☆Chapter 4 – A Deadly Debut☆

The De Luca mansion had never been this lively.

The grand ballroom was bathed in warm golden light, the chandeliers sparkling like stars above a sea of powerful guests. High-profile politicians, business tycoons, and leaders of prominent mafia families mingled, their laughter and conversations echoing through the lavish space.

Everyone who mattered was here.

And all of them had come for her.

Serafina De Luca.

Tonight was her debut.

Not her real birthday.

But that didn't matter.

In the world of the mafia, appearances were everything.

The De Luca family needed to introduce their heiress to the world.

To make her untouchable.

If Serafina was publicly acknowledged as Lorenzo's daughter, no one would dare make a move against her or him.

It was a power move.

And Serafina knew it.

☆☆☆

Serafina stood at the top of the grand staircase, her expression poised and unreadable.

She wore a gown that was a masterpiece—A black floral dress with red gems that when looked from a far looks like blood splattered, its elegance rivaling the royalty of ancient bloodlines.

Her hair was swept into an intricate updo, loose tendrils framing her delicate babyface features.

She looked…

Every inch a De Luca.

But beneath the facade, her mind was calculating.

The families are watching.

She could feel their eyes. Some curious. Some envious.

And a few…

Dangerous.

"Ready?"

Lorenzo's voice was low beside her.

Serafina tilted her head slightly, her expression calm.

"Always, sir."

Lorenzo's jaw tightened at her continued formality, but he said nothing.

He hated it.

But Serafina wasn't ready to drop the barrier.

Not yet.

"Let's go," he murmured, offering his hands.

Serafina took it gracefully, her fingers barely brushing his big hands.

As they descended the staircase together, the room fell into a hush.

The De Luca heiress had arrived.

☆☆☆

The night unfolded like a carefully choreographed dance.

Serafina played her part perfectly an elegant young lady with impeccable manners and a quiet grace that made people lean closer just to hear her speak.

She smiled at the right moments.

Laughed softly when necessary.

But her mind never stopped working.

Who is watching too closely? Who is too interested?

She cataloged faces. Names.

Potential threats.

"Impressive."

Don Vittorio of the Morgan family approached, his eyes lingering on Serafina with thinly veiled intrigue.

"She carries herself well, Don Lorenzo," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Just like a true De Luca."

Lorenzo's expression was unreadable, but Serafina felt the subtle tension in his posture.

"Of course," Lorenzo replied coolly. "She's a De Luca by blood."

A quiet reminder.

Serafina belonged to the family. Even though no one knows that she's adopted.

And anyone who dared challenge that…

Wouldn't live to see the next sunrise.

☆☆☆

Serafina had always trusted her instincts.

And right now?

They were screaming.

The air had shifted—subtle, but enough for her to notice.

Something was wrong.

Her sharp gaze scanned the room, her mind processing every detail.

And then…

Her eyes landed on the tray.

A waiter.

Polished. Professional.

Too professional.

The drink he carried was meant for Lorenzo dark amber liquid in a crystal glass.

Poison.

With the grace of a trained performer, she maneuvered through the crowd, letting her movements seem natural.

The waiter reached Lorenzo just as she did.

The exchange happened in a blink, smooth, undetected.

Lorenzo picked up the glass, but it was no longer his.

Serafina's fingers brushed against the cold crystal.

Then Don Vincenzo, with full vigor, raise his glass. "TO SERAFINA DE LUCA!"

"To Serafina De Luca!" Everyone chimed in as they drink.

Her heartbeat steady as she lifted it to her lips while everyone is looking at her.

She must maintain composure... She's a De Luca

She drank.

The taste was bitter.

Wrong.

Serafina barely managed to set the glass down before the burning pain hit her.

It started in her stomach, spreading like wildfire through her veins.

Too fast.

Her vision blurred.

Her knees buckled.

"Serafina?"

Lorenzo's voice was sharp, but distant.

Blood.

She tasted it before she saw it—thick and coppery, staining her lips as she coughed violently.

Gasps echoed around the ballroom as Serafina collapsed, her small frame hitting the marble floor.

"SERAFINA!"

Lorenzo was beside her in an instant.

His hands were steady, but his eyes…

Pure panic.

"Get the doctor!" his voice roared, echoing through the hall.

The guests stood frozen, watching in shock as the De Luca heiress vomited blood onto the pristine floor.

☆☆☆

Serafina barely registered the chaos around her.

But she felt Lorenzo's grip strong, unyielding as he cradled her against his chest.

Her vision blurred, but she could hear the low growl in his voice.

"Who did this?"

No one answered.

"WHO DID THIS?!"

The entire ballroom went deathly silent.

Lorenzo's eyes swept over the crowd, dangerous and unforgiving.

His fury was palpable, radiating off him in waves.

"Every family present tonight," he said coldly, his voice a deadly promise. "Will be questioned."

No one dared speak.

Lorenzo's expression was pure, unfiltered rage.

"If my daughter dies…"

His voice was low now—calm.

But it was the kind of calm that came before a storm.

"I'll burn every last one of you."

Silence.

A suffocating kind.

Serafina wanted to say something to reassure him, to tell him she did this by choice.

But the darkness pulled her under before she could.

☆☆☆

The entire De Luca estate fell into chaos.

Serafina's unconscious body was rushed to the mansion's private medical wing.

Lorenzo followed, his mind blank, his blood boiling.

He stood motionless outside the room as the doctor worked.

Hours passed.

Then days.

Serafina remained unconscious.

Her body trembled with fever, her breath shallow.

The poison was eating away at her, even though the doctor had neutralized most of it.

It had been a direct attack.

And Lorenzo was not handling it well.

☆☆☆

No Sleep. No Mercy.

Lorenzo did not return to work.

For the first time since taking control of the family's operations, he suspended everything.

Deals, meetings, shipments—all postponed.

His men were terrified.

They had seen Lorenzo angry before.

But never like this.

Cold. Silent. Unmoving.

He barely left Serafina's side.

Didn't sleep properly.

Didn't eat properly.

His once perfectly tailored suits became wrinkled. His usual sharp, pristine appearance faded under the weight of exhaustion.

His grandfather, Don Vincenzo, tried to talk to him.

"Lorenzo, you cannot neglect your duties."

Lorenzo didn't even look at him.

"Then handle it," he said flatly.

Don Vincenzo De Luca, the most powerful mafia patriarch in the country, was left speechless.

Lorenzo had never abandoned his work for anything.

Not for injuries. Not for betrayals.

But for her?

His adopted daughter?

It was unprecedented.

And terrifying.

☆☆☆

1 week has passed

On the seventh night, Lorenzo sat by Serafina's bedside, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers pressed against his lips.

His gaze was locked onto her pale face.

She was still. Too still.

Her once sharp eyes remained closed, her chest rising and falling in slow, agonizing motions.

The doctor said she should wake up soon.

But what if she didn't?

The thought made something coil in his chest, something unfamiliar and unpleasant.

Lorenzo let out a slow breath, his hands tightening into fists.

He wasn't a religious man.

Never had been.

But at that moment, his lips moved in a whisper.

Words he never thought he'd say.

A plea.

A warning.

A threat to whatever higher power dared to take her from him.

"Don't you dare."

He swallowed hard, his voice quieter now.

"Don't take her."

Silence.

Serafina remained still.

Lorenzo closed his eyes, running a hand over his face.

Then, for the first time in a long time…

He bowed his head.

And waited.