Chapter 6 - The Game Begins
"Zurich sounds cold," I whispered, breaking the silence.
A slow, dangerous smile crept across Alessandro’s face—a smile that made him look less like a grieving widower and more like an emperor claiming his throne.
"It is," he agreed softly. "New York is much warmer. And far more interesting."
He stood up and offered his hand once more. This time, I didn't hesitate. I placed my palm in his. His grip was warm, strong, and absolute. There was no turning back now.
By noon, the transition had begun.
My apartment on 72nd Street was cleared out by Alessandro’s men—every book, every photograph, every trace of my past life packed into sleek black trunks and transported to his fortified Upper East Side limestone mansion. To the world, Sophia Blake had vanished, swallowed up by the sprawling anonymity of New York City.
In reality, Sophia Blake was being reborn.
"If you are going to stand beside me in high society," Alessandro said later that afternoon, standing in a sprawling walk-in closet filled with designer dresses, Italian silk, and diamond-encrusted jewelry, "you need to look like you own the room."
"I'm not a doll to be dressed up for your amusement," I said, leaning against the doorframe, crossing my arms.
"No," Alessandro agreed, stepping closer until I could smell the subtle cedar and mint of his cologne. "You are the woman who brought my son back to me. But in the boardrooms and charity galas where the city's real wars are fought, elegance is your armor."
He reached out, his knuckles brushing lightly against my jawline. A shiver raced down my spine, hot and electric.
"Tonight, we attend a charity gala hosted by Salvatore Moretti himself," Alessandro murmured, his eyes darkening. "He thinks I am hiding in the shadows, licking my wounds after last night. We are going to walk right into his den, hand in hand, and show him that I am untouchable."
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"You're taking me into the lion's den?" My breath hitched. "Are you insane?"
"I am calculating," he corrected, a lethal edge in his voice. "And tonight, the city will learn that anyone who touches what is mine meets a very swift end."
