Chapter 1 The Encounter

Luca Navaro leaned against the steel wall.His whole body ached, his muscles tired from the weight of years spent in his family's house. His world seemed too weak like it would collapse any moment as his body is beginning to.

He remembered looking in the mirror showed him who he was now , very fragile. His suit that once felt too tight, his clean appearance, his bubbly and energetic self , his once neat buzz cut lost it's sheen.

Unfortunately he wasn't the powerful mafia heir his father has once hoped for. He was now a weak, shattered and a disappointment. And this was until he met her.

The sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor broke him from his thoughts. And when he looked up he swear his heart skipped a beat as the queen of every room entered.

Valentina Rossi the mafia princess wasn't just a name or a character but a torture itself . Her eyes were cold and calculating but there was something that glimmered in them , something very dangerous ,very dark.

He could not look away , because he was shrinking under her gaze though no one could do that or make him feel weak except her.

" Don't you have manners ?, is this how you welcome your guests, Navarro?" . Damn! his surname ? That was rough though her voice was smooth but had threat behind it.

Luca swallowed hard stammering he said ; " I didn't see you".

" Of course you never do", she answered coolly, inching closer, her presence swallowing like the storm.

" Your father has done his best to you away huh ! thought he tried hard but guess what ? , the truth always finds its way to resurface. Doesn't it ?

He winced at the words she uttered , his whole family his father especially had always kept him in the background. Not worthy of the empire, not strong enough to possess the power they commanded.And Valentina , the only person who could worsened everything just by a glance, was here to remind him of everything he wasn't? Woah....! His life couldn't be more messy.

She narrowed her eyes, curling her lips into a small almost unnoticeable smile. " You're in trouble, Luca", she whispered smoothly and softly almost as if she was enjoying his discomfort. " And I am her to FIX that" she added with a soft chuckle.

Luca's heart skipped a beat , I mean who wouldn't? He had always heard rumors about her , whispers of how ruthless she was, along with her rise to power and her ability to break anyone who stood in her way just with a word. But never in his years of living did he ever think she'd grace him with her presence more like torment him. Not directly, no not like this.

" Fi-x it ?" His voice cracked with panic, his vulnerability seeping through though he tried his hardest to mask it up but he failed to suppress the attempt. With courage he asked " What do you want from me, Valentina?".

She scanned him , her gaze as sharp as a dagger.

"What do I want from you ?" Haha tilting her head , as if in thoughts. " I want you to know your place , Luca and also to realize something-"

She stepped closer and faced him , inches apart till he could feel the heat of her breath against his skin.

" YOU ARE MINE NOW"

Luca stood frozen too stunned to move ,every nerve in his body rose with panic. He always knew his fate was bad but to be tied by mafia ? He didn't know it would come like thus too. Valentina's words echoed in his head, a cruel whisper he couldn't escape. And as if the weight of her presence wasn't enough, he heard a faint sound and footsteps, quickly approaching. But unfortunately they were not too quiet , elegant steps of someone used to power. These steps were heavy, rushed steps , and they were coming from the hallway outside.

Before he could process everything and say something, violaaa the door to the penthouse was slammed open.

And standing at the entrance of the hallway with a gun in his hand was no other person than Luca's father