listening.”“If you don’t breathe a word of what you think I’m doing, I’ll make it worth your while.”Ace raised a brow. “So we’re doing hush money now?”“No,” Misha said evenly. “A gamble. Three months. That’s all I’m asking. Let me operate in silence. Let me move beneath Silas’s radar. At the end of it, I’ll show you something that changes everything.”“And if it doesn’t?” Ace’s voice was all edges now, sharp and skeptical.“Then blow the whistle. Out me to Vincent, drag me through the fire, take the whole thing down.”My heart thudded. Misha sounded too sure. But that was how he was. Certainty like armor, words like weapons.
“Your haul,” he tilted his head at me. “Or did you forget your one-dollar bet already?”“Oh.”Right. That ridiculous, last-minute one-dollar bet I threw on Misha. A loan I got from Vincent himself.“Practically everyone else threw their cash at Knuckles because they always like gambling. Or for respect. Loyalty. Or just dumb brute faith.”He handed the stacked bills to me and that was when my jaw nearly unhinged. “You’re now the proud owner of every dollar those arrogant meatheads wasted tonight. That’s nearly a hundred people, by the way.”“Oh my God,” I muttered, eyes wide as I stared at the cash.Misha leaned closer and gave a low whistle. “You just robbed the pit without throwing a single punch.”“Thanks to you,” I muttered.“Power couple things. Kind of hot, hmm?” Misha's eyes twinkled with mischief. “I’m proud of you, Angel.”Ace groaned like the sight of us being so close physically hurt him. “Fo
“What is it that you want, boy?” Misha slipped his hands into his pants pockets and looked at Vincent. “I want control.”There was a collective intake of breath. What— After a painfully stretched silence, Vincent finally said, "You're bold. But boldness doesn’t earn a seat at my table. I don’t hand over my house keys to the first stray dog that bites.” “I’m not asking for keys,” Misha replied. “I’m demanding a trial. You saw what I can do. I didn’t just win a fight. I shook your fucking throne room. Everyone here will remember this night. You will.”“You want me to give you command?” Vincent asked, voice colder now. “Of what? Of whom?”“I’m not picky.”That answer caused confusion. Already at its tipping point, the pit quieted into a sharper silence.Vincent regarded Misha like one might a particularly bold insect that refused to die underfoot. “You’re not picky.”“No,” Misha said, cool and
I pressed both hands to my mouth, knees weak, tears suddenly stinging the backs of my eyes.Misha won the fight, but the crowd exploded with rage.“No way!”“Rigged! That was fucking rigged!”“Get up, Knuckles! You can’t fucking lose to that pretty punk!”The boos hit like a physical wave, rattling through the arena, but I didn’t care. Let them throw tantrums. Let them scream. Let them watch their brute fall to the one they all bet against.My hands were still shaking as I looked at Misha.He wasn’t smiling. Wasn’t taunting. Just breathing. Barely upright. His arms hung limp at his sides, his head bowed for a second before he looked up right at me. He winked cheekily. Only then did I exhale a big relief. Ace let out a low whistle next to me, his jaw slack. “Well, shit. I stand corrected.”Renaldi looked like he was about to throw a tantrum. His face was blotched red with fury, fists clenched