Chapter 1 The Meeting

Rain lashed down on the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, a steady veil of water that diffused the neon glow of the signs above. Inside the dimly lit café at the corner of Vito's, the air was thick with espresso and tobacco smoke. A few men sat huddled around tables in the back, their conversations low and guarded, the kind that only existed between people who understood the dangerous game they played.

Salvatore Moretti walked into the room, and silence fell like a shroud of fear. Rain clung to his black coat like a sopping blanket; his eyes, as blue as cold steel, swept through the room with the confident calmness of a man long-accustomed to command. His father's empire had been built on fear, and Salvatore inherited it all: the respect, the weight of his family's name, and the violent legacy which came along with it. But tonight, it wasn't business that had brought him here. He was looking for something-or someone.

Sophia Romano wasn't supposed to be there. She had only meant to meet a contact, someone with information that could tilt the delicate balance between the Romanos and the Morettis. But as she entered, soaked from the storm, she immediately felt the shift in the room. Heads turned, eyes flicked toward her. She was used to it. Sophia was the daughter of Don Romano, and wherever she went, the world seemed to stop.

But then she saw him. Salvatore Moretti. His sharp jawline and intense gaze met hers from across the room. It wasn't the first time they'd locked eyes, though their encounters had always been brief-passing moments at social events, shared glances across crowded rooms. Tonight, it was different. There was something in the air, a charge that neither of them could ignore.

Their gazes lingered a moment too long. She was the first to look away, but not without a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. She had been raised to hate him-raised to see him as nothing but the enemy. His family had killed her uncle. His people had driven her father's rivals into the ground. Yet in that fleeting moment, she found herself wondering if the stories of Salvatore Moretti were all true.

Sophia took her seat at the far end of the café, her fingers trembling just enough to betray her calm façade. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but it was impossible. Salvatore had occupied her thoughts completely.

Minutes passed, or was it hours? She couldn't say. She felt him before she saw him-his presence filling the room as he walked toward her, his movements quiet with a purpose that matched the storm outside. When he stopped at her table, she looked up slowly, meeting his eyes once more.

"Ms. Romano," he said, his voice low, smooth as velvet, yet with an edge of danger. "I didn't expect to see you here."

She cocked her head slightly, studying him with a mix of disdain and intrigue. "The weather's bad," she replied. "Even the devil needs shelter."

Salvatore smiled, his lips curling upward just a fraction. "Perhaps. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to talk to you."

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "I doubt that."

"You doubt a lot of things," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down without asking. "But I'd like to change your mind."

She leaned back, arms crossed, unwilling to show any weakness. But inside, her heart began to race. There was something magnetic about him-something dangerous, something that she couldn't deny. She forced herself to stay in control.

"I don't talk to the enemy," she said, her voice steady.

Salvatore's eyes darkened. "Then perhaps you should start."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of the words hung in the air, heavy with the unspoken tension between them. Neither would admit it yet, but they both knew this wasn't just a chance meeting. Something had shifted. And it would only be a matter of time before everything changed.

Outside, the storm seemed to rage on, while inside the café, the world had narrowed to just two people: Salvatore and Sophia. And so the fateful meeting between the Moretti and Romano families had begun.

The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Salvatore did not look away, not once, as if to study her every movement, every subtle shift in her posture. Sophia felt the weight of it, but refused to let him see it. She was the daughter of Don Romano. She had been raised never to show weakness, to never let anyone glimpse the storm brewing inside.

Yet here she was, sitting across from him, having the sensation that he already saw right through her.

"I didn't think you were the kind of man to engage in small talk," Sophia said, trying to make some ground. She hitched her chin up, affecting the demeanor she had been born and bred to-the confident daughter of a mob boss, untouchable.

Salvatore's lips quirked slightly, a trace of amusement in his eyes. "I'm not. But you're an exception."

Sophia frowned. The man had an audacity that made her blood boil. Yet there was something in his voice, a strange blend of authority and something else-something softer-that she couldn't quite place. It unsettled her.

Why are you here, Salvatore?" she asked, her tone cool, but her curiosity managed to creep through the cracks. "You don't go to places like this for just. talking."

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, his posture so relaxed, it seemed at odds with tension humming between them. "I am not here for small talk. I am here because I need your help.

Sophia furrowed her brow. Her help? What could he possibly want from her? The Morettis didn't need anyone's help. They were the ones offering it, making offers, and expecting loyalty in return. Her family, the Romanos, were no different.

I'm afraid you've made a mistake," she said, her lips curling in the shadow of a smile, though the smile itself didn't quite reach her eyes. "The Romanos don't offer help to the Morettis. Not unless there's something to gain."

Salvatore's gaze darkened somewhat, and the playful edge of his demeanor slipped away. "Maybe I don't want something for my family. Maybe I'm tired of being a pawn in my father's game."