Chapter 1 - The Midnight Mistake
Elettra adjusted the heavy silver tray in her hands, her knuckles aching from a sixteen-hour shift that had started before dawn. At the harbor café, she had served espresso to rough-hewn fishermen while the morning salt air stung her eyes. By afternoon, she was steaming silk dresses at a high-end boutique, forcing a polite smile for women who dropped thousands without blinking. Now, at midnight, she was trapped serving water at a clandestine summit of the Rosati syndicate, having fallen for her cousin Violetta’s lie about an “easy catering gig for quick rent money.”
Across the grand dining room, the atmosphere crackled with quiet menace. Massimo Rosati, the eldest and most ruthless of the three brothers running the syndicate, stood at the head of the mahogany table. His piercing gaze was locked onto Carlo Cattaneo, a nervous shipping broker whose voice trembled as he offered excuses for delayed shipments. Luciano, the middle brother with a chillingly pleasant smile, leaned against the wall, dropping hints about dead men and expensive mistakes. Meanwhile, Bruno, the imposing, broad-shouldered youngest brother, stood near the stone mantelpiece like a silent predator ready to strike.
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Elettra tried to remain invisible. Her body felt hollow, fueled by nothing more than half a bread roll eaten twelve hours ago. As she poured water into Cattaneo’s crystal glass, her hand gave a slight tremor. She stepped back toward the sideboard, hoping to blend into the dark wallpaper, but the candlelight began to swim in her vision. The room tilted violently, the sound of crystal shattering echoing like thunder as she lost her balance and collapsed toward the cold marble floor.
Before her head could strike the marble, a strong arm caught her effortlessly. Bruno Rosati had crossed the room with terrifying speed. His massive frame shielded her, his dark-gray jacket wrapping around her shivering shoulders as he pulled her into a secure grip. Through the roaring in her ears, she heard Massimo demanding a doctor, but Elettra’s only fear was being thrown back onto the freezing streets. Clutching Bruno’s sleeve with desperate fingers, she whispered a single plea before darkness completely claimed her senses: “Please… don’t send me home.”
