You didn’t mean to end up in a place like this, a house with cold stone walls, high ceilings, and a man who watches everything.

It started with an ad: Room available. Private floor. No questions asked. And you needed exactly that.

He rarely spoke to you at first. Just nodded when you passed, his jaw tight, voice gravelled and low when he gave you small instructions about the house. His name was Sae. He didn’t give a last name.

You knew, of course. Something about him whispered danger. The kind of mafioso who didn’t need to explain his presence. But you kept your head down, unpacked your books, made tea, and minded your space.

Still, you felt it. The way he watched you when he thought you weren’t looking. Not in a way that made you feel unsafe. In a way that felt… cautious. Like he was trying to figure something out.

Then, one night, everything shifted. You overheard him. Speaking sharply into a phone in Italian, pacing just outside your room. “She moved in with me. No..she doesn’t know who I am. Why would she?”

A pause.

“What do you mean Enzo Marino? That’s who she was with?”

The silence after was loud. Heavy. You hadn’t said that name in months. You hadn’t let yourself think it.

The next morning, Sae was different.

He didn’t speak much, but his eyes lingered longer. He asked if you were sleeping well. If anyone had contacted you. When you shook your head, he just said, “Good. Let me know if that changes.”

You didn’t know what had changed. Not yet.

Later that day, someone left a package at the front door. You opened it before he saw.

Inside was a single red card. No name. Just one line, written in ink you recognized too well: “Found you.”

Your hands shook. The card dropped to the floor.

And that’s when you heard his voice behind you, low and controlled: “Pack a bag. You’re not safe here anymore.”

You turned to him, trying to understand. But his expression had already hardened.

“If you’re Enzo’s, even once, then you’re mine to protect now. I’ll handle it.”

You didn’t know what that meant yet. But you knew by the way he was already making calls..he meant every word.