Episode 4

Vinthezo

As soon as my eyes landed on that waitress, something in me awakened.

There was something different about her. A mixture of sweetness and fragility, almost uncomfortable for someone like me.

I called Katherine with a simple wave of my hand and, without taking my eyes off the girl, I asked:

"Who is she?"

Katherine hesitated for a moment. Her expression stiffened.

"Her name is Luize Bellini... that's all I know."

She gave me no more information, but it was enough.

As soon as she left, I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed my private investigator.

"I want a full report on a waitress named Luize Bellini. Name, history, family, routine. Everything. And urgently."

I hung up before he could answer. I knew he would do it.

That girl would be the solution to my problems with the Council.

They demand stability. A marriage. A family image. And I… I am a man of strategy.

She would be my piece.

Minutes later, she herself brought my dinner. Her light, almost hesitant steps betrayed her discomfort.

Her gaze didn't meet mine, as if she knew there was something wrong with me, even without knowing me.

She served the plate discreetly and walked away in silence.

But I continued to watch her, with the tranquility of a predator lying in wait.

"Katherine" I called again ", don't let her leave. I want to talk to her."

Katherine

I approached him a little apprehensively. His expression was unreadable.

"Sir, are you going to talk to her? But... she's just a waitress."

Vinthezo

I turned slowly towards Katherine, giving her a sharp look.

"And since when did you start questioning my orders?"

Do you really think you owe me explanations or that you have any right to know what I do?

Katherine

I swallowed hard. My eyes dropped immediately.

"I'm sorry, sir. That wasn't my intention."

Vinthezo

I finished my dinner in silence, analyzing every detail of my decision.

When I finished, I calmly lifted the napkin and left it on the table.

"Bring her to me."

Katherine nodded and went to carry out my order.

Katherine

I went over to Luize, who was clearing dishes at the other end of the room.

Her face showed tiredness, but also a lightness that would soon be snatched from her.

"He wants to talk to you now."

She looked at me, not understanding.

"He... who?"

"The customer at the corner table. The one you served a little while ago."

Do you know who he is?

She frowned and shook her head.

"N-no... why?"

I crossed my arms and issued the warning, almost like a threat:

"Well, you should know that man is Vinthezo Collato, the head of the Collato mafia. The most feared in all of Italy."

If he wants to talk to you, you'd better not cross him. He hates waiting. And he hates to be disobeyed.

I saw her face pale instantly.

"Go" I said, in a firm whisper "before it's too late."

Luize

When I heard the name Vinthezo Collato, a shiver ran down my spine.

My body froze. My stomach churned. And for a moment, I thought about fleeing through the back of the restaurant.

But to flee from someone who commands an entire network of power? It would be suicide.

I took a deep breath.

My feet felt like lead, but I went to him.

I approached with as much respect as I could muster, and said in a low voice:

"Yes, sir?"

He slowly raised his eyes. They were cold. Dark. Like an abyss.

He didn't smile. He didn't say anything immediately. He just analyzed my face for long seconds, and I almost begged for that gaze to end.

My heart beat erratically. Every second of silence tortured me.

"Sit down" he ordered, without raising his voice.

I sat. Head down. My sweaty hands in my lap.

Vinthezo

I observed her timid posture, the evident fear.

That was what I needed: someone controllable, vulnerable.

Someone the Council would accept as a perfect wife for me.

"From today on, you will be my fiancee" I announced coldly.

"In two days, you will marry me."

She remained motionless, as if time had stopped. Her wide eyes sought mine in disbelief.

"And if you refuse" I continued, with a calmness that was more frightening than a scream ", I will kill you and your dear mother."

Luize

His words hit me like gunshots. My body froze.

I wanted to scream. To run. To deny.

But I stayed there. Paralyzed. Desperate.

My mother.

The only person I have left in this world. He would use her against me as a bargaining chip.

And I... I had no power to stop it.

Vinthezo

I stood up elegantly and adjusted my suit.

"My bodyguard will take you home."

I paused and looked at her firmly.

"Tomorrow night will be the engagement dinner. In the morning, you will receive the rules of our marriage."

And among them, it will be detailed how you should behave.

I walked away without waiting for an answer. She had no choice.

Luize

I stayed there, seated, dazed, my breath hitched.

The world seemed to have lost its color.

My life had changed... with a simple sentence.

I was condemned by a look. By a whim. By an order.

And, now, it was too late to escape.

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