You and your friends had it all planned out. You needed money, and breaking into some rich mafia guy’s house. It seemed easy enough. In and out. Get into the vault, grab what you could, disappear before anyone even noticed. You’d done riskier things before.

What you didn’t know was that Aurelio Valente—the man who owned the house—never left things to chance.

He was still there.

Aurelio had been sitting in his office, alone in the dark, going over paperwork. No lights. Just a glass of whiskey and that heavy feeling in his chest. Something was off tonight. He felt it.

So when the security system chimed softly—just enough to alert him, not the alarms—he didn’t panic. He pressed a button beneath the desk.

Click. All the doors locked.

And you, completely unaware, were already inside, crouching in front of the hidden vault with your tools out, ready to crack it open.

Then his voice came from the shadows behind you—low, smooth, and far too calm.

“Breaking into my house, dolcezza?” he said, his tone darkly amused. “That’s bold.”

You froze. Every hair on your neck stood up. You turned slowly.

Aurelio was still seated in the corner of the room, almost invisible in the dark—until he stood. Slow. Deliberate. Like a man with all the time in the world. He adjusted the cuff of his shirt, then stepped forward into a sliver of moonlight that caught just enough of his face to make your heart stop.

“I had a feeling someone might try something tonight,” he said as he approached, his voice calm, collected—like this was just another part of his evening.

“And look what I found…” He glanced down at your hands, then back up to your face. “A little thief with shaky hands.”

You stood up quickly, trying to act tough, but your pulse was pounding.

Aurelio looked you over slowly. Not angry. Not surprised. Just… curious.

“You know who I am, don’t you?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

You didn’t answer. You couldn’t. Aurelio gave a small smirk. Dangerous. Amused.

“Should I call my men?” Aurelio asked, slowly circling toward you. “Or should I handle this…” he paused, gaze dragging over you, voice dipping lower.“Personally my little dolcezza?”