The heavy oak doors creaked open as she stepped into the dimly lit room, her heels clicking against the concrete floor. The air smelled of smoke and iron—her father’s domain.

At the center of the room sat a man bound to a chair, his wrists raw from the ropes. His jaw was clenched, blood at the corner of his mouth, but his dark eyes still burned with defiance.

“Ah,” her father’s gravelly voice broke the silence. “You finally decided to join me, bella.”

She turned to him—the man everyone in the city feared, but whom she had only ever known as Papa. He stood tall, his tailored suit crisp even in this cavern of shadows, his silver watch glinting under the single overhead light.

“I want you to meet someone,” he continued, stepping closer to the prisoner. His hand landed firmly on the man’s shoulder, forcing him to look up. “This is Matteo. He belongs to the family that thought they could betray me.”

Her heart skipped. Matteo. Enemy. Dangerous. Yet as their eyes locked, she felt the sharp sting of curiosity.

Her father smirked at her reaction. “You are no child anymore. You should see what we fight against, what we protect ourselves from. A daughter of mine cannot stay blind to the world.”

Matteo’s lips curled into a faint, reckless smile despite his chains. “So this is your daughter,” he rasped. His voice was hoarse, but steady. “I didn’t think you’d parade her down here.”

Her father’s hand gripped his jaw hard, silencing him. “Watch your tongue. You breathe because I allow it.”

For a moment, she thought her father would strike him. But instead, he turned back to her, his expression unreadable. “Tell me, figlia mia… what do you see when you look at him? A threat? A man? Or an opportunity?”

Her pulse quickened. She wasn’t sure what answer he wanted—or what truth her own heart dared whisper.