Chapter 1 – The Enemy's Daughter
They called me a monster long before I became one. In this city, fear had a name. And that name was Adrian Vasiliev. I was a well respected mafia boss, a most people are scared of me while few people (my enemies) aren't afraid of me, a lot of people describe me as a very tall, fair, handsome man. I stood in front of the tall glass windows of my office, staring down at the city lights below. From this height, the streets looked small. The people looked even smaller. Power had a strange way of making the world feel like it belonged to you. Behind me, the heavy wooden doors opened quietly. "Boss," my right-hand man said. I didn't turn around. "What is it, Viktor?" "There's been movement from the Romano family." I was shocked. That made me pause. The Romano family had been my enemies for fifteen years. The blood between us ran deep enough to drown an entire city. "What kind of movement?" I asked. "Shipment tonight. Private gala at their mansion. Half the powerful people in the city will be there." A gala. I finally turned. Viktor leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His expression was calm, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "Sounds like a celebration," I said. "Or a trap." I smirked slightly. "In this business, Viktor… everything is a trap." He walked toward my desk and placed a black envelope down. "Invitation came this afternoon." I stared at it. Gold lettering. Elegant handwriting. ROMANO ESTATE – CHARITY GALA Antonio Romano was many things. Ruthless. Powerful. Dangerous. But he was also arrogant... Inviting me into his territory??? That meant he wanted to send a message. Or start a war. Either way, I intended to attend. The Romano mansion sat on a hill overlooking the river. Even from the outside, it screamed wealth. Tall iron gates. Perfect gardens. Marble statues lining the driveway like silent guards. My car rolled to a stop at the entrance. The guards immediately stiffened when they saw me step out. Good. Fear was a language everyone understood. Inside, the mansion glowed with golden lights and expensive music. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and the room buzzed with laughter from politicians, businessmen, and criminals pretending to be respectable citizens. Everyone looked elegant. Everyone looked fake. The moment I stepped inside, conversations slowed. Eyes turned toward me. Whispers followed. "Adrian Vasiliev…" "Why is he here?" "Romano invited him?" Fear spread through the room like smoke. I ignored them all. Until I saw him. Antonio Romano stood near the center of the ballroom, talking to a group of men. He looked exactly like I remembered—gray hair, sharp eyes, and the kind of smile that meant someone would probably die before the night was over. Our eyes met across the room. Neither of us smiled. But then something unexpected happened. Someone walked up beside him. A girl. She couldn't have been older than twenty. Dark hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore a simple black dress that somehow made every other woman in the room look overdressed. But it wasn't her beauty that caught my attention. It was her eyes. Calm. Curious. Completely fearless. She leaned toward Antonio and said something that made him laugh. I frowned slightly. Antonio Romano didn't laugh. Not unless something interesting was happening. "Boss?" Viktor's voice pulled me back. "Who is she?" I asked. Viktor followed my gaze. Then he froze. "Oh." "What?" "That's… not good." I slowly turned my head toward him. "Explain." Viktor sighed. "That's Elena Romano." Antonio Romano's daughter. The enemy's daughter. And for the first time in a very long time… Something about this night suddenly felt dangerous in a completely different way. Because Elena Romano had just looked across the room… And caught me staring. Instead of looking away like everyone else did.
She smiled. Not the polite kind people gave at parties. Not the nervous smile people forced when they recognized who I was. This one was different. It was curious. Almost amused. For a second I thought maybe she didn't know who I was. But that idea died quickly. In this city, everyone knew my face. Everyone knew my name. Which meant Elena Romano was either incredibly brave… or incredibly foolish. "Boss," Viktor murmured quietly beside me. "We should leave." I ignored him. Across the ballroom, Elena was still looking at me. Her father continued talking to the group of businessmen around him, completely unaware of the silent exchange happening behind him. The music from the orchestra filled the room softly. Wine glasses clinked. People laughed. But my focus stayed on her. Finally, she turned away and said something to her father. Antonio nodded without really listening. Then Elena began walking. Not toward the exit. Toward me. Viktor cursed under his breath. "This is bad," he muttered. "Relax," I said calmly. "Boss, that's Romano's daughter." "I noticed." "And she's walking straight toward us." "I also noticed." Viktor ran a hand through his hair. "This is exactly how wars start." But I wasn't listening anymore. Because Elena Romano had stopped right in front of me. Up close, she looked even younger than I expected. Not fragile—there was nothing fragile about the way she held herself—but untouched by the darkness that surrounded families like ours. She studied me for a moment. Then she spoke. "So you're Adrian Vasiliev." Her voice was calm. No fear. No hesitation. Interesting. "And you're very brave," I replied slowly. Her eyebrow lifted slightly. "For walking up to me like this." A small smile appeared on her lips again. "Brave?" she said. "Or curious?" "Curiosity gets people killed in this city." "Only if they ask the wrong questions." The room around us continued moving, but it felt strangely quiet inside the space between us. She tilted her head slightly. "You're not what I expected." "And what exactly were you expecting?" She thought about it for a second. "Older," she said honestly. "And uglier." Viktor almost choked beside me. I stared at her. Then, unexpectedly, I laughed. A real laugh. I couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken to me like that. Elena seemed pleased with herself. "See?" she said. "You're not as terrifying as everyone says." "Oh, I am," I replied quietly. Something in my tone must have reached her, because the amusement in her eyes dimmed slightly. For the first time, she seemed to really look at me. Not at the suit. Not at the reputation. At me. And whatever she saw made her expression change. Before she could say anything else, a deep voice cut through the moment. "Elena." Antonio Romano stood behind her. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. Elena turned around. "Papa." Antonio's sharp eyes moved from his daughter… to me. The hatred between our families was old enough to have its own history. But tonight, something new had been added to it. Something neither of us had planned. Antonio's jaw tightened slightly. "Elena," he said calmly, "come here." She hesitated for a second. Then she stepped away from me. But before she left, she looked back over her shoulder. Just for a moment. Antonio noticed. Of course he did. Men like him noticed everything. His gaze returned to me, colder than before. "This is a party, Vasiliev," he said quietly. "Not a battlefield." I straightened my cuffs. "Your invitation said everyone was welcome." "You're not everyone." "Yet here I am." The tension between us could have snapped steel. Finally, Antonio gave a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Enjoy the evening," he said. Then he turned and walked away with Elena. But not before placing a protective hand on her shoulder. A warning. Clear and direct. Stay away from my daughter. Viktor leaned toward me once they were gone. "This is a disaster," he said. "Why?" "You just met the daughter of the most dangerous man in this city." I watched Elena disappear into the crowd. Something strange had settled in my chest. Something I hadn't felt in years.Interest... "Viktor," I said slowly. "Yes, boss?" "Find out everything about her." He stared at me. Then he sighed heavily. "I had a feeling you were going to say that..."
The party had been going on for almost an hour, but I had stopped paying attention to it a long time ago. Music filled the ballroom. People laughed. Glasses clinked. But my focus kept drifting back to the same place. Elena Romano. She stood across the room near one of the large windows, speaking with a group of women. Every now and then she laughed softly at something they said. She looked like she belonged in a different world. Not this one. Not the one built on blood and power. Viktor leaned closer to me. "You're staring again," he said quietly. "I'm observing." "You've been 'observing' for twenty minutes." I ignored him. "What do you know about her?" Viktor sighed. "Very little. Romano keeps her away from the business." "How old?" "Twenty-one." Younger than I expected. "What else?" "She studied abroad for a few years. Came back recently." My eyes remained on her. "And?" "That's it," Viktor said. "Romano keeps his family private." That alone was suspicious. Men like Antonio Romano didn't protect things unless they were valuable. Or vulnerable. Across the room, Elena suddenly glanced toward me again. This time she didn't smile. Instead, she looked thoughtful. Almost like she was trying to solve a puzzle. A moment later she turned away and began walking toward the hallway that led outside the ballroom. Alone. I straightened slightly. "Where is she going?" Viktor muttered. "Fresh air," I guessed. The hallway doors closed behind her. Thirty seconds passed. Then a minute. My instincts started whispering something uncomfortable in the back of my mind. Viktor noticed the look on my face. "No," he said immediately. I grabbed my coat. "Don't even think about it." "Relax," I replied. "You're going after Romano's daughter." "I'm walking through a hallway." "You're impossible." But he followed anyway. The hallway outside the ballroom was quiet. Dim lights lined the walls, and distant music echoed faintly from the party behind us. At the end of the corridor, large glass doors led outside to the garden. They were open. Cold night air drifted inside. I stepped out. The Romano garden was enormous. Marble paths wound between fountains and tall hedges, and soft lights illuminated the trees. For a moment I didn't see her. Then I spotted movement near the fountain. Elena stood there alone, leaning slightly against the stone railing and looking out toward the dark river beyond the estate. She looked peaceful. Like the chaos inside the mansion didn't exist. I took a few steps forward. Gravel crunched quietly under my shoes. She turned around when she heard the sound. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me. "You followed me," she said. "Coincidence." She laughed softly. "I don't believe in coincidences." Neither did I. For a moment neither of us spoke. The night air was cold, and the wind moved gently through the trees. "You shouldn't be out here alone," I finally said. She folded her arms. "That's funny coming from you." "Why?" "Because you're the dangerous one." I studied her. "Is that what your father told you?" "No," she replied. "Everyone tells me that." "And you believe them?" She hesitated. Then she said something unexpected. "I don't know." Interesting. Most people had already made up their minds about me. But before I could respond—A noise came from behind the hedges. A sharp movement. My body reacted before my mind did. I stepped forward quickly and grabbed Elena's arm, pulling her slightly behind me. "What—?" she started. "Quiet," I said. Footsteps approached. Three men stepped out from the shadows of the garden path. None of them were guests. They wore dark clothing and had the kind of expressions I recognized instantly. Predators... One of them smirked. "Well, well," he said. "Look who we found." Elena's grip tightened slightly on my arm. I asked her "Do you know them?" she whispered. "No." But I knew their type. And I knew exactly why they were here. The man in front looked at Elena. "Romano's daughter," he said. So it wasn't random. Viktor stepped beside me. "Boss," he said quietly. I nodded slightly. The leader pulled a knife from his jacket. "You're not our problem, Vasiliev," he said. "Walk away."
I didn't!..
Is that how u talk to one of the most feared men in the world!?