Chapter 1 - The city that never sleeps.
The city of Ravenport never truly slept — it only pretended to.
Neon lights hummed through the fog, reflecting off rain-slick streets as if the ground itself held secrets it refused to release. From above, everything looked peaceful. From the inside, it was a maze of power, loyalty, and quiet fear.
Mila Cross moved quickly through the narrow side street, her jacket pulled tight against the cold. She didn’t belong in this part of the city — she knew that — but life had a way of pushing people into places they never planned to be.
She wasn’t afraid.
Not exactly.
She’d learned long ago that fear wasted time.
A car idled nearby, engine low and patient. She barely noticed it at first. People with money always had somewhere to be, and Raventon had no shortage of them. Still, something made her slow her steps.
The car door opened.
A man stepped out.
He wasn’t loud. He didn’t rush. He simply existed — and somehow, the street seemed to respond to him. Even the wind stilled.
Tall. Dark coat. Calm eyes that missed nothing.
This was Luca Moretti — though she didn’t know his name yet. Only that when his gaze met hers, the world shifted slightly, like a warning whispered too late.
“You’re walking the wrong way,” he said evenly.
Mila raised an eyebrow. “Did the street tell you that?”
A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face — amusement, maybe. Or interest.
“People don’t come here unless they’re lost,” he replied.
“Or brave,” she said.
He studied her then, really studied her, as if trying to decide whether she was a mistake or a message. She met his gaze without flinching, even though something deep inside her screamed that this man was dangerous in ways she couldn’t yet understand.
Finally, he stepped aside.
“Then be careful,” he said. “This city doesn’t forgive curiosity.”
She walked past him, heart pounding, unaware that this moment — this one crossing of paths — had just shifted the course of both their lives.
Behind her, Luca watched until she disappeared into the crowd.
And for the first time in years… he felt something stir.
