Chapter 2 Lost

In the shadowy underworld that he ruled with an iron fist, Antonino Capello was a force to be reckoned with. His name alone sent shivers down the spines of his enemies, and his reputation for merciless retribution kept the streets in line. But even the most fearsome of lions can be caught unawares, and on this night, the Don was forced to confront a betrayal within his ranks.

The revelation that someone had informed his enemy of his plans left Antonino Capello seething with rage, his mind churning like the maelstrom of a vengeful god.

The greatest and feared don of his time, he commanded respect. How could he be confused ?! He reassured himself.

Most weekends, Antonino visits his clubhouses and hotels. He is on his way to ''The Eden Garden Hotel'', which was one of his biggest hotels in Venice, but he gets a message that he is needed at Galos Club where one of his enemies is trying to invade them.

He quickly went over to solve the disruption. He was supposed to have a business deal signed off at ''The Eden Garden'' which was important. But Galo's clubhouse is one of the secret lairs for work, so he couldn't risk it.

He had told Julian to go to the hotel, bring in the investors and drive them down to the clubhouse. After settling the disruption 'quietly', he went upstairs to the VIP lounge and paid attention to his surroundings, which was a habit he picked up as a DON or leader of a mafia.

He noticed a petite sexy lady who didn't seem to be around there. He was quite familiar with people who came to his club, but this face looked new and beautiful. He got curious, so he watched her from a distance while he was waiting for the investors to arrive.

He saw her talking with this dude, and he seemed to find the dude familiar. He tried to think and when they stood up to dance, he remembered who the dude was.

Antonino's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing into a dangerous scowl. The betrayal, the audacity of this man, who he'd shown leniency to, returning to the scene of his would-be crime. The Don's fingers curled into fists, the muscles in his arms tensing, ready for a fight. But he held himself in check, preferring to watch and wait, like a predator stalking its prey.

His gaze shifted to the beauty that accompanied this treacherous viper. What game was she playing? Was she a pawn, an innocent caught in the web of intrigue? He questioned himself.

He tugged his tie and reminded himself to put his act together. He couldn't be jealous of someone he was supposed to kill and, besides, he didn't know the girl. What if she was working with him? he questioned himself again.

The Don's eyes, cold and piercing as frosted daggers, bore into the hapless man's soul, sending a shiver of terror down his spine. The tension in the room was palpable, as if the gods themselves were holding their breath in anticipation of the inevitable clash.

The treacherous dance partner, sweating beneath Antonino's scalding gaze, stumbled in his movements. His fear rendered him inept and clumsy, his attempts at subterfuge failing with every awkward step.Rosa, oblivious to the dangerous game being played around her, swayed in the rhythm of the music, her body a spellbinding siren song that lured the attention of every man in the room. The pulsing beat of the bass thrummed through her veins, her mind lost in the intoxication of the dance.

But her partner's eyes were darting around like a frightened animal, his every move calculated and stilted, as if dancing on the razor's edge of his life. And then, as if by divine intervention, his phone sounded, a buzzing lifeline that pulled him away from the precarious moment.

His phone rang, and he excused himself from the dance floor. Rosa didn't seem to mind because he was already trying to make the party boring for her, but she waited for some minutes, no sign of him. Then she continued her dance.

Rosa, unbridled and free, became a vision of grace and temptation. Her hips swayed, her arms flowed, her body a mesmerizing poetry in motion that stirred the passions of all who dared to watch.

And watch they did, especially the Don. He stood transfixed by her beauty, his gaze devouring every curve, every sway, every glimmer of sweat on her skin. The air around him seemed to crackle with his fascination, the world shrinking until it was only her, her dance, and the magic that entwined them.

Rosa's gaze locked with that of her newfound admirer. In that moment, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the fire that burned between them.

His black tuxedo, like the night itself, enveloped him in an aura of mystery, but it was his stature, his chiseled features that drew her in like a moth to a flame. Rosa's heart raced as her mind whispered, Tonight, the hunter will become the hunted, He was made specially by God, she told herself.

Antonino, for the first time in years, felt like a schoolboy caught peering at a forbidden fruit. His cheeks warmed with the realization that Rosa had caught him staring, his gaze melting away like ice under the summer sun. His reaction was alien to him, a vulnerability that he had long ago purged from his soul.

But Julian's voice cut through the moment, the reminder of his duty like a cold slap of reality. He cleared his throat, schooling his features into the impenetrable mask of the Don, as he turned to attend to his guests.

They are here, Antonino. Julian told him.

With a single, practiced gesture, Antonino straightened his tie, his fingers caressing the fine fabric as if to soothe his troubled mind. His expression hardened into the icy gaze of a predator, his demeanor shifting to that of the Don, the ruthless mastermind.

He knew that the deal before him was crucial, not only for his business but for his standing in the underworld. He would not allow anything jeopardize it.

Rosa, her heart once filled with hope, now sank as the man on the second floor vanished like smoke in the wind. The flicker of doubt that had haunted her throughout her life resurfaced, threatening to consume her spirit.

But Rosa was no damsel in distress. With a fierce determination, she brushed aside the doubt that had plagued her for so long. Her steps were bold and deliberate, her eyes fixed on finding the man who had captured her attention. Nothing would stand in her way. She didn't come to Venice to sob in her sorry life, she came here to get at life, so she decided to go find her man.

Antonino was livid. Antonino's veins coursed with the fire of his wrath, his jaw clenched in a vice-like grip. The deal, so painstakingly crafted, was now tumbling into ruin, swept away by the winds of betrayal.

As his mind raced, his steps punctuating his silent fury. It was clear-as clear as the ice that coursed through his veins-that there was a spy in his midst. The realization was like a lightning bolt, striking with devastating force. that he had just lost the deal because the investors heard about the recent outbreak in his warehouse, which was supposed to be a secret.

He was furious. Who could have told them? He then realized something was wrong. There was a spy in the club, he answered himself.

Rosa searched the first floor, but her mysterious man was nowhere to be found. She decided to try her luck at the VIP lounge, but she was denied entrance.

''she has to improvise'' she thought to herself.

She saw two old and rich men coming up the stairs, so she smiled at them and vibed with them, so she could be allowed inside the VIP lounge since she was with some VIP customers.

Antonino raced out of the secret lair to meet up with the investors. He saw the investors with her again.

Who the hell is this girl? What is the relationship between a girl and her enemy? What has she told those investors? What if she is a spy? All these questions seemed to ring in his mind.

Now it all made sense to him, but who did she work for? He questioned himself again.

Rosa, now in the VIP lounge, still couldn't find her destined man. She excused herself from the men she had entered the VIP lounge with, she went to the rail where she had seen him stand and took a look down to be sure they hadn't missed.

After a minute of eye-searching and was about to give up, she saw him entering 'the staff only' zone. She thought to herself if he worked here, she hurried down to catch up with him.

She could not enter the room because she wasn't a staff member there and didn't have a pass key. She needed to enter that room. She just wanted to talk to him. She had asked some people about knowing but no one seemed to know who she was talking about.

Luck shone on her when one of the staff came out in a hurry and forgot to shut the door. She quickly ran inside.

Whew!! That was close, she thought to herself. Happy nobody saw her, she staggered, she was so tipsy but didn't care because all she could think of was her mystery man.

The room was empty and she couldn't find him. She was sure she had seen him enter there, she was so confused and yeah, pressed, she needed the toilet.

She found the lady's restroom by the end of the room, but after she was done with her business, she heard a 'bang', something like a gunshot.

She was still hearing the sound of music, but she was sure she also heard a gunshot. She decided to peek through a door opposite the ladies' restroom, and on getting to the door she staggered again and fell down the stairs.

She picked herself up. She felt pains all over her body, her hands had a cut and were bleeding. She was now regretting following a man she didn't know.

She pushed back the door in front of her open, scanned the room, and saw her mystery man who was staring at her with so much disgust, then again, still confused, she looked around, and then it clicked to her that she must have interrupted something.

OMG! Drugs! She shrieked with fear.

In an instant, the air turned thick with danger. The white powder of the cocaine was a stark contrast against the dark setting, the reek of it assaulting Rosa's senses.

But before she could react, a blunt force struck her head with a resounding crack, and Rosa's world exploded into a thousand stars. Pain, fear, and confusion were all that remained before her world faded to black.

she collapsed.