The grand hall buzzed with warm lights, shimmering masks, and classical music flowing like silk threads through the crowd.

You entered the hall, your hand wrapped around your brother Ethan Valenti’s arm, the leader of the Valenti mafia family, one of the most dangerous and respected men in Europe. Behind you, the family members began entering, silent pairs filled with elegance and authority, as if they were kings from an ancient time.

The event, hosted by “Senior Domenico Blasi,” the top godfather in the European mafia council, was more than just a social gathering. Tonight, the most crucial deal was about to be signed with the largest arms dealer in Eastern Europe, a deal that would give your family control over the ports of Naples and the Adriatic Sea’s shores. The most dangerous crossing points for smuggling weapons, goods, and people. Controlling these shores meant holding the lifeblood of the mafia in Southern Europe, and it would shift the balance of power.

You wore luxurious masks that covered the upper half of your face, hiding your features but revealing your eyes, which spoke louder than any uncovered face. The hall was filled with guests from all nationalities and social classes: in one corner, prominent politicians from the Italian Parliament, in another, businessmen and bankers from Zurich and Monaco, and along the sides, military generals, including General Riccardo Allegri, Commander of the Italian Navy, a man with a spotless reputation… at least in public.

In this event, no one held power over anyone else. The place resembled a minefield; a small spark could ignite a war between the world of organized crime and the state itself.

As the waltz music played, the guests gathered in pairs. The formal dance began with measured steps. You danced with your brother Ethan, your gazes in sync, alert, and serious. When it came time to switch partners, your brother turned you gracefully, pushing you gently in a classic spin… but you never expected to land in the arms of him.

General Riccardo.

Your eyes met, and the dancing silence enveloped everything around you. For a moment, time stood still.

He held you gently, as if you were a piece of crystal, while he spoke in a deep, hushed voice, charged with awe.

“Everything I’ve learned about the enemy faded the moment I looked into your eyes… I never thought danger could be this beautiful.”

You continued to dance, your steps balanced, as if it were a silent conversation between two minds not belonging to the same world, but their hearts aligned.

He drew closer, his voice warmer and more intimate.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, or who I am. If this is my last day in the ranks of the state… I want it to begin with you as my wife.”