☆Chapter 12 – The Devil’s Reflection☆

Lorenzo De Luca had many enemies.

Men who plotted against him.

Families who wished for his fall.

But none of them…

Infuriated him as much as his own daughter.

☆☆☆

Hearts in the Den of the Devil

Lorenzo's office was a sanctuary.

A place of order and control.

Or at least…

It used to be.

"What. The. Hell."

Lorenzo's cold voice echoed through the room, his expression frozen in a mixture of disbelief and horror.

Heart stickers.

Everywhere.

On his desk.

On his chair.

On his gun.

Lorenzo's jaw clenched as he peeled a heart sticker off the barrel of his custom-made Beretta.

Pink.

Glittery.

"Matteo."

"Hmm?"

Matteo's bored tone drifted from the corner of the room, where he stood with his arms crossed.

Lorenzo held up the offending object.

"Explain."

Matteo glanced at the gun… and bit back a grin.

"Looks like love is in the air, boss."

Lorenzo's glare could kill a man.

"She snuck in."

Matteo shrugged.

"She's a De Luca."

"She's grounded."

"That's not stopping her."

Lorenzo's lips pressed into a thin line.

"This is your fault."

Matteo raised a brow.

"My fault?"

Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.

"You let her get away with too much."

Matteo snorted.

"You mean like how I used to let you get away with too much?"

Matteo's smirk was annoying.

"You know… she reminds me of someone."

Lorenzo's gaze darkened.

"Don't."

"Oh, I will."

Matteo leaned against the bookshelf, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Remember when you were eight?"

Lorenzo's jaw clenched.

"No."

"Liar."

Lorenzo exhaled slowly, but the memories had already begun to surface.

☆☆☆

The meeting of monsters.

Eight years old.

Lorenzo's debut as the heir.

A spectacle.

All the prominent families had gathered, their eyes filled with greed and ambition.

Lorenzo had stood tall, expression blank, already cold.

And then…

There was Matteo.

A street rat.

Barefoot.

Dressed in clothes too big for his small frame.

Eyes too sharp for a child.

Lorenzo had noticed him immediately—

Standing in the corner.

Watching.

Waiting.

Calculating.

Don De Luca's voice echoed in Lorenzo's mind.

"He's a fighter. Kills for survival."

Matteo was an orphan mercenary.

Surviving by selling his blade.

Don De Luca had adopted him—

Not for love.

For loyalty.

"He'll be your shadow."

Lorenzo had hated him.

Matteo had hated him back.

☆☆☆

And then the bickering begins...

"You're too slow."

"You're too stiff."

"You'll get us killed."

"You'll get yourself killed first."

They had bickered constantly.

"Why do I need a shadow?" Lorenzo had demanded at nine, his tone filled with cold arrogance.

"Why do I need an ice block for a master?" Matteo had shot back, his eyes filled with defiance.

They had been opposites.

Lorenzo, cold and calculating.

Matteo, wild and unpredictable.

And yet…

They are a deadly duo...

Twelve years old.

A deal gone wrong.

Lorenzo had been cornered.

Outnumbered.

Outgunned.

And Matteo…

Had appeared like a ghost.

"Duck."

Lorenzo had barely moved in time before Matteo's blade sliced through their enemies with precision.

For the first time—

Lorenzo had trusted someone.

"You're not bad."

Matteo had smirked.

"You're not bad yourself, ice block."

From that day on…

They had become unstoppable.

A duo that slaughtered empires in the dark.

☆☆☆

"Seraphina's just like you."

Matteo's voice pulled Lorenzo back to the present.

"What?"

Matteo's grin was infuriating.

"You used to sneak around, cause trouble, and make everyone lose their minds."

Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.

"I was efficient."

"You were a menace."

"I was—"

"A pain in my ass." Matteo's grin widened.

Lorenzo's jaw tightened.

"She's worse."

Matteo laughed softly.

"No."

His gaze softened.

"She's better."

Lorenzo's expression hardened.

"She's dangerous."

Matteo's smile faded.

"So were you."

Silence.

Lorenzo's cold eyes fell on the heart-covered gun in his hand.

A mess.

Just like her.

But beneath the mess…

There was strength.

Lorenzo's lips pressed into a thin line.

"I can't let her be like me."

Matteo's voice was softer this time.

"She's not like you."

Lorenzo's gaze hardened.

☆☆☆

Lorenzo placed the heart-covered gun on his desk.

"Clean this up."

Matteo raised a brow.

"You sure? I think the hearts give it character."

Lorenzo's cold glare could kill a man.

"Now."

Matteo chuckled but didn't argue.

As he peeled the stickers off, Lorenzo's mind was elsewhere.

Seraphina.

A child who was too smart.

Too observant.

Just like him…

But with a heart.

Lorenzo exhaled slowly.

"She's going to be the death of me."

Matteo's grin was infuriating.

"You survived me. You'll survive her."

Lorenzo's lips twitched.

"I'm not so sure."

Matteo's chuckle was soft.

"Then again… she's a De Luca."

Lorenzo's gaze darkened.

"Exactly."

☆☆☆

Lorenzo knew one thing for sure.

Seraphina wasn't just going to be his greatest challenge.

She was going to be his greatest weakness.

And in a world as cruel as theirs…

Weakness was dangerous.

"Matteo."

Matteo glanced up.

Lorenzo's cold gaze was sharp.

"Double the guards around her."

Matteo raised a brow.

"Worried?"

Lorenzo's jaw clenched.

"Prepared."

Matteo's eyes softened.

"You're starting to care, boss."

Lorenzo's gaze was cold.

"I don't care."

Matteo's smile was knowing.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Lorenzo didn't respond.

Because deep down…

He knew.