ログイン(Adriano Pov)Yes.One simple word, yet somehow it hit harder than gunfire ever had, for several seconds I could only stare at her.Melissa looked back at me calmly, completely unaware that she had just altered the course of my entire life with one quiet answer.Yes.Not hesitant, not afraid, not conditional, just certain, the terrifying thing was how badly I wanted to believe her, how desperately some ruined part of me wanted to hold onto that single word and build an entire future around it.A future, again that impossible thought, I brushed my thumb slowly against her cheek while my mind struggled between instinct and emotion, instinct told me love was weakness, emotion told me she was becoming the only thing keeping me human which was a dangerous combination.“You shouldn’t say things like that so easily,” I murmured quietly.Melissa frowned immediately.“I wasn’t lying.”“I know.”That was the problem, she meant every word and somehow that terrified me more than manipulation ever
(Melissa pov)For a moment I simply stared at him, the room felt too quiet, Adriano’s question lingered between us like something fragile and dangerous at the same time, would you still choose me anyway?The strange thing was that he sounded almost afraid asking it, not physically afraid but emotionally and that honestly shocked me more than anything else, because Adriano Rossi feared almost nothing.Yet right now, sitting beside me in the dim light of the bedroom with tension visible in his eyes, he looked like a man waiting for a verdict capable of destroying him, my chest tightened painfully at the sight.“Why are you asking me that?” I whispered softly.He didn’t answer immediately, Adriano always carried silence like armor whenever something mattered too much, I studied him carefully while trying to understand what exactly was happening inside his head tonight.Something felt different, Like he was carrying a decision he didn’t know how to make.“You’ve been distant since earlier
(Adriano Pov)The mansion was finally quiet again.Melissa’s friends had left hours ago after turning half the house upside down with laughter, questions, stolen desserts from the kitchen, and enough noise to confuse my guards into believing an actual attack was happening at one point.Now silence had returned, but unlike before Melissa entered my life, the silence no longer felt peaceful, It felt temporary, like the calm before something terrible.I stood alone inside my office staring out through the massive glass windows overlooking the city while rain continued falling steadily across the streets below.Somewhere upstairs, Melissa was sleeping, completely unaware that her father had returned from the dead.Completely unaware that powerful men were preparing wars around her existence, completely unaware that every decision I made now could either protect her or destroy her, I loosened my tie slowly before sitting down heavily against the leather chair behind the desk.For the first
(Adriano pov)Nobody in the room moved, nobody breathed too loudly, the moment the name Salvatore Moretti entered the conversation, the atmosphere inside the meeting room changed completely, fear existed in every criminal empire, but there were certain men whose names carried something worse than fear.Legend.Salvatore Moretti was one of those men and right now, one of the most dangerous ghosts in organized crime history was speaking directly into my ear.“You’ve been difficult to reach,” I said calmly while keeping my expression unreadable.Across the room, Luca stared at me carefully while the others remained frozen in complete silence.“You’re not as invisible as you think, Adriano Rossi,” the older man replied.His voice sounded controlled, intelligent, experienced, not loud, men like him never needed to raise their voices, power already spoke for them.“I assume this call isn’t social.”A low chuckle echoed through the phone.“No. This is about my daughter.”There it was again,
(Adriano Pov)The meeting room inside the eastern wing was silent except for the sound of rain striking against the tall windows, I stood near the table reading documents Luca had placed in front of me while several men waited quietly around the room for instructions.No one spoke carelessly in rooms like this, not when tension was already hanging heavily in the air, not when war was slowly approaching, Luca leaned back against the chair with exhaustion written across his face while another man projected surveillance photographs onto the large screen mounted on the wall.Photographs of Melissa, leaving class, entering cafes, walking across campus laughing with her friends completely unaware that powerful men were discussing her existence like the center of an international conflict, rage simmered low inside my chest again.One of Romano’s captains had been caught two hours ago carrying more photographs in his car, Melissa from different angles, different days, different locations, the
(Melissa Pov)The second Zara recovered from the shock of openly flirting with Adriano Rossi and surviving, her confidence returned at full force, which immediately became a problem for me because Zara with confidence was one of the most uncontrollable human beings on earth.Emily still looked nervous standing beside the entrance while Chloe stared around the mansion with open fascination like she had accidentally walked into the set of a crime movie instead of a real house where actual dangerous men lived and carried loaded guns.Meanwhile, Adriano remained standing beside me with one hand resting casually inside his pocket while several guards lingered quietly in the background pretending not to listen even though they were very clearly listening to everything.Zara looked Adriano up and down dramatically before placing a hand over her chest.“Okay, Melissa, I officially forgive you for disappearing because now I understand why.”I closed my eyes immediately.“Please don’t start.”“
(Adriano pov)“Tell him I’m here.”The words left my mouth like a blade drawn in the dark. the guard nodded once, sharp and obedient, as we stepped out of the car. Gravel cracked beneath my shoes like brittle bones. The compound was quiet, guarded by men who knew better than to breathe wrong in my
(Melissa pov)“Open the door.”“No.”“You’re not seriously refusing to let me in my own room,” Adriano’s voice came from the other side, calm but edged with something dangerous.“I am,” I replied, arms crossed even though he couldn’t see me. “And I will continue to refuse.”“You’re still angry.”I
(Melissa pov)“You need to move.”“I’m not moving,” I said flatly, tightening my grip on my bag as I stared at the guard blocking the door.“The boss said you’re not to leave,” he replied, his tone respectful but firm, like he had already decided this conversation was over.“I don’t care what he sa
(Adriano pov)“Talk,” I commanded, dropping the hammer with a clang, grabbing his chin again, flesh yielding soft and pulpy now, the man swallowed convulsively, blood bubbling at his lips. “It wasn’t... supposed to go like this. They said you wouldn’t be out yet. Shipment moves clean.”“Who said t







