ENTANGLED WITH THE BOSS

CHAPTER 3

There were men in Rome whose names opened doors, and then there was Luca Moretti, whose name could make them close just as quickly.

To the outside world, Luca was a successful businessman, a young and influential figure whose empire stretched across some of the city's most profitable establishments. His tailored suits, expensive cars, private meetings, and polished reputation made him look like a man who belonged among Rome's wealthiest businessmen.

But behind the respectable image was a truth far more dangerous.

Luca Moretti was a Mafia boss.

Not the kind whose power existed only in whispered rumors or exaggerated stories. His influence ran deep through the city's underworld, and the men who worked for him understood one rule above all others: Luca did not forgive betrayal.

He could be patient when patience served him. He could be charming when charm was useful. But beneath the calm expression and controlled voice lived a man capable of making ruthless decisions without allowing his conscience to interfere.

And that morning, someone had made the mistake of stealing from him.

A terrified scream tore through the walls of Luca's private office.

"Please! Mr. Moretti, please!"

The man's voice shook as he struggled against the ropes binding him to the chair in the center of the room. His wrists were secured behind him, his breathing uneven as he stared at the man standing calmly across from him.

Luca glared at him, his anger evident in his cold expression. He clenched his fist and punched him three times in the face.

The man cried out, stumbling backward as he covered his mouth. “Please! I can explain.”

But Luca didn't stop. He struck him again, his movements fueled by quiet fury, until the man could barely stand.

Luca finally stepped back, breathing heavily.

“How dare you steal from me?” he asked coldly.

The man looked at him with trembling eyes, unable to answer.

Luca charged at him again, but this time around with a sharp knife and stabbed him in his stomach.

He swallowed hard, trying to hold himself together, but the pain in his eyes betrayed him. His hand pressed instinctively against his stomach as another wave of agony tore through him, leaving him breathless. Blood soaked through his shirt, spreading across the fabric as his knees weakened beneath him. He clenched his jaw, refusing to cry out, but the tremor in his breathing exposed the battle raging inside him. Every breath seemed to pull the pain deeper, and he screamed out in pain.

Luca stepped away from him and said, “In your next life, you will know better than to steal from me, Luca Moretti.”

He shot the man twice, and he dropped dead on the floor.

Luca stepped out of the room and into his office. He instructed his PA to make sure the man's body would be delivered in front of his house.

The silence that followed was broken only by the faint ticking of the clock on Luca's desk. Matteo remained near the door, holding the folder against his chest as though he were weighing whether the information inside it was worth disturbing his employer's already dark mood. He knew better than to interrupt Luca without reason, but there was no point delaying what needed to be said.

"Sir," Matteo began carefully, his voice low. "There's another matter that requires your attention."

Luca lifted his eyes from the documents in front of him. The look alone was enough to make Matteo straighten.

"Go on."

Matteo opened the folder and glanced down at the details inside. "It's regarding Teresa Romano. She's been owing us money for several months now. The payment was due some time ago, but despite the reminders we've sent, she hasn't returned anything."

Luca's expression remained still, but something colder settled behind his eyes. He leaned back slowly in his chair, his fingers coming together beneath his chin as he considered the information. Several months. No payment. No proper explanation. Just silence.

"And she has ignored every reminder?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

For a moment, Luca said nothing. His gaze drifted toward the window, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He had no patience for people who mistook his silence for weakness, and Teresa Romano had already been given more time than she deserved.

"Run a full background check on her," Luca said at last, his voice quiet but firm. "I want to know everything. Where she lives, where she goes, who she's connected to, and what she's been doing with the time she's had to settle her debt."

Matteo nodded immediately. "I'll have it done."

Luca reached for his jacket, his movements unhurried despite the irritation beginning to harden his features. He slipped it on and adjusted his cuffs before looking back at Matteo.

"Find her."

Matteo hesitated for only a second. "And after we locate her?"

Luca's eyes met his.

"I'll pay her a visit myself."

There was no raised voice, no threat woven into the words, yet Matteo felt the meaning behind them. Luca had made his decision, and once he did, there was rarely anything left to discuss; it meant someone was definitely going to die

He had been working with Luca for a while now, and he knew how brutal he could be when it was about his money.

Night had settled over Rome by the time Luca left his office. The city still glittered beyond the windows of his car, its streets alive with headlights, distant voices, and the restless movement of people who had no idea what was unfolding behind the walls of the homes they passed. Luca drove alone, his hands steady on the steering wheel and his expression unreadable as he made his way toward the address Matteo had given him.

He had no reason to bring anyone with him. Teresa Romano was not a difficult woman to find anymore, and Luca had no intention of turning a simple visit into a spectacle. He was coming for one purpose only: to collect the money she owed him. After that, he would kill her. He had already wasted too much time waiting, listening to excuses, and allowing her to believe she could keep hiding from him. Tonight, he would take what belonged to him and end the matter permanently.

The streets gradually became quieter as he approached the Romano residence. Luca slowed the car before turning into the familiar road, his eyes moving briefly over the houses lining either side. Everything looked peaceful beneath the muted glow of the streetlights. Curtains were drawn, gardens were quiet, and behind most of the windows, families were settling into their ordinary routines.

The Romano house appeared no different.

Luca parked a short distance from the gate and switched off the engine. For a moment, he remained inside the car, staring at the house through the windshield. His face gave nothing away, but his thoughts were already fixed on the woman inside, the money he had come to collect, and the death that would follow once she handed it over.

Teresa had been warned.

She had been given time.

She had wasted it.

Now he had come himself, and there would be no further delay, no negotiation, and no second chance.

Luca stepped out of the car and closed the door quietly behind him. The sound seemed strangely loud in the stillness of the street as he walked toward the gate, his footsteps measured and unhurried. There was no need to rush. Teresa wasn't going anywhere, and by the end of the night, neither her money nor her life would remain hers.

Upstairs, Teresa was still awake.

She sat on the edge of her bed with Nico's last words circling relentlessly through her mind. Two days. They were supposed to have two days to arrange their escape, two days to gather whatever they could and disappear before Luca discovered what she had done. She had clung to that plan because it was the only thing keeping her from completely losing control.

Then she heard a car outside.

Teresa's head lifted.

At first, she thought nothing of it. Cars passed through the street every night, and there was no reason to believe this one had anything to do with her. But when she heard the engine stop and the silence that followed, an uneasy feeling crawled slowly beneath her skin.

She stood and walked toward the window.

Her fingers trembled as she reached for the curtain. She hesitated before pulling it aside just enough to see the street below.

Then she saw the car.

Her breath caught.

The black vehicle was parked near the gate, and a man had just stepped out.

Teresa didn't need to see his face clearly.

She knew.

Her fingers tightened around the curtain as Luca Moretti began walking toward her house.

For a few seconds, she simply stared at him, unable to make her body obey the frantic commands racing through her mind. The room suddenly felt smaller. The air seemed heavier, and the walls that had always made her feel protected now looked like barriers trapping her inside.

He had found her.

Despite everything she had told herself, despite the plans she had made and the hope that two days would be enough, Luca had come before she was ready.

And he had not come to talk.

He had come to collect his money. Whatever he intended to do after that, Teresa knew only that his visit itself meant trouble. She had no idea that Luca had already decided to kill her.

Teresa released the curtain and stumbled backward.

Her mind immediately searched for an escape. The back door. The garden. The stairs. Her phone.

Nico.

She reached for her phone with shaking fingers, but stopped before touching it. What could he possibly do now? Luca was already outside, and his arrival could only mean that the danger she had been trying to outrun had finally reached her.

Another thought struck her with even greater force.

Antonio.

Isabella.

They were not home.

Teresa looked toward the bedroom door, her breathing becoming shallow as she realized just how alone she was.

Downstairs, the front gate opened.

She heard footsteps approaching the house.

Teresa backed away from the window until her shoulders touched the wall. Her heart was beating so hard that she could hear it in her ears, each thud seeming to announce her fear to the entire house.

She wanted to run.

Every instinct inside her screamed at her to move, to find somewhere Luca couldn't reach.

But there was nowhere.

The doorbell rang.

Teresa's eyes widened.

She stood frozen in the middle of the room, staring

taring toward the bedroom door as though it might somehow protect her.

A second ring followed.

Slow.

Patient.

Certain.

Luca Moretti wasn't going to leave.