Bounded by vows, burned by lies

TER

ay – More

lingering ghost of expensive cigar smoke. Dy

ive mahogany desk, a battlefield littered with unopened dossiers and half-empty glasses of amber liquid, stood between them lik

polished blade, betraying none of the turmoil

ke that momentarily obscured his face. The ember of his cigar pulsed like a malevolent eye in t

To sit would be to concede, and concession wa

n yet devoid of their fire, narrowed impercept

arried on the same bitter wind that carried the scent of the East River. The Vitale family had dared to graze the De Luca territory, a fa

e Vitales," she said

er of his chair groaning under his weight, a so

n't move to touch it. She already knew its contents by heart: the stark red numbers bleeding across the balance sheets, the incr

stated, the words flat, devoid of e

need...?" The question hung in th

ou

ble detonated in

. The sharp sting was a welcome anchor, a small point of pain to tether her spiraling thoughts and prevent th

ligent ash into the crystal tray, the clinking sound g

sharp enough to shatter glass. "You're handing me over to

han she could register, a bruta

tang of blood as her lip split. Slowly, deliberately, she turned back to face her father, the burning imprin

t just struck his only daughter. "You will be the perfect wife. And you will ensu

soldiers lingered in the shadows of these walls, the echoes of broken deals and empty promises. The silent phones t

rs, the blue silk of her dress sud

e signed. The mee

soon. It felt like a

as a thin, cruel line. "You'll wear the blue dress

pairing of equals, not a sacrificial offerin

lier – The Bla

filled with beautiful liars, each hi

of her name. For one stolen night, she wasn't Seraphina Moretti, mafia princess, a title that felt more like a life

agne,

fingers brushing against a small, folded envelope tucked bene

ial call, another aging associate who believed her youth and lineage were n

against the polished marble floor, the sudden sharp so

d the glittering debris. She'd rather walk barefoot across the broken glass

ng the vast ballroom, and the tightly packed crowd part

by a stark onyx mask. He wasn't dancing, wasn't engaging in the practiced schmoozing that permeated the room. He stoo

h the shifting kaleidoscope of

nnection as sudden and visceral as a physical blow. A

e reached her, he didn't speak, didn't offer a polite greeting or a practiced line. He simply took her h

mble that vibrated against her skin, was a stark contr

body betraying her carefully constructed defenses w

hin scar bisecting his left eyebrow. His cologne was something dark and intoxicating, a blend of expe

, his gaze intense

esitation, the alias feeli

t Se

gerous promise whispered

the hard planes of his body. She could feel the subtle flex of his muscles through the thin

urth waltz, he stole her away from the ballroom's watchful eyes, leading her through a maze of hushed corridors to a shadowed

voice a breathless whisper as his lips

er pulse point, sending a shiver down her

ontrolled life, Seraphina let h

y – De Luc

ed efficiency, each of the forty-seven seconds fee

cage her father had chosen for its supposed allure. Her dark hair was styled in soft waves that framed a face deliberately devoid of emotion, the a

e. Polished, compliant

er. Glass and steel dominated the space, reflecting the unforgiving cityscape beyond. At the far e

l De

ture h

onymou

en

phina saw him in the full, unforgiving light. The sharp, chiseled cut of his jaw. The cruel, precise line

formal than she remembered, the intimate

e floor, the sound echoing in the vast space. "I believe we have business to d

eadable, crossed his face, gone so quickly

raphina's chest. But she wasn't listening to the legal jargon. Her focus was solely on Rafael. She watched him intently, searching for any flicker of recognition in those im

th

sessing, as if she were a piece of propert

ff, the silence that followe

. He moved with a predatory grace that sent a shiver down her spine. His cologne, different from the

ommanded, his voic

her chin, meeting

yes met

e cold depths of Rafael De Luca's eyes, S

Luca absolutel

o make her pay for th