chapter 8

The beauty of the morning sun painted the clouds in soft shades of gold and peach. Birds glided across the clear sky as the world below slowly awakened. In the memory, five-year-old Rose ran through the garden with her arms spread wide like a butterfly her father chasing her between the bright flowers, her bare feet slapped lightly against the grass and her laughter rang out clear and bright.

“Mommy, Daddy can’t catch me!” she cried still running in circles. Her mother smiled from the porch carefully adding the final touches to a tray of cupcakes. The warm smell of sugar drifted through the air before her dad shouted “Boom! Caught you”

Her father scooped her up effortlessly and spun her around until her giggles filled the entire garden. Both parents laughed with her the kind of easy full laughter that made the morning feel endless and safe.

“Breakfast is ready” her mother called. They both rushed and sat at the small table still talking over each other between bites.

“Daddy let’s play kings later”

“Or I could teach you to scramble”

“Or you chase me again” Little Rose giggle again taking a spoonful of oat. Her mother listened with a soft smile with her chin resting in her hand. 

Rose has always been a daddy's girl “Aren’t you a little cutie, Daddy’s girl?”

“I’m not little. Daddy calls me big” Rose complained folding her small arms defensively across her chest.

Then, the memory shattered without warning.

Gunshots cracked through the night  

Blood spread across the floor

The store began to burn

Little Rose ran through the heavy rain tears streaming down her face with her small body shaking uncontrollably.

“Mom! Dad!”

“Go hide baby. Whatever you see or hear don’t make a sound. We love you.”

The words repeated, spinning through her mind like a broken record that refused to stop.

“I found him”

“Vincenzo Lombardi. Heir to the Eagle Mafia Clan” 

“A deal is a deal”

Her eyes flew open, two pairs of eyes looked back at her. One belonged to Isabel wide with worry, the other belonged to Vincenzo cold, steady and unreadable. Rose’s gaze locked on his and for a moment all she could see was the same terror she had felt the night her parents died making her chest tightened.

‘Make him fall in love with you. A deal is a deal’

Her fingers curled weakly around his arm with her nails lightly pressing into the fabric of his sleeve.

“Don’t go” Vincenzo’s expression darkened, but he stayed where he was, looking down at her in silence.

“Isabel—”

“You scared the living hell out of me” Isabel cut in, voice thick with leftover fear “You’ve been out for two days”

“Oh…” Rose’s mouth formed a small circle as the information slowly settled into her foggy mind.

Vincenzo stepped back slightly giving the two women space. Isabel pulled a chair closer to the bed the legs scraping softly against the floor before saying “Nightmares huh?”

“Yes” Rose whispered her eyes drifting toward the corner of the hospital room where a tray of untouched food sat growing cold.

“I saw your laptop” Isabel said quietly “Kelvin mentioned it” Rose exhaled heavily and closed her eyes for a second letting the weight of everything settle over her.

“You’ve waited for this day even before we met” Isabel continued resting her forehead gently against Rose’s. Her voice was soft but firm “Don’t screw it up. Do what you have to do… but I’m always here always” Isabel stood squeezed her hand once and went to call a doctor.

The moment the door clicked shut Vincenzo walked back in. He looked even more powerful than before, his presence filled the small room until it felt smaller Rose stared at him the man she had signed a deal to destroy. The more she thought about bringing him down the more the idea turned sharp and cold inside her chest.

‘Make him fall in love with you’

Since he liked to tease her it was her turn “Sorry for everything I caused you” she said softly but her voice was still rough from days of silence. “I’ll make it up to you”

Vincenzo chuckled under his breath the sound low and dark as he gently walked to the chair beside the bed with his both hands still buried in his pockets and sat down. He studied her carefully his eyes moving over her face as if calculating every possible outcome.

“How?” he asked and Rose met his gaze without looking away even though her heart was beating too fast.

“Claim me! Own me!”

A slow smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. His eyes dropped briefly to the marble floor before rising back to hers darker than before.

“Don’t play with the devil is dangerous princess”

“What if I want to learn how to play”

Something heavy flickered behind his eyes. He licked his lower lip once the look in his gaze growing sharper and more intense.

“Be my guest”

His phone rang before either of them could say more. Stefano’s name lit the screen so Vincenzo stood excused himself with a brief glance and stepped into the hallway with the door closing softly behind him.

---

“Victor DeLuca sent a message” Stefano said on the other end with his voice tight. Vincenzo’s jaw tightened as he leaned one shoulder against the wall staring down the empty hospital corridor.

“He doesn’t know when to quit”

Victor DeLuca leader of the Demon’s Mafia Clan. Manipulative, Intelligent and Dangerous. They had been rivals for years yet Vincenzo still stood as the stronger don.

“What’s the message?”

“He sent a picture of Rose, he’s marking her as a threat”

Vincenzo’s eyes drifted back toward the hospital room where she lay vulnerable on the bed his voice dropped into something final and cold.

“She stays with me from now on”

If he could go back and change the past he would have saved his sister. The memory rose unbidden twelve-year-old Sofia crying to their parents who wouldn't look at her or even believe a word she said 

“I was raped, Mom”

Instead his father would bark at her to shut up and had her sent back to her room. No one believed her until she was murdered and even now, years later nothing had been done.

Vincenzo ended the call and walked back into the room.

Before Rose could speak he was already standing at the foot of her bed with an expression unreadable with a decision already made.

“Move in with me!"