Chapter 3 The Deal

Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and she found herself leaning forward slightly, her breath catching. For a moment, she saw the truth in his eyes-the truth that no one had dared to say aloud. It was a truth she had never allowed herself to consider. What if Salvatore was telling the truth? What if he wasn't the monster the world had painted him to be? What if he, too, was a prisoner, just like her?

"You're asking for more than just a partnership," she said, her voice barely above a murmur. "You want me to help you destroy everything-my father's empire, too. And what happens after that? What's left for us once the blood has been spilled? Once the war is over?"

Salvatore didn't flinch. He held her gaze, his voice steady but intense. "We build something new. Together."

There it was again-the unspoken promise. It was dangerous, reckless, and yet it was the one thing Sophia had always dreamed of but never dared to believe could be true: an opportunity to carve out a future that wasn't at the mercy of ghosts from the past.

The weight of the choice felt like a heavy boulder on her chest, its enormity choking the life out of her. Still, there was a part of her-wild, wild, and reckless-ready to take that gamble. It was the same voice in her that had fought against her father's world her whole life, the one that seared for something different, something real.

"You know I cannot do this without repercussions," she said, her voice tight. "If I agree, my father will never forgive me. I'll be branded a traitor. He'll make sure of it."

"I know," Salvatore said quietly. "But I am not in a position to promise you safety. I can promise you one thing alone: freedom. For both of us. A chance to choose our path, not be bound by shackles of the past.

Sofia's head swam. She was raised to take loyalty to its height of meaning. Betrayal, to her father, to everything she had ever been taught to believe, lay upon her chest with the weight of a rock, hard to bear. Yet, what if-what if this was how it could all be changed? What if she might actually get away from the chains binding her to her bloodline and from the violence and hate that have ruled her life?

The moment was stretched, frozen in time. She could almost hear her father's voice in her head, warning her, scolding her. But she knew deep down he would never understand. Her loyalty to him had always been a cage-a cage she had long since outgrown.

"Alright," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "I'll help you. But I need to know everything. No more secrets. If we're going to do this, we do it my way."

Salvatore's eyes flashed with approval. "Of course. You have my word."

There was no turning back now. The deal was struck. The dangerous game they were about to play had begun.

Slowly, Sophia stood up, her mind made up, and with that, she felt the promise hanging between them, the weight of it settling. They had crossed a line, one neither could uncross. The future was no longer written in stone; it was theirs to carve, together.

Salvatore, too, rose, his eyes never leaving hers. For one fleeting moment, something there felt almost like respect. Maybe even admiration.

"You won't regret this," he said, in a low, earnest voice.

Sophia didn't answer at all. She couldn't. The truth was, she didn't know if she'd regret it or not. But what she did know was that the choice had been made, and there was no turning back.

As she turned to leave, she felt Salvatore's gaze on her back, a silent promise between them, one which neither of them could yet fully comprehend.

The storm outside raged on, but inside, there was stillness. A moment of calm before the storm.

And in that moment, Sophia realized something: this-whatsoever it was-had only just begun.

Outside the café, the city pulsed with life, oblivious to the fragile alliance that had just been forged in its heart. The storm had begun to subside, but the weight of what had just transpired between Sophia and Salvatore clung to the air, thick and suffocating. With every step away, her legs quickened as her mind raced.

The sound of her heels on the wet pavement was drowned out by the rush of her thoughts: betrayal, loyalty, power, freedom. Salvatore's words still echoed in her mind, over and over again. Freedom. It was what she had always wanted, even if she had never dared dream it could be within reach. The truth gnawed at her-she was stepping into dangerous territory, crossing a line that she could never uncross.

Her father's empire, the life she had been born into, was a maze of shadows and secrets. She knew that. She had spent her whole life learning the rules of the game, the intricacies of power, of control, of loyalty. But Salvatore was different. His offer was not one of power but of change, and that was an idea which had never been part of her world.

Sophia pulled her coat tighter around her as she navigated the narrow alleyways that led back to the Romano estate. She had no illusions about what this meant. She had chosen her side, for better or worse. And now, she would have to face the consequences.

"You're late."

The voice was cold, cutting through the silence of the grand Romano mansion like a blade. Don Romano, Sophia's father, stood in the doorway of his study, his imposing figure framed by the warm light inside. His sharp eyes, the same as hers, narrowed as she entered.

Sophia's stomach knotted, but she schooled her features into impassiveness. She had known this moment would come. Her father was no fool. He would have known she was meeting with Salvatore.

"I got caught in the storm," she said, her voice steady, though her heart was pounding in her chest.

Don Romano didn't buy it. He stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. His eyes were unblinking, watching her closely. She could feel the weight of his gaze, the scrutiny in every movement.

"Sit down," he ordered, his tone never rising, but still carrying the weight of command.

Sophia obeyed, settling into the chair across from him. The room was dimly lit, the only sound the crackling of the fire in the hearth. Her father's study was a reflection of him-elegant, severe, and filled with reminders of his power. A large oak desk loomed between them, its surface clear but for a few scattered papers, each one holding the weight of decisions that shaped the city. Decisions that, until now, had always been his.