Chapter 2 - Waking Up in the Lion’s Den
When Elettra opened her eyes, the harsh fluorescent glare of a hospital was absent. Instead, she found herself lying on an oversized, incredibly soft velvet sofa in a dimly lit, wood-paneled library that smelled of aged leather, expensive bourbon, and cedar. A heavy, dark-blue jacket—Massimo’s—was draped carefully over her legs, while Bruno’s gray jacket cushioned her head. For a terrifying second, panic paralyzed her lungs. She had heard the stories whispered by the docks: the Rosati family did not tolerate outsiders, let alone exhausted waitresses who fainted during their secret mafia meetings.
Footsteps clicked softly against the Persian rug, and Massimo stepped into the warm pool of light cast by a brass desk lamp. His expression was unreadable, stripped of the terrifying authority he wore like armor at the dinner table. He held a porcelain cup of steaming black coffee and a small plate of honeyed toast, placing them quietly on the low table before her. He did not tower over her; instead, he sat in a leather armchair opposite the sofa, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers as he studied her with intense, analytical eyes that missed nothing.
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“You haven’t eaten since sunrise, you worked two grueling jobs before walking into a den of dangerous criminals, and yet you begged not to be sent home,” Massimo said, his voice deep, smooth, and laced with quiet curiosity. “Most people would be begging for an escort to the police station. Who are you really, and why is a girl with bruised knuckles and designer-grade posture hiding out as a freelance caterer?”
Elettra clutched Massimo’s jacket tighter around her shoulders, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew that lying to a man like Massimo Rosati was a fatal mistake, but telling the truth felt equally perilous. She took a slow, grounding breath, realizing that her secret was hanging by a thread. The mafia bosses thought she was just another helpless girl crushed by the city’s economic wheel, but the truth was far more dangerous than they could possibly imagine—and keeping it hidden was the only thing keeping her alive.
