A Pact with the Devil

Exhaustion burned through Valeria's limbs, but she refused to show weakness.

She sat on the edge of the training mat, rolling the knife between her fingers. Matteo had left her with nothing but silence, his cryptic warning hanging in the air like a loaded gun.

Luca will declare war.

She knew it was true.

The moment he discovered she wasn't dead, wasn't cowering in some forgotten corner of the world, he would come for her with a vengeance.

And this time, there would be no mercy.

She had a choice.

She could run—again. Disappear into the shadows like she had before.

Or she could fight.

Her fingers tightened around the blade. No more running.

The door creaked open, and Valeria instinctively tensed.

Matteo strolled inside, casual as ever, his hands in his pockets. But she had spent enough time around men like him to recognize the way he moved—controlled, calculating, dangerous even in stillness.

He didn't speak right away, merely studied her, his dark eyes trailing from her face to the knife she gripped.

"You're still here," he mused.

Did you expect me to flee in the middle of the night?"

"I wouldn't blame you." He leaned against the wall, watching her with something unreadable in his expression. "You're not ready for what's coming."

"Then make me ready."

The words left her lips before she could second-guess them.

Something changed in Matteo's eyes—approval? Amusement? A test?

He took a slow step forward. "You don't understand what you're asking."

Valeria stood, meeting him at eye level. "Then explain it to me."

He exhaled a slow breath, as if debating whether or not she was worth the effort.

Then he smiled, but there was no humor in it. "Luca Moretti isn't just a man with power. He's a man who owns it. Every breath in this city, every deal, every bullet that flies—it all belongs to him. And you? You took something from him."

"I took my life back."

Matteo nods his head. "And now he'll take it from you."

A beat of silence stretched between them.

Then Valeria stepped closer, closing the distance between them until there was barely an inch of space left. She could hear the steady rhythm of his breathing, could see the flicker of something dark and dangerous in his eyes.

"I don't need a lecture, Matteo. I need a plan."

He smiled. "That's what I like about you, princess."

He lifted a hand, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His touch was light, teasing, deliberate—a move meant to unnerve her.

She didn't shake.

That made him chuckle, low and knowing.

"You're learning."

"Fast."

Matteo studied her for a moment longer, then stepped back.

"Tomorrow, you'll meet the rest of my men," he said. "If you want to survive, you're going to have to earn their respect."

"And how do I do that?"

His smile turned wicked. "You'll see."

The Inner Circle

The next morning, Valeria found herself in the heart of Matteo's operations.

It wasn't the kind of lavish estate Luca ruled from. Matteo's world was darker, more elusive—hidden behind old warehouses and abandoned docks, a place of secrecy and control.

His men were already gathered when she arrived. Dangerous men. Loyal men.

They were seated around a long table in a room that smelled of gunpowder and whiskey.

Matteo took his usual place at the head, and when Valeria stepped inside, all eyes turned to her.

Some curious. Some indifferent. Some openly hostile.

She met each stare, refusing to look away. Weakness was a scent men like these could smell.

Matteo tapped his fingers against the table, "Boys, this is Valeria Moretti."

The room went still.

The name Moretti was a bomb in a place like this.

She felt the shift immediately—the way tension thickened, how the air grew charged with unspoken threats.

A man with sharp blue eyes and a cigarette dangling from his lips leaned back in his chair. "So this is the wife."

Valeria's stomach coiled at the word. Wife.

A title that no longer belonged to her.

She crossed her arms. "Ex-wife."

The man chuckled, blowing out a stream of smoke. "Right. Forgive me. It's hard to keep track of who's dead and who's not in this world."

Matteo didn't so much as blink. "Roman, shut up."

Roman shocked but fell silent.

A heavier-set man with a shaved head—Nico, if Valeria remembered correctly—step forward, studying her with cold scrutiny. "She doesn't belong here."

Matteo leaned back in his chair, his eyes sharp. "She stays."

Nico scoffed. "You don't bring a woman into this life unless she's leverage or a liability."

Valeria spoke before Matteo could. "Or an asset."

A few of the men chuckled. Amused. Intrigued. Underestimating her.

She let them. Let them believe she was harmless.

Matteo, however, just smirked. "She's going to be trained."

Roman whistled. "So you're serious about this?"

"I don't play games," Matteo said, his tone cold.

Valeria met Nico's looks. "You don't trust me. That's fine. I wouldn't trust me either."

She could feel Matteo's eyes on her, assessing, testing.

Nico exhaled heavily. "Luca's men will come for you. And when they do, they'll bring hell with them."

Valeria lifted her chin. "Then I guess we better be ready."

A silence fell over the room.

Then Matteo chuckled, dark and knowing. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

The Blood Oath

That night, Matteo found her on the rooftop.

The city stretched below them, a graveyard of secrets and sins.

"You made an impression today," he said, lighting a cigarette.

Valeria didn't turn. "That was the goal."

A beat of silence.

Then he said, "Luca will come soon."

She gripped the railing. "I know."

Matteo studied her. Then, as if making a decision, he held out a knife.

She frowned. "What's this?"

"A blood oath."

She turned to him, eyes narrowing. "You don't trust me."

"I don't trust anyone." He said. "But if you want protection, you have to swear your loyalty. No second chances. No betrayals."

Valeria hesitated for only a second.

Then she took the knife, pressing it to her palm. A single slice. A single drop of blood.

She held out her hand, watching as Matteo did the same.

Their blood mixed, sealing a pact neither could walk away from.

Matteo's looks darkened. "Welcome to my world, Valeria."

She met his stare, not blinking.

"I was never meant for any other."