Chapter 2

The building rose like a monolith of black glass, a void that seemed to swallow the sunlight whole.

Vitiello Holdings.

It didn't look like an office. It looked like a fortress designed to keep the world out.

I stood in the lobby, clutching my bag, the sheer scale of the space making me feel smaller than I ever had in my life.

I had called the number. A man named Matteo had answered. He hadn't asked who I was; he had simply commanded me to be here at nine sharp.

Security was tighter than the airport. They scanned my bag, patted me down, and checked my ID three times before I was finally cleared.

I was escorted to the top floor in an elevator ride that was silent and unnervingly fast. My ears popped just as the doors slid open.

The reception area reeked of wealth, costing more than my entire apartment building.

A man was waiting for me. He was sharp, dressed in a grey suit, with predator's eyes that missed nothing.

Matteo. The Consigliere.

"Miss Rossini," he said.

He didn't offer his hand.

"You are prompt."

I tried to stand tall, squaring my shoulders against his scrutiny.

"I am here to discuss reparations for the suit," I said, hating the slight tremor in my voice. "And to propose an arrangement."

Matteo raised an eyebrow. He looked amused, but the expression was cold, cruel.

"An arrangement?" he asked. "You spill coffee on the Don, and you think you are in a position to negotiate?"

I took a breath, grounding myself.

"I am a journalist," I said. "I know your boss has an image problem. The shipping contracts, the union disputes. A humanizing piece in a reputable magazine could help."

Matteo laughed. It was a dry, humorless sound that scraped against my nerves.

"The Vitiellos do not do press, Miss Rossini," he said dismissively. "We do not need your help. We own the debt of the paper you work for."

He turned back to his desk, dismissing me entirely.

"You can leave a check for the cleaning bill with security. Goodbye."

My heart sank. It was over before it had even begun.

I turned to the elevator, defeated.

"Bring her in."

The voice came from the intercom on Matteo's desk. It was the same deep, vibrating rumble I had heard in the lounge-a sound that commanded instant obedience.

Matteo froze.

He looked at the intercom, then at me. His expression shifted instantly from arrogance to confusion.

"The Don wishes to see you," he said, his tone clipped.

He walked to a set of double doors and threw them open.

I stepped into the lion's den.

The office was vast and swallowed in shadows. The curtains were drawn, blocking out the city below.

Dante Vitiello sat behind a massive mahogany desk. He wasn't wearing a suit jacket today. His white shirt was rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms corded with muscle.

He was cleaning a handgun.

He didn't look up as I entered. He wiped the barrel with a white cloth, his movements slow, methodical, and terrifyingly precise.

"Sit," he said.

I sat in the leather chair opposite him. It was low, sinking down to force me to look up at him.

A power move.

"Why shouldn't I silence you?" he asked.

He finally looked up.

His eyes were heavy, tired, but they burned with a lethal intensity.

"You intruded on my peace. You disrespected me in public."

I gripped the arms of the chair, my knuckles turning white.

"Because I can be useful," I said.

He placed the gun on the desk. The metal clicked sharply against the wood, echoing in the silence.

"Useful," he repeated.

He leaned back, studying me. It felt like he was peeling back my skin to see the fear pulsing underneath.

"You want a story," he said.

"Yes," I said.

"You want to know the monster," he said.

"I want the truth," I countered.

He smirked. It was a terrifying, handsome expression that made my stomach flip.

"There is no truth in my world, Elena," he said softly. "Only leverage."

He stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the city he ruled like a king.

"I will give you your interview," he said.

My heart leaped. "Really?"

"But there is a price," he added.

He turned back to me. The shadows fell across his face, masking his eyes in darkness.

"You want access to my life? You can have it."

He walked closer, leaning over the desk until his face was inches from mine, his scent of expensive cologne and gun oil filling my senses.

"But first, you have to belong to it."