Chapter One: Shadows Beneath the Sun

The sun hung low over the Sardinian coast, casting golden light across the terracotta rooftops and olive groves. The air smelled of salt and rosemary, and the waves whispered secrets to the shore. It was the kind of evening that made even the most hardened hearts soften—except in the world of the Dons, where softness was weakness, and love was a liability.

Amaro De Luca stood at the edge of the cliffside villa, his gaze fixed on the horizon. His tailored linen shirt fluttered in the breeze, but his mind was far from the serenity around him. He had come to Sardinia under the guise of diplomacy, sent by his father, Don Vittorio De Luca—the head of the Neapolitan mafia—to negotiate a truce with the Moretti family.

But Amaro had his own reasons for coming.

She was the reason.

Lucia Moretti. The daughter of Don Salvatore Moretti, the most feared man in southern Italy. She was fire and silk, danger and grace. And she was forbidden.

They had met once, years ago, at a wedding in Palermo. She was seventeen, he was twenty. Their eyes had locked across the marble ballroom, and for a moment, the world had gone silent. No one had spoken of it. No one dared. But Amaro had never forgotten.

Now, as the sun dipped below the sea, he heard footsteps behind him.

“You shouldn’t be here,” said a voice, low and sharp.

He turned slowly. Lucia stood in the doorway, her dark hair pulled into a loose braid, her eyes like storm clouds.

“I came for the meeting,” Amaro said, his voice calm. “Your father invited me.”

Lucia stepped forward, her sandals silent against the stone floor. “He invited Don De Luca. Not his son.”

Amaro smiled faintly. “My father is busy. He sent me in his place.”

Lucia crossed her arms. “He sent you because he knows you’re reckless. Because he knows you’ll do something stupid.”

“Like talk to you?”

“Exactly.”

They stood in silence, the tension between them thick as the Sardinian heat.

“I remember Palermo,” Amaro said quietly.

Lucia’s eyes flickered. “That was a long time ago.”

“Not to me.”

She looked away, toward the sea. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re enemies.”

Amaro stepped closer. “Are we?”

Lucia’s breath caught. She hated how he made her feel—like the world was simpler than it was. Like love could exist outside bloodlines and vendettas.

“My father would kill you,” she said.

“Your father would kill me for breathing too loudly.”

Lucia laughed, despite herself. It was a soft, reluctant sound.

Amaro took another step. “I didn’t come here for the truce. I came for you.”

Lucia’s eyes widened. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe. But I’m tired of pretending.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re saying. My father—he’s planning something. This meeting isn’t about peace. It’s about power.”

“I know.”

Lucia looked at him, startled. “You do?”

Amaro nodded. “My father suspects it. That’s why he sent me. He wants me to see it for myself.”

“And what will you do?”

“I’ll decide what side I’m on.”

Lucia stepped back. “There are no sides. Only survival.”

Amaro reached for her hand. “Then let’s survive together.”

She pulled away. “You don’t understand. My parents—my whole life—was built on obligation. They married because the mafia demanded it. There was no love. No choice.”

“Then choose me.”

Lucia stared at him, her heart pounding. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to run into his arms and forget everything. But she couldn’t.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

Amaro’s jaw tightened. “Then I’ll wait.”

Lucia turned and walked away, her silhouette swallowed by the shadows of the villa.

—

Later that night, the Moretti estate buzzed with tension. Don Salvatore sat at the head of the long dining table, his silver hair slicked back, his eyes cold and calculating. Amaro sat across from him, flanked by two bodyguards.

“You’re young,” Salvatore said, sipping his wine. “Too young to understand the weight of legacy.”

“I understand enough,” Amaro replied.

Salvatore leaned forward. “Your father was wise to send you. He knows this truce is delicate.”

Amaro nodded. “He also knows it’s temporary.”

Salvatore smiled. “You speak boldly.”

“I speak truth.”

Lucia entered the room, her presence drawing every eye. She sat beside her father, her gaze avoiding Amaro’s.

Salvatore gestured to the wine. “Drink. Tonight, we toast to peace.”

Amaro lifted his glass. “To peace.”

But as the glasses clinked, Lucia’s hand trembled.

She knew what her father was planning. She had overheard the conversation days ago—plans to lure the De Luca family into a false sense of security, then strike. It was tradition. It was war.

And Amaro was the bait.

After dinner, Lucia found Amaro in the garden.

“You need to leave,” she said urgently.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“My father will kill you.”

“Then let him try.”

Lucia grabbed his arm. “Please. I don’t want you to die.”

Amaro looked at her, his eyes soft. “Then come with me.”

Lucia hesitated. “I can’t.”

“You can.”

She shook her head. “If I leave, he’ll hunt us both.”

“Then we run far. We disappear.”

Lucia’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking for a chance. For us.”

She looked at him, torn between duty and desire.

“I’ll meet you at the harbor,” she whispered. “Tomorrow. At dawn.”

Amaro nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Lucia turned and vanished into the night, her heart heavy with hope and fear.

—

As the stars blinked above Sardinia, two hearts beat in defiance of centuries of bloodshed. The daughter of Don Moretti and the son of Don De Luca—bound by fate, torn by legacy—had chosen love.

But in the world of the mafia, love was the most dangerous game of all.