STEFANO RUSSO'S (NERO) POV
We had been playing beach ball in the water for what felt like hours, the sun burning down on us while waves lapped against our legs. The girls were a little too competitive, but Benny and I had quietly decided to let them win. It was more fun watching them celebrate than crushing them.
But the truth? My focus wasn't on the game. It was on Zoe.
Every time she laughed, every time she raised her arms in victory or splashed Emily in excitement, something inside me tightened. I couldn't help it—I found myself smiling whenever she did.
Earlier, when she'd stepped out in that black bikini, my entire world had stopped. My chest had seized, and for a moment, it was like I forgot how to breathe. The fabric barely covered her, and yet what stunned me wasn't the exposure—it was the way she carried herself. Confident. Carefree. Unaware of the storm she had just unleashed in me.
She was beautiful. Too beautiful. Her skin glowed in the sunlight, her body curved in ways that could make any man turn his head twice. And yet, for some reason, I had never truly looked at her in that light until now.
Why?
Because with Zoe… I was different.
If it had been any other woman, I wouldn't have thought twice—I would have stripped her bare and taken what I wanted. That was who I was. That was the man everyone knew me to be. But with Zoe? I hesitated. I second-guessed myself. I couldn't imagine hurting her, not even in the smallest way.
And that's when the realization hit me.
I had fallen in love with her.
Benny was right. And I think I fell in love with her the very first day I saw how feisty and not easily broken she was.
Not the shallow kind of love that burned out as fast as it came, but something heavier, deeper. With her, I wasn't just Nero the mafia Don. I was someone else. Someone better.
Eventually, the girls decided they'd had enough of the water and headed back inside to bathe and change before the evening breeze turned sharp. I stood there, towel in hand, watching Zoe as she walked toward the villa. My gaze trailed after her until the sound of my name broke through.
"Nero."
A sharp slap on my back made me stumble forward a little. My jaw clenched instantly.
I turned to glare at Benny. "Do you have to hit me every damn time?" My words came out through gritted teeth as I wrapped the towel around my waist.
He only smiled and shrugged like he always did when he wanted to irritate me. But then his tone shifted—serious, calm. "I have good news for you."
I narrowed my eyes. Good news from Benny rarely meant good news in the normal sense. I followed him into the villa, my mind shifting gears, hardening as the playful warmth from earlier bled away.
"What is it?" My voice came out clipped, already scanning the familiar corners of the sitting room out of habit.
He glanced at me, lips still curved but eyes sharp. "My men got CEO Ben."
The words landed heavy. My face stiffened, my jaw tightening until I felt the muscle pulse. Finally. Took them long enough.
"Where is he?" My tone dropped to ice.
"Zone B." He paused in his steps, then turned toward me. His eyes studied me in a way that made me slow down too.
"What?" I raised a brow, uneasy at his hesitation.
His voice softened, but the weight behind it was heavier than before. "I hope you know what you're doing, Nero."
I didn't answer right away. I just stared back, waiting for him to finish.
He did. "Kidnapping CEO Ben… it's no small matter. He's respected, connected. If he disappears, if he dies, this isn't something that gets swept under the rug. People will come looking. Are you ready to bring your name into the light?"
For a moment, the villa felt too quiet. Only the faint hum of the air conditioning filled the space.
"I know what I'm doing," I said finally, my voice steady even though a flicker of unease burned in my chest. My expression softened slightly, though—Benny deserved that much.
He looked at me with those serious eyes that never quite matched his usual carefree grin. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. This is going to get messy."
I drew in a slow breath, and for a heartbeat, the memory of a little boy's face flashed in my mind. Benny at six years old, terrified, clinging to me the night my father was supposed to kill his family. I had saved him, and from that day on, he'd been mine—brother, partner, shadow. He carried my sins so I wouldn't drown in them.
I reached out, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, squeezing just enough to let him feel the weight of my words. My eyes softened. "Trust me on this."
He didn't respond at first. Just held my gaze. Then slowly, he nodded and laid his hand over mine. "I'm with you, man."
A small smile tugged at my lips. Grateful. Steady. Ready.
****
Benny and I drove down to Zone B in silence, the city lights of Dubai flashing past the windows. My mind wasn't on the drive, though. It was already in the room waiting for me—the place where I would stop being just Nero in love and become Don Nero again.
The "torture room" wasn't mine, but it might as well have been. It belonged to a friend, one of the few people in this city I trusted enough to house a man like CEO Ben. After a brief exchange of greetings and a thick envelope of cash, Benny and I headed down the narrow spiral staircase. Each step echoed, hollow and heavy, pulling me deeper into the dark.
The air shifted as we reached the bottom. It was damp, thick with the metallic stench of old blood and sweat. A single bulb flickered above, casting shadows across the stone walls. Two guards flanked the heavy steel door. They opened it quickly, no words spoken, their eyes lowering as I passed.
Inside, the room was small, suffocating. Chains lined the walls, rusted with time, and the floor was stained darker in patches I didn't care to study. In the center sat a man slumped in a chair, his thick gut straining against the ropes that bound him. His face was swollen, lips cracked, sweat dripping down his temples.
Ben.
His head snapped up when he heard the door close. The moment his eyes landed on me, they widened. Shock. Recognition. Then fear.
Good.
I walked slowly toward him, each step deliberate, heavy with intention. By the time I pulled a chair across from him and sat, I wasn't Nero, the man who smiled at Zoe's laughter. I was Don Nero, heir of blood and shadow.
I gave a small nod. One of my men untied the filthy rag stuffed between Ben's teeth. He coughed, lips quivering, before his voice came out cracked and uneven.
"N-Nero?" His voice shook. "No… no, it can't be."
My lips curled into a cold smirk. "You thought I was dead, didn't you?"
His expression twisted into anger, desperation. "My men told me you were dead!" he shouted, the chair scraping as he struggled against the ropes.
I tilted my head, my grin widening with mock sympathy. Exactly the message I had wanted him to hear. Benny had done his job well.
"Sorry to disappoint you," I said smoothly. "But your tactics were… childish." I leaned closer, letting him see the grin that never touched my eyes. "Now that I've answered your questions, it's time you answered mine."
He tugged against the ropes violently, panic flashing across his face. "Let me go! Nero, let me go!"
I didn't even blink. Instead, I stretched my hand toward Benny without taking my eyes off Ben. He placed a photograph in my palm. I flipped it over, studying the familiar face for a breath too long before holding it up for him to see.
My mother.
Thirteen years gone, and still her memory burned like an open wound.
"Thirteen years ago," I said coldly, my voice low and measured, "this woman was murdered in her bedroom. Do you know her?"
For a moment, silence stretched between us. Then Ben's lips split into laughter. Not nervous laughter. Cruel. Loud.
I frowned, irritation sparking hot beneath my skin. "What's so funny?"
"Nero, Nero, Nero," he said between fits of laughter, calling my name like it was a joke. "I expected more from you."
My jaw flexed. I leaned forward, my eyes boring into his. "I'm not here to play games."
His laughter faded, his face hardening. "Do you really think I'll open my mouth just because you're asking the questions?"
For a heartbeat, I only studied him. Then slowly, deliberately, I smiled. A wicked smile that made his eyes narrow in suspicion.
"CEO Ben," I murmured, "you're always so predictable."
He blinked at me, confused.
"I knew you wouldn't talk." I leaned back in my chair, giving a small nod toward Benny. "That's why I prepared… a surprise."
At my signal, one of my men opened the side door and dragged in a young woman, her wrists bound, tears streaking down her face.
"Daddy!" she screamed, thrashing against the grip that held her.
Ben's entire body stiffened. His head whipped around, his face paling. His fury returned in an instant, eyes burning into me. "Nero! What are you doing? Let her go!"
But I only smiled. Cold. Merciless. "Let's try this again." I raised the photo once more, letting the light catch my mother's face. "Do you know this woman?"
His jaw trembled. He was already shaking now, torn between fear for himself and fear for her. His voice came out hoarse. "If I answer… will you let my daughter go?"
I shrugged, my smile thin. "I don't negotiate."
He swallowed hard, teeth biting into his lip. His eyes flickered to his daughter, then back to me. Finally, he exhaled a broken sigh. "I know her. But I had nothing to do with her murder."
My frown deepened. "Then who?"
"I… I don't know," he stammered, but his tone betrayed him.
The knife at his daughter's throat pressed a little deeper. She sobbed, voice cracking. "Daddy!"
Ben's head snapped toward me, his face twisted in horror. "Stop! Please!" His voice broke into a scream, desperation pouring out now. "It was Frenado! Frenado Ashthorne!"
The name rang out in the room, sharp as a blade.