The music slowly returned to the ballroom, but Riyana could still feel it.
That gaze.
Heavy. Sharp. Watching her from across the room.
She turned away quickly and walked back to the balcony, trying to calm the strange uneasiness in her chest.
"Relax," she muttered to herself. "He's just a man."
But that wasn't completely true.
Bosco wasn't just a man.
He was the man her father hated most.
The most feared mafia boss in Ravenza.
And right now, he was looking at her like she was the most interesting thing in the entire room.
Riyana hated that.
She leaned against the balcony railing and stared at the city lights below. The cold night air felt better than the suffocating ballroom full of criminals pretending to be gentlemen.
Men like them disgusted her.
Powerful.
Arrogant.
Thinking money and violence could buy everything.
Even love.
Riyana scoffed quietly.
Love was the biggest lie ever created.
She had seen enough of the world to know the truth.
Men didn't love.
They possessed.
Controlled.
Destroyed.
Her mother's sad eyes before she died were proof of that.
And her father's ruthless life was another.
No man would ever control her heart.
Never.
"Interesting."
The deep voice behind her made her freeze.
Slowly, she turned around.
Bosco stood only a few steps away.
Up close, he looked even more dangerous.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. His black suit fit him perfectly, like it was designed for a king of the underworld. His dark eyes held a calm confidence that made most people step back instinctively.
But Riyana didn't step back.
She simply crossed her arms.
"You're staring," she said coldly.
Bosco's lips curved slightly.
Not a full smile.
Something more dangerous.
"I was observing."
"That's another word for staring."
His eyes flickered with amusement.
Most women would have blushed under his gaze.
Some would have tried to impress him.
But this woman…
She looked annoyed.
Bosco found that fascinating.
"You're Viktor Leone's daughter," he said.
"Yes."
"And you don't seem afraid of me."
Riyana tilted her head.
"Should I be?"
Bosco studied her face carefully.
Fear was something he was used to seeing.
Respect too.
But in Riyana's eyes there was neither.
Only indifference.
And a little irritation.
It made him chuckle softly.
"You know who I am," he said.
"Unfortunately."
That answer made one of Bosco's bodyguards shift uncomfortably.
No one talked to Bosco like that.
But Bosco only seemed more amused.
"And yet you speak to me like I'm nothing special."
Riyana shrugged.
"To me, you're just another powerful man with too much ego."
The bodyguards stiffened again.
But Bosco laughed quietly.
"You dislike men."
It wasn't a question.
Riyana's eyes hardened.
"I don't trust them."
"Why?"
"Because men destroy everything they touch."
The words came out sharp and certain.
Bosco watched her for a moment.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"If the right man loved you," he said softly, "you would change your mind."
Riyana laughed.
A short, mocking laugh.
"That's adorable."
Bosco raised an eyebrow.
"You think love is some magical thing that fixes everything?"
"It can."
"Not for me."
Bosco studied her again.
Most women dreamed about romance.
About being loved.
But this woman rejected the idea entirely.
That only made her more interesting.
"You're wrong," he said calmly.
"And you're arrogant."
"Maybe."
His voice lowered slightly.
"But when I love a woman, I love her completely."
Riyana rolled her eyes.
"Spare me the mafia poetry."
Bosco's gaze darkened with something intense.
"Flowers. Protection. Loyalty. Devotion."
His voice was steady.
"If she were mine, the entire city would know she belonged to me."
Riyana stared at him like he had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
"That sounds less like love and more like ownership."
Bosco smiled again.
"Only if she doesn't want it."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then I would spend the rest of my life proving I'm worth it."
For a moment, Riyana didn't know what to say.
Not because she believed him.
But because he said it with absolute certainty.
She quickly shook the thought away.
"Good luck with that fantasy."
Bosco straightened slightly.
"Tell me something, Riyana."
"What?"
"Has any man ever tried to make you believe in love?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"They all failed."
Bosco's smile returned slowly.
"That sounds like a challenge."
Riyana frowned.
"It's not."
"To me, it is."
She stepped closer to him, her voice firm.
"Listen carefully, Mr. Mafia Boss."
His eyes glinted with interest.
"I don't believe in romance," she said. "I don't believe in love."
Bosco didn't look offended.
Instead, his gaze became even more focused.
"Good."
Riyana blinked.
"Good?"
"Yes."
His voice dropped to a quiet, confident tone.
"Because when I finally make you fall in love with me…"
He paused.
His dark eyes locked onto hers.
"It will be unforgettable."
Riyana stared at him for a second.
Then she smirked.
"You're insane."
Bosco only smiled.
Maybe.
But one thing was already certain.
The enemy's daughter had just become the most fascinating woman he had ever met.