Chapter 1
Chapter One
The Return
The first time Serafina Vellari returned to Milan, she came with a suitcase, a false name, and a promise written in blood.
Eight years ago, she had left Italy as a frightened sixteen-year-old girl.
Tonight, she returned as someone else.
The black car moved silently through the streets of Milan, its tinted windows shielding her from the city outside.
Serafina sat alone in the back seat, dressed in a fitted black dress that stopped just above her knees. Her dark hair fell over one shoulder, and a small diamond necklace rested against her collarbone.
She looked nothing like the girl who had fled Italy eight years ago.
That was exactly how she wanted it.
Her fingers closed around the silver ring hanging from a chain around her neck.
Her mother's ring.
The only thing she had taken from home that night.
She remembered everything.
The screams.
The gunshots.
The smell of smoke.
Her father's voice telling her to run.
Her mother's hands pushing her toward the hidden passage beneath the estate.
And then
Silence.
Serafina closed her eyes.
For eight years, she had tried to forget that night.
She had failed.
Instead, she had memorized it.
Every face.
Every name.
Every betrayal.
Every piece of information that could help her take back what had been stolen.
The car slowed as it approached the center of Milan.
Serafina opened her eyes.
The city looked beautiful beneath the night sky.
Elegant buildings stood beneath golden lights. Expensive cars moved along the streets. People laughed outside restaurants and walked beneath umbrellas.
Milan looked exactly as she remembered.
But she was no longer the same girl who had once called it home.
Her phone vibrated.
She looked down.
One message.
He's here.
Serafina's expression hardened.
She typed a single response.
I know.
She put the phone away.
The driver glanced at her through the mirror.
"Miss Valenti, we're almost there."
"Thank you."
He nodded.
Miss Valenti.
That was the name on her passport.
The name on her documents.
The name everyone would know.
Sera Valenti.
A wealthy Italian investor who had spent years abroad and had recently returned to Milan.
Nobody knew about Serafina Vellari.
Nobody was supposed to.
The car stopped outside a luxurious hotel.
The driver stepped out and opened the door.
Serafina stepped onto the pavement.
She looked up at the building.
Tonight was not about revenge.
Not yet.
Tonight was about beginning.
She entered the hotel.
The lobby was filled with wealthy businessmen, politicians, celebrities, and people who had no idea that some of the most dangerous men in Europe were standing among them.
Serafina walked toward the elevator.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor.
She pressed the button.
As the doors opened, she stepped inside.
The doors closed.
Only then did she allow herself to breathe.
Her reflection stared back at her from the mirrored wall.
"Eight years," she whispered.
Eight years since she had seen Milan.
Eight years since her family's name had been erased.
Eight years since someone had taken everything.
Serafina touched the ring beneath her dress.
"I came back for you, Mama."
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
Her expression changed.
Cold.
Focused.
Ready.
She stepped out.
Tonight, she was attending a private charity gala.
And the man she had spent eight years preparing to destroy would be there.
Cassian Devereux.
The Don.
The most powerful man in Milan's underworld.
The man whose family had taken the Vellari empire.
At least, that's what Serafina believed.
She entered the ballroom.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
Waiters moved through the crowd carrying champagne.
Women wore expensive gowns.
Men wore tailored suits.
Everyone smiled.
Everyone pretended they were civilized.
Serafina knew better.
In this room, smiles were weapons.
Handshakes were alliances.
And money was power.
Her eyes moved across the room.
She found him immediately.
Cassian Devereux.
He stood near the balcony doors with three men surrounding him.
He was taller than she expected.
Broad shoulders.
Black suit.
White shirt.
No tie.
His dark hair was neatly styled, and his expression was completely unreadable.
He wasn't speaking.
He didn't need to.
Everyone around him seemed to know when to stop talking.
Serafina stared at him.
This was the man.
The man she had imagined killing a thousand times.
She had expected hatred.
Instead, something unfamiliar moved through her.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Attraction.
She immediately pushed it away.
No.
She hadn't come here to admire him.
She had come to destroy him.
A waiter passed.
Serafina picked up a glass of champagne.
She took one sip.
Then she felt it.
Someone was watching her.
She turned.
Cassian Devereux was staring directly at her.
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
Serafina's heart beat once.
Hard.
Cassian said something to the man beside him and began walking toward her.
She remained still.
One step.
Two.
Three.
He stopped in front of her.
Up close, he was even more intimidating.
"You're new."
His voice was deep and calm.
Serafina smiled politely.
"Is that a problem?"
His eyes studied her face.
"No."
"Then I suppose we're fine."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You're confident."
"I have no reason not to be."
"Most people become nervous when I speak to them."
"Perhaps they have a reason."
His eyebrow lifted.
"Do you?"
"No."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Cassian looked at the champagne in her hand.
"You're drinking?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
"Why?"
"Because you don't look like someone who drinks."
Serafina smiled.
"And you don't look like someone who judges people by their drinks."
"I'm not judging."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Studying."
She laughed softly.
"Should I be worried?"
"Probably."
Her smile disappeared for half a second.
Then she recovered.
"You're Cassian Devereux."
"I am."
"I've heard about you."
"Good things?"
"That depends on who you ask."
Cassian smiled.
"And who did you ask?"
"Nobody."
He looked intrigued.
"Then why did you come here?"
Serafina raised her glass.
"Business."
"You're a businesswoman?"
"An investor."
"What do you invest in?"
"Anything profitable."
"That's vague."
"It's supposed to be."
Cassian's eyes remained fixed on hers.
Serafina could feel him studying every detail.
She knew she had to be careful.
He was not an ordinary businessman.
He had survived years of Mafia wars.
He had inherited an empire and expanded it.
He trusted almost nobody.
And she had deliberately walked into his territory.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Sera Valenti."
The lie came easily.
Cassian repeated it quietly.
"Sera."
"Yes."
"Welcome to Milan."
He extended his hand.
She looked at it.
Then took it.
The moment their hands touched, something unexpected passed between them.
Serafina pulled her hand away first.
Cassian noticed.
Of course he did.
"You don't like being touched."
"I don't like strangers touching me."
"Yet you shook my hand."
"Business etiquette."
He smiled again.
"You're interesting, Sera Valenti."
"I've been told."
A man approached Cassian.
"Don, we need you."
Cassian looked at him.
"I'll be there in a minute."
The man nodded and walked away.
Cassian looked back at Serafina.
"I hope we'll meet again."
"We will."
He walked away.
Serafina watched him disappear into the crowd.
Only when he was gone did she allow herself to breathe.
Her phone vibrated.
She pulled it from her purse.
A message appeared.
Did you meet him?
She typed:
Yes.
Another message came immediately.
And?
Serafina looked across the ballroom at Cassian.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
He's exactly where I need him.
She put the phone away.
But what she didn't know was that Cassian had stopped walking.
He was standing near the opposite side of the ballroom.
And he was watching her again.
His right-hand man, Marcello Veyron, stood beside him.
"Who is she?"
Cassian didn't answer immediately.
"Sera Valenti."
Marcello frowned.
"Do you know her?"
"No."
"Then why are you watching her?"
Cassian's gaze remained fixed on Serafina.
"Because she lied to me."
Marcello looked surprised.
"About what?"
"Everything."
Cassian turned away.
"Find out who she is."
Marcello nodded.
"How much do you want?"
"Everything."
Across the room, Serafina slipped out onto the balcony.
Cold air touched her face.
Milan stretched beneath her.
Beautiful.
Expensive.
Dangerous.
She pulled out a small photograph from inside her purse.
It was old.
The edges were worn.
A younger Serafina stood between her parents.
Her father had one arm around her.
Her mother was smiling.
Behind them stood the Vellari estate.
Her home.
Her life.
Everything that had been stolen.
Serafina stared at the photograph.
"I'll get it back."
Her voice trembled.
"I promise."
She placed the photograph back inside her purse.
Then she looked through the glass doors.
Cassian was standing inside.
Their eyes met again.
This time, neither of them smiled.
Serafina's heart began beating faster.
She didn't understand why.
She hated him.
She had spent eight years learning how to hate him.
So why did standing near him feel like stepping into a fire?
She turned away.
She needed to remember the plan.
First, she would recover the Vellari estate.
Second, she would find the accounts containing her family's stolen fortune.
Third, she would destroy the Devereux business empire.
Fourth, she would take control of the territories that once belonged to her father.
And finally
she would take everything from Cassian Devereux.
Everything.
Including his crown.
Serafina smiled.
For the first time that night, she felt like herself again.
The frightened girl was gone.
The Vellari heiress had returned.
And she was ready for war.
What Serafina didn't know was that Cassian Devereux had already ordered his men to investigate her.
By morning, he would know where she lived.
Who she had contacted.
Where she had been for the last eight years.
And possibly
who she really was.
The game had started.
Neither of them knew who would win.
But both were prepared to destroy the other.
And somewhere between revenge and desire, one of them would eventually have to lose.
Serafina looked once more at Milan's glittering skyline.
She had come home.
Not to forgive.
Not to forget.
Not to fall in love.
She had come to take back what was hers.
And if Cassian Devereux stood in her way
she would bring his entire empire down with him.
