Prologue
The Vow of Shadows, Book II
Matteo De Luca | Born in Blood, Crowned in Silence
The throne of an empire isn’t made of gold; it’s built on the bones of those who weren't fast enough to pull the trigger.
I stand in my study, the scent of expensive bourbon and old secrets clinging to the walls. Outside, the city stretches out like a glittering web I’ve spent my life weaving. But tonight, the silk feels like a noose.
I look at the woman sleeping in the next room. Elena. My beautiful, brave lawyer. She thinks she’s seen the worst of me. She thinks that by surviving the first storm, we’ve earned the calm.
She’s wrong.
The door creaks open. I don’t need to turn around to know the shadow that stands there. The air in the room drops ten degrees, heavy with the stench of gunpowder and resentment.
"You’ve grown soft, brother," a voice rasps. A voice I haven't heard in three years. Not since I sent him away to burn in the fires of our Italian territories.
Dante.
"I’ve grown smart," I reply, my voice a low growl. "And I told you never to return without my word."
Dante steps into the light, a jagged scar cutting through his smirk. He looks at the closed bedroom door, and my hand instinctively drifts to the Beretta tucked into my waistband.
"A Rossi?" Dante chuckles, a dry, hollow sound. "You brought a wolf in sheep’s clothing into our den, Matteo. She’s not your partner; she’s your expiration date. The Commission is talking. They say the De Luca heir is being led around by a woman who still believes in 'justice'."
"She stays," I say, the finality in my tone enough to kill.
"We'll see," Dante whispers, leaning against the mahogany desk. "But remember, Matteo... blood debts are never settled with words. And your debt is overflowing."
Elena Rossi | Bound by Law, Touched by Shadows
I wake up to the sound of a heart beating—but it isn't mine.
I sit up, the silk sheets sliding down my skin. The penthouse is silent, yet I feel a vibration in the air, a warning my instincts have learned to scream. I walk to the window, looking down at the street.
A black sedan sits idling at the curb. A man stands beside it, looking up.
In the dim glow of the streetlamp, I recognize the silhouette. The sharp suit. The rigid, moral posture.
Julian.
My heart stammers. We were supposed to change the world together. We were supposed to be the "Golden Duo" of the DA's office. Now, he’s standing in the shadows of the man I love, holding a folder that probably contains the end of us.
Matteo thinks the danger comes from the streets. He thinks he can shoot his way out of anything.
But I know Julian. He doesn't use bullets. He uses the truth. And in this world, the truth is the only thing more lethal than a De Luca.
I touch the cold glass of the window. The vow I made in the shadows wasn't just to Matteo. It was a vow to survive.
Forgive me, Julian, I think, watching my old life stare back at me from the pavement. But I’m not the girl you’re trying to save anymore.
