The bass of the music pulsed through Elena's chest as she stepped into the dimly lit lounge. It wasn't her kind of place, too exclusive, too expensive, but her best friend Sophia insisted she needed a night out.
"Elena, loosen up," Sophia shouted over the music, already halfway to the bar. "Tonight, we don't think. We drink!"
Elena rolled her eyes, adjusting the thin strap of her red satin dress. She wasn't here to impress anyone. Just a few drinks, a little laughter, then home. That was the plan.
Until she felt his eyes on her.
From across the room, cloaked in shadows, a man watched her with the kind of intensity that made her breath catch. Tall, dressed in black, with a presence that demanded attention, he looked like he belonged in a movie. Or a nightmare.
Their eyes locked.
He didn't smile. He didn't look away.
He simply lifted his glass, nodded once, and continued staring, as if he already knew something she didn't.
"Elena," Sophia whispered suddenly, reappearing beside her, her voice low and tense. "Don't look now, but that's Luca Moretti."
Elena frowned. "Who?"
Sophia leaned closer. "The head of the Moretti family. The mafia boss of New York."
Her pulse skipped.
And still, Luca didn't look away.
Elena forced herself to breathe.
Mafia boss?
Her instincts screamed to turn around, to grab Sophia and walk out. But something, curiosity, danger, or maybe just the way his dark eyes held hers, glued her to the floor.
Luca stood slowly. He didn't rush, didn't swagger. He moved with the confidence of a man who feared nothing and owned everything. The crowd seemed to part without a word as he approached, like the whole room knew exactly who he was and what it meant.
"Elena..." Sophia's warning voice faded behind her as Luca stopped in front of her.
He looked even more dangerous up close, sharp jawline, dark hair slicked back, a tailored suit hugging every inch of his power. But it was his presence, not his looks, that made her knees weak.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, voice low, smooth, but firm.
Elena narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"This place," he continued, "is not for women who don't know what they're walking into."
"And you assume I don't?" she shot back, chin slightly raised.
A slow smirk touched his lips. "You've got fire. That's rare."
"Maybe I like the heat."
Luca's gaze darkened. "Careful, bella. In my world, heat can burn."
Before she could reply, a man in a leather jacket bumped into Luca's shoulder, spilling a bit of his drink. The man turned, clearly drunk, and opened his mouth to speak, then froze the moment he saw who he'd touched.
Luca didn't flinch. He simply gave a slight nod. Two men in black appeared seemingly out of nowhere and escorted the drunk away before Elena could blink.
She turned back to Luca, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"
"That," he said calmly, "was me being polite."
Her stomach twisted. Everything about him screamed danger. But her heart... her heart was already slipping toward the edge.
And for the first time in a long time, Elena Rossi wanted to fall.
-----------------------------
Luca's phone buzzed once in his pocket. He didn't check it. His attention stayed fixed on Elena, as if the rest of the world had faded to silence.
"Walk with me," he said, offering his hand.
Elena hesitated. Every part of her logical mind screamed no, but her curiosity was louder. With a steady breath, she slid her hand into his. His grip was firm, warm, and oddly reassuring.
They moved through a hidden hallway behind the lounge, down a narrow staircase dimly lit by golden sconces. The music above faded with every step.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To where the noise ends," he replied simply.
He pushed open a heavy wooden door, revealing a private lounge far more opulent than the one above. Velvet seating, antique mirrors, and a faint smell of cigars and old leather. A place that felt untouched by time.
"Welcome to my real world," he murmured.
Elena stepped inside cautiously. "Why bring me here?"
Luca poured two glasses of whiskey, handed her one, then sat across from her with unreadable eyes. "Because I don't do chance meetings, Elena. And I don't stare at strangers."
She blinked. "Then how do you know me?"
He took a sip of his drink before answering. "I know you work at the city archives. I know you have lunch alone every Thursday by the river. I know you hate olives, but you always order martinis. And I know... you've been watched for weeks."
Her heart stopped.
"By who?" she asked, barely a whisper.
Luca leaned forward, eyes burning into hers. "That's what I intend to find out. But first, I need to know why someone like you has suddenly caught the interest of people who usually don't care about civilians."
The air turned cold. Her glass trembled in her hand.
She wasn't just walking into danger
She's already been dragged into something much bigger than she could imagine.
-----------------------------
Elena's thoughts raced. Her fingers tightened around the crystal glass, heart hammering louder than the silence in the room.
"What do you mean I'm being watched?" she asked.
Luca leaned back, studying her. "I was hoping you could tell me. But maybe I need to dig deeper."
He stood and crossed to a small cabinet against the far wall. From a locked drawer, he pulled out a sleek black envelope and placed it gently in front of her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It was left under my car two nights ago. With your name on it."
Elena stared at the envelope. Her name, Elena Rossi, was handwritten in looping script across the front. The ink looked fresh.
Her fingers shook slightly as she opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
A little girl, maybe five years old, standing between two adults whose faces were torn out. The child had bright hazel eyes. The same eyes that now stared wide in shock.
It was her.
She felt the breath leave her body. "Where did this come from?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me," Luca said, voice low. "There's no information on the photo. No prints, no digital trace. Whoever left it knew how to cover their steps."
Elena turned the picture over. On the back, in the same handwriting, were just three words:
"You were warned."
She looked up at Luca, panic rising in her chest.
"I don't understand. I've never seen this before."
He took the photo from her hand, inspecting it again. "Someone wants to remind you of something you've forgotten. Or something you were never supposed to know."
A beat of silence.
Then Luca added, more to himself than to her:
"Or maybe... you're not as innocent as you think."
Elena's breath caught as the photograph seemed to burn into her fingers.
Suddenly, the room dimmed. The velvet chairs, the whiskey glass, even Luca's voice, all of it faded into the background.
Her vision blurred...
And then came the smell of cigarettes and lavender.
She was five again.
Sitting on a cold tiled floor, clutching a stuffed rabbit with a missing ear. Voices argued in another room, sharp, muffled. A woman's voice, high-pitched and desperate. A man's voice, colder, calculated. She couldn't make out the words, but she remembered how it felt.
Fear.
Tension.
Like something terrible was about to happen, but no one was going to stop it.
Then... the sound of a door slamming. Heavy footsteps.
And a shadow standing in front of her.
"Elena," the woman's voice had whispered, kneeling down. "You have to forget. Do you understand? You never saw anything."
The memory snapped like glass.
Elena gasped and blinked hard. She was back in the lounge, breath shallow, Luca's voice distant.
He leaned forward. "You okay?"
She shook her head, trying to process what just hit her. "I... I remember something. A woman. She told me to forget. I must have been a child."
Luca's jaw tightened. "Someone erased part of your past."
Elena stared down at the photo again, now feeling like a message meant for her, not Luca.
Someone had been watching. Someone knew.
And worse
Someone didn't want the truth coming back.
Elena stood abruptly, her heart racing, the photograph clutched tightly in her hand.
"I need to find out who that woman was," she said, her voice unsteady but firm. "And why she wanted me to forget."
Luca rose too, watching her with a mixture of intrigue and caution. "If you start digging, you need to be ready for what you'll find."
"I'd rather face the truth than live in someone else's lie."
He gave a slight nod. "Then I'll help you. But understand something, Elena..."
He stepped closer, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Once you step into my world, there's no going back."
Their eyes locked again, but this time, something unspoken passed between them, fear, desire, and a sense that their fates had just become dangerously intertwined.
And far above them, back in the shadows of the city, someone watched from a distance...
Smiling.
Waiting.