26

The moment I stepped into Dante’s office, I knew he had been expecting me.

He was seated behind his massive desk, his fingers steepled, his gray eyes locked on the maps and documents spread before him. The glow from the city skyline cast shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more untouchable than usual.

But I knew better.

Dante Castelli wasn’t untouchable.

And neither was I.

I closed the door behind me, stepping further into the room. “We need to stop waiting.”

Dante didn’t look up. “Waiting for what?”

“For the next hit,” I said, my voice steady. “For whoever is coming for us. We don’t wait. We move first.”

Dante finally lifted his gaze, something dark flickering in his expression. “You want to start a war, Olivia?”

I swallowed hard. “Isn’t that what we’ve already been fighting?”

His smirk was slow, dangerous. “You’re learning.”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t want to learn. I want to win.”

Dante leaned back in his chair, studying me. “And how do you propose we do that?”

I exhaled. “We find out who’s behind this. Who was backing Moretti. Who’s coming next.”

He nodded slowly. “And then?”

I stepped closer. “And then we burn them down before they burn us.”

For a long moment, he didn’t speak.

Then, in one fluid motion, he stood, rounding the desk until he was just inches away from me. His scent—dark spice and something uniquely him—filled my lungs, making it impossible to think clearly.

“You’re not the same woman who walked into my world weeks ago,” he murmured.

I tilted my chin up. “Good.”

His smirk widened. “Very good.”

The next few hours were spent digging through intel, cross-referencing names, chasing whispers that had been buried deep. Luca joined us, his fingers flying over a laptop as he pulled up encrypted files and traced money trails that led to men I had never even heard of.

But Dante had.

And that was all that mattered.

“There.” Luca pointed at the screen, his expression grim. “This is it.”

Dante leaned over, his jaw tightening. “Vittorio Ricci.”

I frowned. “Who is he?”

Dante’s expression was unreadable. “Someone I should have killed a long time ago.”

A chill ran down my spine. “He’s the one pulling the strings?”

Dante exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Moretti was nothing. Ricci is the real power.”

Luca’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “He’s got connections everywhere. Political. Criminal. He plays every side, and he plays it well.”

I clenched my fists. “Then we take him out.”

Dante smirked, but there was something lethal beneath it. “It won’t be that simple.”

Luca nodded. “He doesn’t just sit in the dark like Moretti. He’s untouchable. Public. Respected.”

I swallowed. “So we make him touchable.”

Dante chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re really all in now, aren’t you?”

I met his gaze. “Wouldn’t you be?”

Something dark passed through his expression, something that sent a shiver down my spine.

Then he turned to Luca. “Find me a way in.”

Luca exhaled. “That’s going to take time.”

Dante’s smirk was sharp. “Then don’t waste it.”

Days passed.

Ricci didn’t move in the shadows the way Moretti had. He lived in a world of wealth and influence, surrounded by people who pretended they didn’t know what he really was.

Dante had been right—this was going to take precision.

But we had something Ricci didn’t.

Desperation.

We had nothing left to lose.

Luca finally cracked it on the third night.

He burst into the study, a triumphant smirk on his face. “I found our way in.”

Dante arched a brow. “Do tell.”

Luca spun the laptop around, showing us a news article. “Ricci is throwing a gala next week. Charity event. Public.”

I frowned. “That’s our play?”

Luca grinned. “Not just that. His daughter will be there.”

I blinked. “He has a daughter?”

Dante exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “Elena Ricci.”

Luca nodded. “And she’s the only thing that man actually cares about.”

I swallowed hard. “So we use her?”

Dante’s smirk was slow, dangerous. “We get close.”

I exhaled. “And then what?”

Dante turned to me, his gray eyes burning into mine.

“Then we destroy him.”

The night of the gala arrived too fast.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection, trying to recognize the woman in the silk dress, the diamonds glittering at my neck.

I didn’t belong in this world.

But tonight, I would pretend I did.

Dante stepped into the room, his eyes dragging over me slowly, lingering in a way that made my breath hitch.

His smirk was faint. “You clean up well, princesa.”

I rolled my eyes, but my pulse was unsteady. “Just focus on the plan, Castelli.”

His gaze darkened. “Oh, I am.”

And I knew...

He wasn’t just talking about Ricci.

I turned away, forcing myself to stay sharp. “Let’s get this over with.”

Dante extended his arm, his smirk widening. “Shall we?”

I hesitated for a second.

Then I took it.

And walked straight into the lion’s den.