Chapter 1 - The Bruised Arm
The grand luxury office of New York’s most feared mafia boss was a sanctuary of absolute, terrifying power. A massive mahogany desk dominated the room, flanked by a golden lion statue and floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the bright, glittering city skyline.
But the atmosphere violently shattered when the heavy oak doors suddenly burst open.
Elena, a thirty-something woman wearing an elegant white tweed dress with black trim, scrambled into the room. She was breathless, completely panicked, and entirely terrified.
She rushed desperately toward the massive, tufted leather executive chair. Sitting perfectly comfortably in the boss's chair was her three-year-old daughter, Mia. The little girl had curly brown hair tied with a pink bow, wearing a frilly yellow dress and tiny pink shoes. She was entirely innocent and completely fearless.
Elena lunged to snatch her daughter out of the chair before the boss returned. As she reached forward, her white tweed sleeve rode up her arm.
Accidentally exposed under the bright office lights were massive, dark purple, violent bruises completely encircling Elena's pale forearm.
"Mr. Moretti, please forgive her!" Elena choked out, spinning around in sheer terror as a towering shadow appeared in the doorway.
Luca stood there. He was forty-one, devastatingly handsome, with dark hair and rugged stubble. He wore a black suit over an unbuttoned black shirt that revealed a heavily tattooed chest.
Luca was the absolute apex predator of the city, but as his eyes locked onto the severe purple bruises on Elena’s arm, his cold demeanor instantly shifted into a dangerous, lethal focus.
May you like
"Who touched you?" Luca demanded. His deep voice vibrated with a dark, freezing promise of violence.
👉 Elena tried to hide the bruises, entirely unaware that her tiny daughter was about to point a finger at the true monster.
