Chapter 3 The Don's Attention

Isabella Vitale....

I knew better than to follow him.

The hallway behind Inferno's main floor was off-limits to staff like me. A place carved out for kings and killers - and I was neither.

But when Alessandro Gerardo turned his head slightly, eyes catching mine with a single nod, I didn't hesitate.

I walked.

The hallway was long, quiet, lined with red velvet and gilded sconces. Every step of my heels echoed like a dare.

A man in a dark suit stepped aside at the door. No words. No expression. Just an arm outstretched to let me in.

I entered a private lounge.

Gold and black. Dim. Luxurious but not gaudy. A half-full bottle of scotch glimmered on a side table beside a single armchair.

He stood at the window, back turned, hands clasped behind him.

Alessandro Gerardo.

He didn't speak. Not right away. He let silence do the work like every true predator.

I stayed by the door. Still Waiting. Measuring.

Then he spoke, his voice low, steady. "Do you know why I asked you here?"

"No," I answered truthfully.

He turned, slow and deliberate. His gray eyes met mine and lingered.

"Most people," he said, "when I speak, they nod. Smile. Say something agreeable."

"Most people want to stay alive."

He smirked - just a flicker. "And you don't?"

"I want the truth more than I want comfort."

He studied me, then moved to the armchair and poured himself a drink. "You've been working here for... what? Nine days?"

"Ten."

"Ten," he echoed. "And in ten days, you've spoken to Luca like he's your brother, stared down Matteo like he's not a problem, and brushed past Sofia like you don't care she wants your head on a platter."

I said nothing.

He took a sip, then tilted his head. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"I think everyone should be afraid of you. But fear and obedience aren't the same thing."

Another long pause. The kind that wrapped around your throat like silk.

"You're bold."

"I'm tired," I said, letting just a trace of real exhaustion bleed into my voice. "Tired of pretending. Tired of tiptoeing."

"Pretending," he repeated.

Damn it. That word slipped too easily. I smoothed it over. "You think a girl like me gets through life without pretending?"

He smiled again. But this one didn't reach his eyes.

He rose and walked toward me slowly. Not looming, but confident - like a man who'd never had to chase anything in his life.

"You said you weren't afraid of me," he said quietly.

"I said fear doesn't equal obedience."

"Then what does it equal?"

My breath hitched. Just slightly. "Awareness."

He stopped a few feet in front of me. Not touching. Just... near.

His presence was a drug. Heavy. Dangerous. The kind that made your veins buzz.

"You're aware of me, then?" he asked.

Too aware.

I met his gaze. "Are you testing me, or flirting?"

"Would it matter?"

"Yes," I said. "Because one would make me expendable. The other would make me a liability."

That earned a slow, low laugh. "Interesting answer."

"I'm not here to amuse you."

"No," he said, voice dipped in steel. "You're here because you chose not to back down when you should've."

I didn't move.

Neither did he.

"I don't trust easily," Alessandro said. "And I especially don't trust people who want to be close to me."

"Good," I said. "Because I don't want to be close to you. I want to keep my job."

He narrowed his eyes, like he wasn't sure whether to be insulted or intrigued.

"I like people who don't lie to my face," he murmured.

"Then you'll hate most of Naples."

That smile again - brief, reluctant.

He reached past me - so close I could feel the brush of air - and opened the door. "You can go."

I blinked.

That was it?

I stepped out, but before I could move too far, his voice came again, low and dangerous:

"Bella."

I turned back.

"If you're lying to me..." He didn't finish the sentence. Just looked at me.

And I knew.

He wouldn't raise his voice. Wouldn't shout.

He'd kill me. Cleanly. Quietly.

"I'm not," I lied smoothly. "But thanks for the drink."

I walked away, back down the hall with my heart pounding like gunfire in my chest.

Back in the locker room, I let out a shaky breath and peeled off my heels. My phone buzzed.

Bruno.

Any updates?...

I typed quickly......

He called me in. One-on-one.Just watched, talked. No threats. No questions, Testing me....

A pause.....

That's not nothing, Vitale.......

I stared at the screen, fingers tight.....

He sees me now.....

Another pause....

Then you're in. Be careful, Don't let him in too far...

I didn't respond.....

Because I could still hear Alessandro's voice in my head. Feel the heat of his presence behind me.

He hadn't touched me.

But somehow, I felt marked.

Like I was already his.

And I didn't know if I wanted to run...

Or get closer.