She's Mine

"I'm walking in now." I hang up the phone, already irritated.

I don't want to be here.

Unfortunately, since my father's passing last year, I had to take over the family business. That includes meeting all the partner heads.

At least we're in Monaco. It's a beautiful city. One of the few places I can clear my head.

I walk into the small cafe filled with locals and tourists alike, and take a seat by the window.

I wait.

I don't like waiting.

"I'm not a patient man," I mutter.

"Find out where he is."

I glance at my watch. Twenty minutes.

My jaw tightens. Disrespect.

It's always small things that reveal weakness. People think power comes from money, from numbers, from how many men stand behind you.

They're wrong.

Power is control.

And right now, Vito Bellini is testing mine.

I tap my fingers once against the table before stilling them. Across the cafe, a couple laughs quietly over coffee, completely unaware of the kind of meeting about to take place a few feet away from them.

Normal people.

Living normal lives.

Unaware of the kind of men who decide their fates without them ever knowing.

My gaze shifts to the door again.

Still nothing. Pathetic.

If he thinks I'll tolerate this because I'm new, because I inherited my position instead of earning it, he's already made his first mistake.

I didn't just inherit this empire. I took it.

And I'll remind anyone who forgets.

Twenty minutes later he walks in.

Vito Bellini.

Late fifties, maybe sixty. Gray hair slicked back neatly. A bit of a gut stretching his black button up shirt.

Tattoos coil along his arms, faded but still readable to anyone who knows how to read a man.

A golden ring glints on his middle finger, the letter "B" engraved deep into it.

Head of operations here in Monaco. A partner of my father's.

"Aye, Atlas son," he says with a grin, dropping into the seat across from me.

He carries himself like he owns the room, too comfortable, too familiar, but I notice the little things.

The way his shoulders slump slightly when he sits, the way his eyes flick to assess every face before he speaks.

He's competent, experienced, confident enough to think he can bend the rules.

I catalog every line, every movement. Everything about him tells me who he is. And I know exactly how to handle him.

"You're late," I say leaning back, arms crossed.

"Ah, you know how it is."

He tries to brush it off like making me, the Don, wait is acceptable.

"I know respect. You don't."

If I let this slide now then everyone will think they can get away with disrespecting me. I'm the new Don, I still have to prove myself.

My father never had to prove anything.

The moment he walked into a room, men fell in line without question. Not because they respected him.

Because they feared him.

There's a difference.

Respect can be earned. Fear is taken.

And right now, every man watching me is waiting.

Waiting to see if I'll hesitate. If I'll soften. If I'll become something they can control.

I won't. I learned from the best.

And I learned what happens when you show weakness.

You lose everything.

He narrows his eyes. Waiting.

"What am I going to do with you for making me wait twenty minutes?" I ask calmly.

"I'm sorry, Don. I had business that ran late."

Excuses.

"I want twenty of your men." I say without hesitation.

One of his men shifts behind him. Nervous.

Good.

They should be.

Fear keeps people loyal longer than respect every will.

"Twenty of my... you have plenty of men. What do you need twenty of mine for?" He questions sitting up right.

"One for each minute you made me wait." I hold his gaze. "And I will do whatever I see fit, even if that means killing them."

Silence fills the space between us.

He slowly rubs the stubble on his chin.

His eyes stay locked onto mine but he lifts two fingers in the air, signaling his men.

Good.

I nod once and have my guys follow to go collect what belongs to me.

We continue business.

"You've been slowing production," I cut in, my voice low.

Vito shifts in his seat. "Only temporarily. We've had some setbacks..."

"I don't pay for setbacks."

His jaw tightens.

"I pay for results."

"I'll fix it," he says quickly.

"You will," I agree. "Or I'll find someone who can."

His silence tells me he understands exactly what that means. Replacement. Permanent.

Then.

Movement catches my eye.

I don't know what draws me to her first.

Maybe it's the way she laughs, soft, unguarded. Or the way she doesn't look over her shoulder, doesn't scan the world like it might hurt her.

Careless. Safe. Untouched.

My body stills.

She walks beside an older couple, her hand brushing the woman's arm as she talks, completely at ease. Completely unaware.

And a young boy holding tightly to her hand. She doesn't pull away, doesn't scold him, just lets him walk beside her.

The sunlight hits her just right, catching her long brown hair, turning it almost golden.

And for a second, everything else fades.

Vito's voice. The cafe. The noise.

Gone. There's only her.

My gaze drops over her slowly, taking in every detail. Committing it to memory.

I don't do this.

I don't get distracted.

Distractions get people killed.

They make you careless.

Sloppy. Weak.

I've spent years training myself to ignore anything that doesn't serve a purpose.

But this...

This isn't distraction.

This is instinct.

And my instincts are never wrong.

I want to know everything. Her name. Her voice. The way she smells.

"We'll pick this up another time," I say, already standing.

"What? I'm not finished, Atlas."

"We're done."

I walk out before he can argue.

Outside, the air feels different. Sharper.

I don't take my eyes off her as she disappears down the street.

"Follow her," I say quietly.

My man hesitates for half a second. "You want everything?"

Everything.

"Name. Family. Routine. Where she sleeps. Who she speaks to." My voice drops. "I want it all."

He nods and moves.

I watch until she's completely gone.

And still...

I don't look away.

Something dark settles in my chest.

A decision.

Final. Unshakeable.

I don't know her yet.

But I will.

I've built an empire on taking what I want.

And I've never once given anything back.

She doesn't know it yet...

But she's mine.