LOGINL A N A“Then we are finished here.” Don Alessandro lets out a breath of relief, his voice noticeable as he and the other leaders begin to stand. Everyone around the room follows their lead, chairs shifting across the floor as people start gathering their belongings and speaking quietly among themselves. I remain where I am for another second, watching the room change now that the meeting is finally coming to an end, and even though nobody has actually said that the danger is over, I can feel the tension easing slightly as the families prepare to leave. I glance toward Dante, expecting him to move immediately, but he stays where he is, his attention still moving around the room as if he's making sure nothing unexpected happens before we leave, as he glances over at me every few seconds.“So soon? I expected a little more action than that...” Don Morleno lets out, sounding almost disappointed as he rises from his chair.“I suggest you find something else to occupy your time,” Dante ans
L A N AMy face begins to heat up as I realise that every person in the room now has their eyes on me. I have no idea where to look, as my nerves worsen by the second. And so I lower my eyes toward the floor, wishing I could somehow make myself disappear from the conversation. But I can already hear them murmuring amongst themselves as their attention bounces back between Ezio and Dante and I.“Her?” Don Alessandro is the first to speak, his brows drawing together. “What does she have to do with any of this?”I swallow as I glance away for a second, feeling too nervous to look at anyone, but I quickly realise that now is not the time for me to seem weak. I mean, they're mafiosos; they probably already do see me as a weak outsider, but there's no reason for me to feed into that narrative. I then watch as Dante slowly turns his head toward Ezio.“Would you like to tell them,” he asks, his voice calm, “or shall I?”Ezio doesn't answer, and for the first time since I walked into this roo
L A N AThe moment Don Luigi Morleno walks into the room, the atmosphere changes. Everyone tenses as they look back at him, especially Dante and Ezio. It's almost as if they've forgotten they were just going at each other a few moments ago.I pay close attention to the way they react to Don Luigi. They're irritated on top of anything else, and for the first time, I've seen them actually agree on something.I watch as Don Luigi remains seated in the chair at the head of the table, casually swinging around every few seconds with an easy smile on his face, as though he's arriving at a dinner party instead of a meeting between the most dangerous people in the Underground."Oh come now..." he says with a grin. "I expected a more welcoming response..." He lets out, but no one answers him.I glance toward both Dante and Ezio, noticing that both their expressions remain unchanged; in fact, Ezio seems more displeased about Don Luigi being here than anyone else in the room.I don't know how obl
L A N AAs I maintain eye contact with Ezio, every bit of confidence I managed to build during the drive over starts slipping away.He's standing on the opposite side of the room with several people around him, all dressed in dark tailored suits, talking quietly amongst themselves until we walk in.Then they all stop to look at us.My heart begins beating faster as I recognise a familiar face standing beside Ezio.Fernanda...The woman who helped him back at the mansion, the same woman who had a gun pointed at my spine and threatened to shoot if I didn't do as she said.Her eyes meet mine for only a second before she looks away again, almost as if she is completely displeased with my presence.I instinctively move a little closer to Dante, trying hard not to let my nervousness show in a room full of strangers, but I'm sure by now they've all noticed my little gesture. Dante turns to look down at me, his eyes meeting mine momentarily, almost as if he is quietly asking me: Are you okay?
L A N AThe drive to the Domenicali Hotel is quiet, and the silence that fills the car is much heavier than anything I'm used to.Nobody is joking now.Bonnie sits in the front passenger seat while Nico drives, talking only when they need to, while Amos and Daniella ride in another vehicle behind us. As for me? I'm seated at the backseat of the car... right beside Dante...Neither of us says much during the entire ride. I keep my hands folded together in my lap, trying not to think too far ahead, but it's impossible not to. My mind keeps wandering back to everything Dante told me about the Underground, the families, the alliances, the rules that keep them from tearing each other apart every single day.And today I'll finally see it with my own eyes...I'll see Ezio again.Just thinking his name makes my stomach tighten as I shift uncomfortably in my seat.I wonder how he'll react when he sees me. I wonder if he'll be angry... or just act as possessive as he did when he showed up at Ty
L A N ABy the time Dante and I reach the dining room, I already know everyone inside has heard us coming.The conversation dips right before we step through the doorway, like they all had one last comment to get out before the boss walked in and now they've switched back into whatever version of polite counts in a house run by a man like Dante Valencia, which, from what I've seen, still leaves a lot of room for side-eyes, sarcasm, and Amos talking far too loudly for a person who claims to work security."Boss, you have to try the cotechino today. It's absolutely magical," Amos calls out the second we walk in, already halfway through his plate and looking deeply pleased with himself.Dante shakes his head in response, but there is the faintest trace of amusement on his face. "I see you've wasted no time in indulging."Amos lifts his fork in defense of his own honour. "I'm gonna need my strength for today, especially if we're seeing the Benedettis."Bonnie, seated with one leg crossed
L A N AHe stops a few feet away from me, crouching slowly until we are almost at eye level, his gaze searching my face with an intensity that makes my breath hitch. I expect cruelty, a demand or another command that strips away what little control I have left.But instead, his voice comes out calm
L A N A"You made it with forty seconds to spare..." I hear Fernanda's voice, making me turn in her direction, watching as she stands with a woman close to her, holding onto a tablet. "Good, we have a tight schedule." He says before she makes her way over to me. "Begin." She orders, and before I c
L A N ADaniella leads the way without saying a word, and I follow a few steps behind her, my shoes quiet against the smooth floors, my body still moving on borrowed energy. The halls stretch long and clean, nothing like the looming luxury of Ezio’s estate, and yet just as intimidating in a differe
L A N AI am painfully aware of how small I feel standing here.Not just physically, though that is impossible to ignore, the way Dante stands taller than everyone else in the room, the way his presence seems to take up space without effort, but emotionally too, like I am a child who wandered into







