The Woman In White

CHAPTER 3

SALVATORE POV

The first thing Lena Moretti did after arriving on my island was glare at me like she wanted to watch me burn alive. Interesting.

Most people arrived here terrified. Broken or either begging.

But Lena stood in the middle of my fortress soaked in rain, blood staining her wedding dress, dark hair clinging to her face, and looked at me like hatred alone could kill me.

The storm crashed violently around us while my men secured the dock behind us. Nobody spoke. Nobody dared.

Because they all felt it too. That tension. Sharp enough to split skin open.

I grabbed the dead guard's body and shoved it aside carelessly before scanning the cliffs above us.

"Find the sniper," I ordered coldly.

Charlie nodded immediately. "Alive?"

"No."

My voice came out flat. Emotionless.

The men scattered instantly.

Lena watched me carefully while keeping Matteo behind her again. Always protecting him. Always standing in front of danger like she thought her body alone could stop bullets.

It was reckless and stupid. And for some reason, it irritated me more than it should.

The rain poured harder as we walked toward the fortress overlooking the sea. The island was impossible to escape from. Black cliffs and fully armed guards.

I built it that way for a reason. Trust gets men killed. Fear keeps them alive.

Matteo stayed glued to Lena's side while she silently looked around the massive estate. Most women would've stared in awe at the size of it.

She didn't. She looked everywhere as if she's memorizing it. The security cameras. Exit. Guard positions.

Smart girl.

"You won't escape," I said without looking at her.

Her voice came instantly. "Good thing I wasn't asking permission."

God. That mouth.

Charlie opened the fortress doors while servants immediately lowered their eyes as I entered. Fear spread through the halls quickly.

"The Romano ghost had returned home and he brought a Moretti bride with him."

The irony almost made me laugh. Almost.

Lena stopped walking once we entered the main hall. She looked small standing there in that ruined white dress. But not weak. Never weak.

Matteo finally spoke quietly beside her. "Lena…"

He looked exhausted. Terrified. The kid had blood on his shoes. Too much trauma for a sixteen-year-old.

Something ugly twisted in my chest again. I ignored it immediately. Weakness was dangerous. Especially around her.

A maid approached nervously. "S-Sir, should I prepare separate rooms?"

Before I could answer, one of the guards laughed quietly behind me. "Does it matter? She'll end up in his bed eventually."

Silence. Dead silence. The entire room froze instantly.

Charlie closed his eyes briefly like he already knew what was coming. The guard realized his mistake too late.

I turned slowly. Very slowly. Fear drained the color from his face immediately.

"Repeat that."

"N-Nothing, boss. I didn't mean—"

I shot him in the leg. The scream echoed violently through the hall.

Matteo flinched. The servants looked horrified. Lena stared at me in shock.

I walked toward the bleeding guard calmly while he cried out on the floor.

"When you speak about her," I said softly, "you remember she is under my protection."

The guard nodded frantically through the pain. "Yes—yes, boss—"

"Good."

I walked away without another glance.

The hall stayed silent. Heavy. Tense.

Then Lena spoke carefully behind me. "You just shot your own man."

"He forgot his place."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what exactly is my place?"

I looked at her then. Really looked at her.

Rain-soaked hair. Blood-stained white silk clinging to her body. Anger burning in dark eyes. Beautiful. Too beautiful for this kind of life.

The thought irritated me instantly.

"You're leverage," I answered coldly.

Something flashed across her face. Not hurt. Disbelief. Like she knew I was lying to myself.

Dangerous woman.

Charlie stepped forward carefully. "Boss, the rooms are ready."

I nodded once. "Put Matteo in the east wing."

Lena immediately stiffened. "No."

I looked at her calmly. "He'll be safer there."

"He stays with me."

"It wasn't a request."

Lightning flashed outside. For a second, her face looked almost haunted.

Then she stepped closer to me slowly. Too close. Close enough for me to smell rainwater and jasmine again.

"You don't get to separate us after murdering my family."

The hatred in her voice should've pleased me. Instead, exhaustion hit me unexpectedly.

Because she still didn't understand. This wasn't revenge anymore. Not completely. And that terrified me.

Matteo touched her arm gently. "Lena… it's okay."

"No, it's not."

Her voice cracked slightly that time. First real crack. She looked emotionally exhausted but still refused to bend. I'd seen powerful men break easier than this woman.

I lowered my voice. "He'll have guards outside his room all night."

"And what stops those guards from becoming another threat?"

The question landed harder than she intended. Because she wasn't wrong. I knew exactly what men were capable of. Especially men raised in this world.

I stepped even closer. So close her breathing changed slightly.

"You have my word."

She laughed bitterly. "Your words mean nothing to me."

Fair. But for some reason, I wanted it to. That realization unsettled me more than the sniper attack.

Lena stared directly into my eyes. Defiant. Angry. And underneath all that fire, afraid.

Not for herself. For Matteo. Always Matteo.

I remembered another pair of eyes suddenly. My mother's. The night she pushed me behind her while men with guns stormed our house.

Protective. Terrified. Trying to save someone even while dying.

The memory hit so hard my jaw tightened instantly. Lena noticed. Of course she noticed. Emotionally intelligent. Observant. Dangerous.

"What happened to you?" she asked quietly.

The question sliced through the room. Charlie immediately looked away.

Nobody has asked me questions like that. But Lena stood there waiting anyway.

I stared at her for a long moment. Then smiled slightly. Cold. Empty.

"You should worry more about what's going to happen to you."

The tension between us thickened instantly. Matteo shifted awkwardly beside her. Smart kid. He could feel it too. That dangerous pull.

Lena hated me. She should hate me. But every time she looked at me, something dark sparked between us anyway. Something neither of us wanted.

I turned toward the staircase. "Take Matteo upstairs."

Two guards approached carefully. Lena grabbed Matteo's hand immediately.

Fear flashed across her face again. I hated seeing it. Another irritating realization.

Matteo squeezed her hand gently before following the guards upstairs. He looked back at her twice. Then he disappeared.

The second he was gone, the atmosphere changed completely. Quieter. Sharper. Even more dangerous.

Lena crossed her arms slowly. "What now?"

Now. That one word carried too much tension.

I stepped closer again. Close enough to see goosebumps rise along her damp skin. Her breath hitched slightly.

There it was. The tension between us. No matter how much she hated me, her body still reacted. Mine did too. That was the problem.

"You'll stay here," I said calmly.

"And if I refuse?"

I leaned down slightly. "Then I'll lock the doors."

Her eyes flashed angrily. "You think control makes you powerful?"

"No," I murmured. "I think survival does."

For one brief second, something changed in her expression. Like she understood that answer more than she wanted to.

Then her gaze dropped briefly to the blood staining my gloves.

"You're bleeding."

I looked down. The sniper's bullet must've grazed my side earlier during the chaos. I barely noticed.

Lena noticed immediately. Interesting.

"It's nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

A soft laugh almost escaped me. Almost.

She studied me too carefully. Like she was trying to solve me. Nobody solved me. That man died ten years ago with the rest of the Romano family.

I grabbed her chin suddenly. Not rough. But firm enough to remind her who controlled this place.

Her breath caught instantly. Those dark eyes locked onto mine. Beautiful. Furious. Alive.

"You should stop looking at me like that," I said quietly.

"Like what?"

"Like you're trying to understand me."

The air between us turned dangerously heavy. She didn't pull away. Didn't tremble. Just stared at me while my thumb brushed lightly against her jaw.

Soft skin. Warm skin.

My control slipped for exactly one second. Enough to imagine what she'd sound like beneath me. Enough to hate myself for it immediately.

Lena noticed the shift in my expression. Of course she did.

"What are you really planning?" she whispered.

I released her instantly. Distance. I needed distance.

Because this woman was becoming dangerous to me far too quickly.

"You should sleep," I said coldly.

"And you should stop pretending I'm only leverage."

The words hit like a knife. Sharp because they were true.

Before I could answer, Charlie's voice came through my earpiece.

"Boss."

My expression hardened immediately. "What?"

A pause.

Then—

"We found the sniper."

I started walking instantly. Lena grabbed my arm before I could leave.

The contact sent heat straight through me. Her voice dropped low.

"Who sent him?"

I looked at her carefully. Then answered the one thing I knew would destroy whatever safety she still felt.

"Your fiancé."