Chapter 1 A Dangerous Encounter

The gala was just like other events: a fancy gathering in a decorated room, filled with beautiful dresses, tailored suits, and the scent of quality wine. Izzy Moretti wished she could escape every minute of it.

She could see her brother Giovanni, far across the room, engrossed in an animated discussion with several of the family's associates. She could guess already what the topic was going to be: more business, more threats, and more deals sealed with a handshake. Her family existed in a constant realm of power, betrayal, and an unspoken understanding that if you didn't play the game, you were dead.

Promising herself that she would never be like them was the one vow Izzy kept. But there she stood, surprisingly at such a place as no one else ever anticipated in a black gown of value surpassing the annual salaries of most people, playing the role she had never wanted to play.

One of the men in the group stood with his back to the far wall scanning the crowd and when she looked up, fixing their gaze at once, his own recognition hit her like an electric shock.

Santino DeLuca.

The heir to the DeLuca crime family. A name she had heard spoken in both fear and respect. He was a shadow in her life for as long as she could remember-always there, never too far from the chaos her family was involved in. Still, she'd never seen him face to face.

Izzy quickly turned back to her glass, pretending not to notice the way his eyes seemed glued to hers. But there was something hypnotic in Santino, something perilous that made her feel simultaneously safe and insecure around him.

A soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Izzy," came the low murmur from her side. Turning, she found Sofia Romano, Santino's enforcer, and a childhood friend of his. Sofia was everything Izzy wasn't: cold, calculating, and completely loyal to the DeLuca family.

"You're staring at him," Sofia said, her keen gaze not leaving Santino for a second. "Be careful, or you might give a wrong impression."

"I wasn't staring," Izzy lied, forcing a smile. "Just... noticing."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Awareness of his presence or awareness of his gaze on you?"

Before Izzy could answer, a familiar voice called out her name.

"Izzy!" Giovanni burst out of the crowd, his presence impossible to ignore. He was tall and had their father's dark eyes, as well as the same defined jawline. But where their father had wielded sheer brute force, Giovanni had mastered the art of domination by cleverness. A very dangerous combination.

She forced a smile. "Giovanni. Enjoying the party?"

"As much as I ever do," he said dryly, glancing toward Santino. "What are you doing over here with Sofia? Stay away from him."

Izzy frowned. "From Santino? Why?"

"Don't play dumb. The DeLucas are our enemies, Izzy. Even looking at him is a problem." Giovanni lowered his voice to a growl. "He's been trying to encroach on our territory. We need to steer clear of him and his family."

"I'm not a kid, Giovanni," Izzy shot back, her voice angry. "I can choose who to talk to."

"Not in this world," Giovanni snapped, his eyes ice. "In this world, your choices are taken from you."

Izzy gritted her teeth, wanting to shout back. Being called a kid was the last thing she wanted, especially when it involved stuff she knew all too well. But before she could say anything, the room changed somehow. A faint shift, a species of tension that simply couldn't be ignored.

And then, Santino DeLuca was standing right before them.

"Izzy," he said smoothly, his voice a velvet whisper sending a shiver down her spine. He wasn't looking at Giovanni. His eyes were all for her.

It's been a while. She took a deep breath to stay calm.

"Has it?" she asked, her tone calm while inside her chest raced.

Santino smiled slightly, then the glint of amusement appeared in his eyes. "You don't remember when we last met?"

Izzy tried to remember, but the only hazy memories she had of the DeLucas were just that, vague and distant - whispers of deals, threats, power struggles. Her family had always kept her away from those dealings. But Luca, the infamous heir, was a different story.

She said, "I don't think we've met before," even though she knew she was lying. She remembered his name from a tense, fearful night many years ago.

But it's not like she was about to tell him that.

"Funny," Santino said, his smile deepening, "I remember you."

Giovanni tensed beside her, his body suddenly brimming with hostility. "What do you want, DeLuca?"

Santino's gaze shifted to Giovanni, and his face grew more frigid. "A conversation only. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Izzy's stomach churned. She knew Santino's type; he didn't do anything without an agenda and her brother was not the type to entertain any such conversation.

"We don't have time for your games, DeLuca," Giovanni said sharply. "You are not wanted here."

Unperturbed, Santino raised his hand. "I am not here for your business, Giovanni. I am here for hers."

Izzy's chest tightened. "For me?" she said, in a voice which was barely above a whisper.

His gaze never left her. "Yes, I want to speak with you, Izzy. Alone."

The statement hung in the air, pregnant with meaning. Giovanni tightened his jaw, but before he could retort, Izzy turned to him and spoke in a steady yet emphatic tone.

"I'll be fine, Giovanni. You don't have to worry."

Giovanni warned her, "You don't know what you are getting into," his eyes showing his worry. She looked at him in a way that made him quiet; she was no longer a child.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said to Santino, her voice harsh but tinged with interest. "Not like this."

Luca's expression softened ever so slightly. "Fine. I'll wait until you're ready. But just know, Izzy, it's not if you're coming it's when."

As Luca turned to go, he left a single business card, folded into the drapes of her dress, a reminder that the DeLucas weren't simply an aspect of her world; they were already part of her destiny.