Chapter 2 The Offer

Sophia froze, caught off guard by the rawness in his voice. She'd heard the stories about Salvatore-what a ruthless, cold man he was. In that moment, he didn't sound like the monster the world had painted him to be. Tired of being a pawn? That was something she knew more than she wanted to admit.

"You're always a pawn, Salvatore," she replied, her voice firm, the walls rising again. "Just like me. Just like everyone else in this world."

Salvatore's eyes flickered with something-almost like a spark of recognition. "Maybe. But there are different kinds of pawns, Sophia. Some of us are forced to play the game. Others... choose to."

The small shiver that ran down her spine seemed to culminate in a weird tangle in her chest. She hated it. Hated how his words, with such simple phrases, were causing her to doubt everything she'd ever been taught or was told.

"Why would you come to me?" she asked once more, her voice now little more than a whisper. "You know who I am. You know what my family represents."

Salvatore leaned in closer, his voice lowered, as if telling her some sort of secret-although it was just the two of them in the room. "I don't need the loyalty of your family, Sophia; I need yours."

Her breath caught in her throat. Her loyalty? Was this some kind of sick joke? The Morettis and the Romanos had been rivals for decades, blood having been spilled on both sides. For Salvatore to come here, to ask for her loyalty... it was unheard of.

Sophia's instinct was to reject him immediately, to throw the offer back in his face. But a part of her hesitated. That part, the part she had buried deep beneath layers of anger and pride, wanted to hear him out. Wanted to understand what he was offering.

"You're asking me to betray my father," she said slowly, her voice steady but thick with emotion. "To betray everything I've ever known."

Salvatore's eyes never left hers. "I'm not asking you to betray your family, Sophia. I'm asking you to help me stop mine."

Her heart skipped a beat. Stop his family? That was madness. Salvatore's father, Don Moretti, was the kingpin of the city's mafia empire, a ruthless, calculating man who had destroyed countless lives to maintain his power. The thought that Salvatore might be plotting against him was... inconceivable.

You're telling me you want to take down your own father?" Sophia's voice was disbelieving, a little breathless. "That's suicide."

Salvatore's eyes gentled, just for a moment, and in that quick flicker, Sophia saw something she hadn't expected-a vulnerability, a crack in the armor he had spent years building.

"It's not suicide if you're not alone," he said quietly. "I can't do it alone, Sophia. But together, we can change everything."

And like a lead stone dropped into a bottomless pool, the weight of his words settled in her chest. To betray her father-betrayer of one's blood-was unimaginable. Yet, something flickered in Salvatore's gaze-something so raw and so very real-that it put a dent in everything she thought she knew about loyalty and power and family.

Her mind raced. She had been raised to be ruthless. But was it possible to be ruthless for the right reasons? Was it possible to fight for a future that was not dictated by the bloodshed of the past?

"I don't know what you're asking," she said finally, her voice low. "But I'm listening."

Salvatore smiled-just a small, knowing smile. "Good. Let's make a deal, then."

The café around them faded, as if the rain on the windows became a distant echo. They were suspended in that moment in time, an uncertain future hanging in the balance, with the world outside seemingly holding its breath while they decided.

For one fleeting moment, the weight of their families, their history, and the blood they shared with others seemed no more than a shadow, easily cast aside.

But both knew better. In their world, nothing came free.

And soon, they would know just how much the consequences would cost.

The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy as the storm outside. Salvatore watched her closely, waiting for her to make a decision, knowing full well that time was not on their side.

Sophia didn't know what to make of the offer. It was insane. There was no world where a Romano and a Moretti could team up without causing an explosion. Yet, the truth lingered in Salvatore's words. His voice-that raw edge-had taken her by surprise. He wasn't asking for a partnership, not the way a business deal would be done. He was asking for her trust. And that was a currency far more dangerous than anything money could buy.

The rain lashed against the windows, but inside the café, the warmth from the lights seemed to dull the cold tension in the air. Sophia leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing as her mind worked around the man across from her. Salvatore Moretti, ruthless son of one of the most powerful mafia dons in the city, bred and groomed to kill anything that got in his way. And here he was, offering her an alliance.

You know what you're asking, don't you?" Sophia's voice was low, almost a whisper, but each word hung in the air like a challenge. "If this goes wrong, we're both dead. There's no coming back from this kind of betrayal."

Salvatore's eyes darkened, but his gaze never wavered. "I'm not asking you to turn against your father, Sophia. I'm asking you to help me change the rules of the game. We both know it's broken. We both know that the Romanos and the Morettis have been fighting over power for so long that there's nothing left but blood and ruin.

She studied him as if searching for a crack in his facade, some sign that he was playing her. But Salvatore looked the same as always-unshakable, calm, dangerous.

"And you think you can just walk away from it all? You think we can?" Her voice was bitter. "You've spent your whole life building this empire, just like my father. All the blood, the sacrifices-none of that just disappears, Salvatore. We don't get to choose a different fate. It's already been written for us."

For the first time since he'd sat, Salvatore's expression softened, his steel-blue eyes showing a glimpse of something raw. "I don't want the empire, Sophia. Never did. Sure, I was born into it, but I've spent my life trying to tear the thing down from the inside. My father's empire's a cage. I won't spend the rest of my life in it."