Never underestimate me
The evening was in full swing. Wine flowed, laughter felt real, the tension had melted into something more playful. Matteo and Lorenzo traded small jabs. Hope glowed. She was… the embodiment of sensual control.
And that’s when the extra idiot walked in.
Designer suit, slicked hair, arrogant confidence. He wasn’t staff, he wasn’t invited to the table — just another customer, clearly drunk on a few glasses and too fascinated by Hope’s legs.
He came closer, without shame.
And I froze.
I felt him before he even opened his mouth. I know that type by heart — too sure of themselves, too sure of their right to exist in your space.
He leaned toward me, drink in hand, a heavy smile on his lips.
“Excuse me, I just wanted to say… you’re absolutely stunning. And it’d be such a waste to leave you at a table full of alpha males.”
Silence. Every eye turned on him.
Lorenzo, shocked. Matteo, thrown off.
And Alessandro… motionless. Ice-cold. Two seconds away from breaking his teeth.
But I didn’t give him the chance.
I turned my head toward the stranger, slowly, my voice calm, precise, glacial.
“You know what’s a real waste?”
He raised an eyebrow.
I smiled, cold.
“That you spent that much money on a suit and still turned out a mediocre, badly-mannered fool.”
He opened his mouth.
But I set my hand on his, not gently, and pushed it away in one clean move.
“Now go back to your table. And learn the difference between presence… and insistence. Otherwise, I’ll have to teach you the difference myself, and trust me — you don’t want that.”
He paled slightly, scanned the room, realized no one here would help him — especially not Alessandro, who was staring with barely contained fury.
He backed off. Left. Without a word.
I hadn’t moved. But my heart was pounding.
Not because of the guy — it would’ve taken me one second to crush him.
Because she’d acted before I did. And damn… she’d done it with devastating power.
She looked at me afterward.
“You okay, Romano? Need to breathe?”
I didn’t answer. I just slid my hand to her neck, drew her in slightly, and murmured at her ear:
“You drive me crazy.”
She smiled against my cheek.
“And yet, you’re still sitting. Progress.”
Lorenzo stifled a laugh. Matteo lifted his glass.
And me… I knew I’d never truly tame this woman.
But she was still mine.
Hope had stood up. A quick glance at me, a discreet wink at Matteo.
She knew. She’d seen everything.
And she knew what she was doing by leaving us there.
In her own way, she was pulling the strings.
I took a sip of my wine, leaned back. Alessandro was talking to a waiter, eyes still scanning. Matteo… was watching me.
Not long. Not intense. Just… present.
I broke the silence.
“You always worked with Alessandro?”
He nodded.
“Eight years. Before that I was in finance in Milan. The real kind. The kind where you’re 25, dying of stress in a glass office, and snubbing people like me today.”
I smiled.
“And you gave it all up for chic organized crime?”
“I gave it up for something more real. Fewer rules. More loyalty. Less hypocrisy.”
I looked at him differently. He had that quiet of men who don’t lie about what they are. No need to show off, no need to seduce. He just existed. And it was enough.
He drank again, then fixed his eyes on mine.
“And you? What’s your story with Hope?”
I shrugged.
“We grew up together. New York. We lost touch, found each other again. She’s… all I’ve got left. She’s my sister. My only solid link. And I swore no one would ever hurt her again.”
Matteo nodded slowly. He understood. I could feel it.
Then, softer:
“She tell you about me? About what I am? What I’m not?”
I raised an eyebrow, curious.
“She just said she’s sure I’m your type.”
He gave a half-smile, not the least embarrassed.
“And what do you think?”
Silence.
Then, lower:
“I think you’re a mystery. And I like mysteries… when they’ve got good eyes and a quiet voice.”
He gave a small, contained laugh — almost surprised.
“Duly noted.”
When I came back to the table, the two of them had a slightly different look.
Not tense. Not awkward.
But… more attentive to each other.
I felt the shift.
And inside, I smiled.
I took my seat again without saying a word. Just one glance at one. One glance at the other.
And in my head, I murmured: let it happen… it’ll play itself out.