The tension in the room snapped like a tightened wire.
"King Alessandro…" a voice started, uncertain.
Ryan didn't even let it finish.
His gaze shifted—slow, deliberate—and a faint smirk curved his lips. It wasn't warm.
It was dangerous.
"Who," he said softly, his voice carrying across the room like a blade, "dares question me now?"
Silence.
The music died instantly.
One by one, guests stepped back, the weight of his presence crushing the air. No one wanted to be the next target.
Ryan lifted a hand slightly.
"Lucas."
A man stepped forward from the crowd.
Tall. Silent. Lethal.
Ryan's eyes locked onto him.
"My shadow," he said. "My eyes."
The crowd parted as Lucas moved, each step measured, controlled. He didn't speak—but his presence alone spoke enough.
Danger.
Ryan turned slowly, his gaze sweeping across the room, daring anyone—anyone—to challenge him.
Then he smiled.
Cold.
"Lucas," he continued, voice calm but absolute, "you have one job."
A pause.
"Keep me alive."
Another pause—longer this time.
"And one rule…"
His eyes darkened.
"No one touches me."
The words settled into the room like a death sentence.
No one laughed.
No one moved.
They understood.
This king wasn't playing games.
Then—
A figure stepped forward.
Lucas.
His presence was heavy, his expression carved from stone. When he spoke, his voice rolled through the room like thunder.
"I swear," he began, steady and unwavering, "on my life… on my blood… on everything I am…"
His eyes burned with something fierce. Something absolute.
"I will protect King Alessandro."
The room held its breath.
"From shadows. From bullets. From betrayal."
Each word struck harder than the last.
"I will take the hits. I will take the pain."
His jaw tightened.
"I will kill for him."
Silence deepened.
Lucas lifted his chin slightly, scanning the room with deadly calm.
"To my last breath… he is mine to guard."
A step forward.
"Betray him…"
His voice dropped.
"And you answer to me."
Another step.
"Touch him…"
His lips barely moved.
"You die."
No one doubted him.
Not for a second.
Some nodded in respect.
Others watched carefully—calculating, cautious.
Ryan, however…
Smiled.
He had chosen well.
Across the room, the party continued—but the atmosphere had changed.
Fear lingered beneath the luxury.
Then—
A sudden crash.
A waiter stumbled, spilling wine onto a guest.
The room froze.
Ryan didn't even look surprised.
He simply snapped his fingers.
Two men appeared instantly.
The waiter was dragged out before he could even beg.
Moments later—
A gunshot echoed outside.
No one spoke.
No one reacted.
The music resumed.
The party continued.
The message was clear.
But for lucas…
The noise faded.
The lights dimmed.
And memories surfaced.
He was ten.
Sent out on a simple errand.
"Buy groceries," they said.
When he came back…
Silence.
His parents lay cold on the floor.
Food poisoned.
Life gone.
Just like that.
He wandered the streets for hours.
Lost.
Empty.
Broken.
Until—
He found him.
Don Alessandro.
Standing outside a club, power radiating from him like a storm.
Lucas told him everything.
Every detail.
Every pain.
The king listened.
Quiet.
Watching.
Measuring.
Then—
A faint smile.
"My son will find the one responsible," Don Alessandro said.
A pause.
"And you…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll give you a chance."
Another pause.
"I'll make you a legend."
Lucas didn't hesitate.
He nodded.
At twelve years old—
He chose revenge.
The mafia world swallowed him whole.
Training.
Pain.
Blood.
He met Ryan—the heir.
Two years older.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Together—
They grew.
Not as boys.
But as weapons.
Lucas became something else.
Not human.
Not anymore.
A weapon forged in loyalty and violence.
The king taught him one thing above all:
Loyalty.
And Lucas proved it.
His first trial came in blood.
An ambush.
Chaos.
Gunfire tearing through the air.
But Lucas—
Moved like death itself.
At barely eighteen—
He took down three armed men in seconds.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Only results.
From the shadows, the king watched.
Impressed.
Satisfied.
Certain.
Afterwards—
Don Alessandro stepped forward.
He grabbed Jason by the neck—not harsh, but firm.
Claiming.
"From today…" he said.
"I hand you over to my son."
His gaze burned with authority.
"To Ryan."
A pause.
"My heir."
Lucas didn't look away.
"You belong to him now."
The words sealed his fate.
"His shadow."
Another pause.
"His sword."
Lucas nodded.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
His eyes burned with something deeper than loyalty.
Devotion.
Don Alessandro smiled.
Dark.
Satisfied.
He hadn't just found a soldier.
He had found a monster.
And from that day on—
Lucas made a vow.
A silent one.
A deadly one.
He would protect Ryan Alessandro…
Until his very last breath.