Chapter 2 The Devil Shows No Mercy

The air in Adrian Costa's private estate was thick with silence, the kind that suffocated, that made men hesitate before speaking.

Valentina sat in the corner of the lavish study, dressed in a silk robe someone had left for her. The cold from the marble floors seeped into her skin, but she refused to show weakness. She had no idea what Adrian expected from her if he planned to use her as a pawn, a prisoner, or something far worse.

But she didn't have to wait long to find out.

The doors swung open with a force that rattled the room. Two men dragged a third inside a man beaten to the point of near unconsciousness, his face a mess of blood and swelling. His expensive suit was ripped, his hands bound behind his back.

Valentina stiffened.

Adrian stepped in behind them, the same eerie calm radiating from him as always, but there was something different this time. Something cold. Something lethal.

He didn't acknowledge her. His entire focus was on the man kneeling before him.

"Marco," Adrian murmured, adjusting the cuffs of his black shirt. "You disappoint me."

The man, Marco, coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. "Boss, I....I didn't....."

A sharp snap echoed through the room. Adrian moved so fast Valentina barely saw it....his hand connecting brutally with Marco's jaw, sending his already battered body crumpling forward.

She flinched despite herself.

Adrian crouched, gripping Marco's hair and yanking his head back, forcing him to meet his gaze. "You thought I wouldn't find out?" His voice was almost gentle. Almost.

"I swear, I....I didn't mean to......."

"Lies." Adrian sighed as if he were truly disappointed. "You've been skimming money from my shipments for months. And yet, you sit here and insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise."

Marco whimpered, his entire body trembling. "Please... I have a family......"

Adrian's grip tightened. "You should have thought about that before you stole from me."

Valentina's stomach twisted. She had grown up around men like Adrian, men who ruled with fear, who handled betrayal with swift, merciless retribution.

But watching Adrian now, seeing the way he enjoyed it.....that was different.

A gun was placed into Adrian's waiting hand, one of his men passing it to him like it was routine. Like it was nothing.

And maybe, to Adrian, it was.

He stood, towering over Marco, the barrel of the gun pressing against the man's forehead.

Valentina's heart pounded.

"You don't have to do this," she said before she could stop herself.

The room fell into silence.

Adrian turned his head slightly, finally looking at her. His dark eyes gleamed with something unreadable. Annoyance? Curiosity? Amusement?

"This is mafia business, bambolina," he said smoothly. "You don't get a say."

Valentina clenched her fists. "If he repays what he stole, you don't have to....."

Adrian's laugh was low, dark. "And if I let him live, what does that say about me? That I'm weak?"

"No....."

"That I forgive betrayal?"

She swallowed. She had stepped into dangerous territory, and she knew it.

Adrian tilted his head, considering her for a long moment. Then, without breaking eye contact, he pulled the trigger.

A deafening gunshot rang through the room.

Marco crumpled, lifeless. Blood pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks of the marble floor.

Valentina's breath caught in her throat.

Adrian exhaled slowly, like he had just finished handling an inconvenience. He turned to one of his men. "Clean this up."

His guard nodded, already moving to drag the body away.

Adrian walked toward Valentina, his movements unhurried, the gun still loose in his grip. When he reached her, he crouched down so they were at eye level.

She forced herself to hold his gaze, but she knew he saw the horror in her eyes.

"Do you understand now?" he murmured.

She said nothing.

He reached out, running his knuckles over her cheek, the cold metal of the gun brushing against her skin. "This is the world you're in now, Valentina. My world."

Her pulse thundered in her ears.

"You wanted to play with the devil," he whispered. "I hope you're ready to burn."