Alessia
Elena was laughing. That alone made my blood boil. She sat there, completely at ease, as if she weren't in the presence of one of the most dangerous men I'd ever encountered. The same man who had threatened her, the same man she'd once claimed to be afraid of.
And now? She was smiling. Like none of it had ever happened. I stormed toward her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her to her feet.
"We need to talk," I said, voice tight.
Elena blinked at me. "Uh, okay?"
I didn't wait for her to catch up, dragging her down the hall and into the nearest empty room. The second the door shut behind us, I rounded on her.
"Elena, are you out of your damn mind?"
She recoiled slightly. "Jesus, Leona, what's your problem?"
"My problem?" I scoffed, rubbing my temples. "You—you're my problem! What the hell were you thinking, sitting there all cozy with him?"
Elena frowned. "Who, Dante?"
I stared at her. "Yes, Dante! The same Dante who had you terrified not too long ago. Or have you suddenly forgotten?"
She crossed her arms. "I haven't forgotten."
"Oh? Because it sure as hell looks like you have!" I snapped. "I thought you said he scared you? And why the hell did you give him my number?"
Elena's brows furrowed. "I didn't."
I froze. "What?"
"I didn't give him your number."
The words hung between us, filling the silence with something cold and uneasy. I searched her face, looking for any sign that she was lying, but she only looked… confused.
"He was actually nicer than I thought," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. My jaw clenched. I wanted to shake her. Wanted to snap her out of whatever spell he had put her under. But the problem was, I couldn't.
Because I didn't have the proof. I knew what Dante was capable of. I knew how dangerous he was. But to Elena? He was just a nice mafia boss. A guy who had apparently charmed her in the span of a single conversation.
"Elena," I exhaled, forcing my voice to stay steady, "you have no idea who you're dealing with."
She sighed. "You're overreacting."
I narrowed my eyes. "Am I?"
"Yes." She huffed. "Look, I get it, you don't like him. But he hasn't done anything to me. Maybe he's not as bad as you think."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Right. And maybe the devil's just misunderstood."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Okay, drama queen."
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. She wasn't listening. She was already under his influence. And that scared me more than anything. Because if Dante had control over the one person I cared about most… That meant he had control over me.
A shiver ran down my spine. I needed to get her away from him. Now. But before I could say anything else, he was there. Standing in the doorway like he owned the damn place. My body went rigid.
Elena turned, oblivious to the tension in the room.
"Oh, hey, Dante."
Dante's gaze move to her, then back to me. Sharp. Calculating. I forced my expression to stay blank.
He took a slow step forward, stopping just too close, close enough that I could feel his warmth, close enough that his next words were only for me.
"You came running the second I mentioned Elena."
I stiffened. His voice was low, edged with something dark, something amused.
"Interesting."
I clenched my jaw, refusing to react.
Elena glanced between us, clearly sensing the tension. "Uh… I should probably go."
She shot me a look before slipping past Dante and out the door. Leaving us alone.
I glared at him. "Stay away from her."
Dante smiled. Slow. Infuriating.
"I could." He tilted his head. "But we both know you'll keep coming back as long as I have something you care about."
I exhaled sharply, my hands curling into fists. This was a game to him. A power play. And I had just lost the first round. But I wasn't going down without a fight.