Florence moved like a breathing beast beneath the glass walls of my penthouse office—lights flickering on ancient streets, scooters weaving recklessly between cars, laughter echoing from cafés along the Arno. To the world, it was beautiful. Historic. Romantic.
To me?
It was a battlefield disguised as a city.
I ruled it from the top.
The Rossi Empire—my empire—was the strongest criminal syndicate in Italy, a billion-dollar shadow corporation built on silent deals, blood-bound contracts, and fear. Politicians shook my hand in public and whispered my name in private. Rivals flinched at my presence. And anyone who wanted to survive knew one rule:
Never cross Luca Rossi.
Yet here I was, staring out the window like a man who'd already lost the war.
Because of her.
Elena.
Every empire has a weakness, and she was mine.
Her voice haunted me, the memory of her walking away slicing deeper than any blade ever could. She had looked at me—at me, the most feared man in Florence—with a kind of defiance that didn't exist in my world.
She wasn't scared of my money.She wasn't scared of my power.She wasn't scared of my name.
And that alone made her dangerous.
I had enemies—entire families who wanted me dead. But Elena was different. She could destroy me without lifting a weapon.
I leaned back in my leather chair, loosening my tie as irritation clawed at my chest. The city glittered below, but I saw only her slipping away from me… and into the orbit of another man.
A man who didn't deserve her.A man who couldn't protect her.A man who had no idea she was walking through a world that would kill her if not for my protection.
My jaw clenched as memories flashed—her last words, her last look, her refusal to bend. I didn't know if I wanted to drag her back into my arms or burn the entire city down just to get her attention again.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
Only one man walked into my office without knocking. Enzo. My right hand. My brother in everything but blood. The one who handled the darker side of my empire when my hands were already dripping with enough sins.
He stopped in front of my desk, posture straight, expression unreadable—his usual look when he had bad news.
"What is it?" I asked without turning my head.
His voice was low, cautious."It's about Elena."
My heartbeat didn't just speed up—it hammered violently, every muscle in my body going still. Elena was a subject no one spoke of lightly around me. Not Enzo. Not my associates. Not even my enemies dared whisper her name unless they wanted to die.
I turned slowly, meeting his gaze."What about her?"
Enzo exhaled. "There was movement today. She was seen in Santa Croce… with him."
The name didn't need to be spoken.Marcus.The pathetic diplomat who thought showing Elena a world of flowers and promises could erase the world she had already lived with me.
My fingers curled into fists.
"She looked… happy," Enzo added carefully.
A cold laugh escaped me."Happiness can be faked. Safety can't."
Enzo didn't argue. He knew better.
"She's being watched?" I asked.
"Every minute," he confirmed. "Your orders."
Good.
Because Elena didn't know it yet, but she was tangled in something bigger than both of us. The rival syndicate—the Moretti family—had been circling her for weeks. Not out of desire. Not out of curiosity.
Out of strategy.
They knew the truth:
I could survive bullets, betrayals, and wars…But I couldn't survive losing her.
Enzo hesitated for a moment. "Luca, there's more."
My eyes sharpened. "Speak."
"She's meeting Marcus again tonight."
The last thread of patience snapped inside me.
No.
She wasn't slipping away from me.She wasn't replacing me.She wasn't going to be touched, claimed, or protected by a man who couldn't even recognize the danger hiding in plain sight.
"She thinks she's free of you," Enzo said quietly.
I looked out at the city once more, the lights reflecting off the glass like shards of broken promises.
"No one walks away from me," I murmured."Especially not Elena."
I stood, grabbing my suit jacket, my voice cold and final:
"Get the car. Tonight, we bring her back into my world—where she belongs."
Enzo nodded.
"And Enzo?" I added, my tone sharp.
"Yes, Boss?"
"If Marcus touches her again…"My mouth curved into a dark, lethal smile."…bury him."
Enzo didn't even blink.
"As you command."
The empire moved.The city trembled.And somewhere in the heart of Florence, Elena had no idea that the most dangerous man in Italy was coming for her—
Not to kill her.
But to claim her.
Surely.
Irrevocably.
And forever.