Chapter 3 A Dangerous Proposition

The gunshot echoed through the hallway, it was violent, and it shattered the stillness of the room. Sophia's breath became heavy, and her heartbeat was so loud that each beat deafened her. She was torn between the suffocating grip of her father's world and the flickering promise of freedom Luca had exposed her to. But now, a new danger had entered the equation, and it threatened to pull everything she knew apart.

Luca grabbed her arm with a strength that left her no choice to protest. He pulled her behind him, as his movements were swift and practiced. His eyes scanned the room for threats as he tried to figure out the next possible place an attack could come from. His was calm in the face of chaos and it unsettled her more than the gunshots themselves.

"Sophia, stay close to me." Luca whispered.

The panic in her chest was eating her up, but she forced herself to stay silent. Her instincts told her to run as fast as she could, but her feet felt like they were cemented to the floor. She watched as every muscle in Luca became tensed, like they were ready for whatever came through that door. His entire being radiated so much power and danger, but there was something else too, it was something she had never allowed herself to truly acknowledge until that moment.

She knew she wasn't just drawn to him because of his proximity or his role in her father's world. It was something much deeper, something that had been building beneath the surface, it was probably a dangerous attraction she couldn't ignore.

She felt Luca's eyes on her, and for a split second, she saw a vulnerability there again, there was a crack in his expression. "Don't make me choose, Sophia." He murmured, and it was just loud enough for her to hear over the ringing silence that followed the gunfire.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway, it was slow and deliberate, like it was on alert. Someone was coming.

Sophia felt her body going rigid. She didn't have to ask who it was. She could sense the danger emanating from the approaching figure, it was the same way she had sensed Luca's presence before. There was no mistaking it. This wasn't just any intruder. It was someone close to her family.

The door to the office opened with a loud crash, and a figure stepped inside. It was a man, he was tall and broad-shouldered, and his face was obscured by shadows. His presence seemed to fill the room, which made everything else fade into the background.

"Giovanni Romano." the man said, his voice was deep, and it had a grueling tone. "I presume this is where I find my answer?"

Sophia could feel the tension building between her father and the mysterious figure. Whoever this man was, he wasn't someone to be trifled with. And he was probably playing the same game with her father.

Giovanni didn't flinch, even for one bit. Instead, his eyes narrowed further as he stood to face the man. "You've got some nerve, coming in here uninvited."

"I'm not here for pleasantries, Giovanni. I'm here for your daughter."

Sophia's blood ran cold as she heard the man speak about her.

She glanced at Luca, whose jaw was clenched tight. There was something about the way he stood, it was rigid, and it told her that this wasn't the first time he'd encountered this man. The room seemed to shrink as the weight of the situation pressed her down.

The man took a step forward, and Luca instinctively moved in front of Sophia, and blocked her from view.

"Stay behind me." Luca growled with a deadly voice.

She knew this man was no ordinary enemy. It was obvious he had power, the same kind of power her father had, but there was something else in his eyes, something that felt personal.

"Why do you want me?" she demanded, her voice trembled despite her best efforts to remain composed.

The man's lips turned into a cold smile, and he tilted his head, he studied her as if she was some rare prize he was about to claim. "The syndicate doesn't just want your name, Sophia." He said with a dark tone filled with menace. "They want you. The real you. What you are capable of."

Sophia's mind raced. She was lost in a million thoughts. She could feel Luca's presence, he was like a shield around her. But this man... This man that wanted her, he was dangerous. And he wasn't backing down.

"Your father knows what you are, Sophia." the man continued, as he fixed his eyes on Giovanni. "But I don't think you do."

The words sent a chill through Sophia's veins. What did he mean by that? What did he know that she didn't?

Giovanni's face hardened, and his eyes flashed with something that resembled fury. "You think you can intimidate me in my own home?" His voice laced with venom. Like he was about to strike.

Luca shifted, and his hand hovered near his weapon. Sophia could see the muscles in his back, and it looked like it was tense with anticipation. This was a standoff. And they were all standing on the edge.

But the man wasn't moved by Giovanni's threats. In fact, he looked almost amused. He took another step forward again and closed the distance between himself and Luca. The tension in the room became so thick as the man's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"You don't get to control her anymore, Giovanni." the man said. "Not when the syndicate already has plans for her. And not when we've already decided who she belongs to."

Sophia's stomach turned. Who she belonged to? She wasn't some possession to be passed around. She wasn't some object to be fought over. She was herself or, at least, she wanted to be. All she wanted was to be free.

Luca moved and his hand gripped her wrist with gentleness as he pulled her back, far away from the confrontation.

"You don't have to do this, Sophia." Luca said with a soft voice, but it still tinged with that same dangerous edge. "There's always a way out. You just have to trust me."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe there was another way. But with the weight of the syndicate's eyes on her, with the man in front of her making it clear she was nothing more than a prize to be claimed, Sophia knew that every choice she made from here on out would come with consequences. She'd have to keep running for the rest of her life. That was not a life she was willing to live.

She looked up at Luca and her heart ached with the confusion inside her. "What if there's no way out?" she whispered, she was barely able to hear her own voice above the roaring in her ears.

Luca's grip around her wrist tightened and the look on his face softened "There's always a way."

The door slammed shut behind them, and the sudden silence felt deafening. The tension became obvious as they moved toward the elevator, their footsteps muffled against the marble floor.

Sophia's mind raced so fast. The man in the hallway, he wasn't just anyone. He was part of a world she had never asked to enter, and now, there was no escaping it.

And worse yet, as they entered the elevator, the words of the man echoed in her mind. The syndicate already has plans for you.

As the elevator doors closed, the screeching sound of tires skidding echoed from the outside. The building shook, and the tension in the room returned, heavier than ever.

A voice came over the intercom, one that Sophia recognized instantly: Giovanni's voice, but it was filled with urgency.

"They're here and we don't have much time."