Chapter 3
Enzo was difficult to find.
His whereabouts in North America were a mystery, and there was almost no public information on him.
I used every connection the Vosselli family had. It took me two full days before I finally found out which penthouse suite he was staying in.
When I stood outside his door, I could not help feeling nervous.
I did not know whether this legendary man would agree to see me.
And I certainly did not know whether he would accept my terms.
The door opened. The man who answered was not Enzo, but a blond, blue-eyed foreigner. His right-hand man, Jason. Jason looked at me. “May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Seraphina. I’m here to see Enzo.”
Jason studied me from head to toe, as if weighing my intentions.
“I’m sorry. Enzo is with a guest right now. He can’t see you.”
With that, he started to close the door.
I quickly reached out and stopped it. “I only need ten minutes. I have something very important to discuss with him.”
“It concerns the Moretti family.”
At the mention of the Moretti family, Jason’s movement paused.
He turned and went inside to ask.
A moment later, he opened the door again and stepped aside.
“Enzo has agreed to see you.”
The suite was enormous. Its design was simple, cold, and severe, just like its owner.
Enzo sat on the sofa in the living room with his back to me, speaking with a middle-aged man.
I could not see his face. Only his broad, straight back and neatly cut dark hair.
Even without turning around, he carried a powerful presence that pressed down on the entire room.
I recognized the middle-aged man. Mr. Gallo, one of the senior elders of the Moretti family.
It seemed Enzo had already begun making his move.
When Mr. Gallo saw me, surprise flashed across his face. Then he stood and took his leave.
As he passed me, he gave me a long, meaningful look.
Soon, only Enzo and I remained in the room.
I drew in a quiet breath and walked forward.
“Enzo.”
He slowly turned around.
The moment I saw his face, my breath caught.
He was strikingly handsome, with sharp features and deep-set eyes.
His gaze was like a bottomless, frozen spring, cold and piercing, as if it could see straight through a person.
This man was even more dangerous than the rumors claimed.
He said nothing. He only watched me in silence, waiting for me to speak first.
I steadied myself and went straight to the point.
“Don Enzo, I want to make a deal with you.”
“Oh?” He lifted a brow, amusement threading through his voice.
“Donna Seraphina wants to make a deal with a bastard like me?”
“Aren’t you afraid Julian will find out and skin you alive?”
His words were barbed, but they cut straight to the awkward truth between us.
I met his gaze calmly.
“He doesn’t have time to worry about me right now.”
“He’s too busy taking care of his true love and their newborn bastard.”
The corner of Enzo’s mouth curved with mockery.
“It seems the Moretti family drama is even more entertaining than I imagined.”
“I can help you.” I stopped circling the issue.
“I can help you take back the Moretti family and become its true master.”
Enzo looked as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
A low laugh slipped from his throat.
“Seraphina, don’t you think you’re overestimating yourself?”
“When I want something, I don’t need anyone’s help to get it.”
His confidence, bordering on arrogance, caught me off guard.
But I did not back down.
“You do need me.” I stared directly at him.
“Vito may have allowed you to come back, but the heir he truly favors is still Julian.”
“And Julian now holds fifty percent of Vosselli shares. Alone, you won’t be able to beat him.”
“But if you have me, and the entire Vosselli family behind you, everything changes.”
The amusement in Enzo’s eyes slowly faded.
His gaze deepened as he studied me again, as if reassessing the value of my offer.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Your terms.”
“My terms are simple,” I said, each word clear.
“First, the alliance between Moretti and Vosselli must continue permanently.”
“Second, my son, Luca, must become the only legitimate heir to the Moretti family.”
“Julian’s bastard child must never set foot inside the Moretti family.”
When Enzo finished listening, he laughed again.
This time, I could not read the meaning behind it.
“Seraphina, you really know how to calculate.”
“You want me to take down Julian for you, and then hand over the empire I win with my own hands to your son?”
“Do you really think the world works that generously?”
Of course, I knew it did not.
That was why I still had another card to play.
“Once it’s done, I’ll transfer Julian’s fifty percent of Vosselli shares to you.”
“Moretti, plus Vosselli, will be enough for you to secure your position in the North American mafia world.”
“As for Luca, he’s still young. By the time you’re old, he’ll be ready to take over.”
“Until then, you can raise him as your own son.”
“For you, this deal has no downside.”
My words sent Enzo into silence.
His long fingers tapped against the armrest of the sofa in a slow, steady rhythm.
Each sound landed like a knock against my heart.
After a long while, he finally spoke again, his voice carrying a decision no one could challenge.
“I accept your terms.”
Joy flickered through me.
“But I have one condition of my own.”
His gaze suddenly sharpened, turning intensely possessive as it locked on me.
“Divorce him. Marry me.”
I froze.
I had imagined countless possibilities. Not once had I imagined this.
Marry him?
It was absurd.
“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Because I don’t raise another man’s son,” Enzo answered, blunt and merciless.
“If Luca is going to inherit my empire, then he has to be my son.”
“Legally. Publicly. Mine.”
I understood then.
He did not only want the Moretti family’s wealth.
He wanted legitimacy in the mafia world. Marrying me and making Luca his stepson was the fastest, most direct path.
This man’s mind was terrifyingly deep.
I looked at him, trying to read something from those bottomless eyes.
But all I saw was cold calculation.
“I need time to think.”
“I’ll give you one day.” Enzo rose to his feet and walked toward me.
He was a full head taller than I was, and the force of his presence made it almost hard to breathe.
“Seraphina, you get one chance.”
“If you miss it, there won’t be another.”
