Chapter One: The Funeral
Rain had always reminded Ariana Moretti of her father.
He used to say storms never lasted forever. That no matter how dark the sky became, the sun would always find its way back.
Standing beneath a sea of black umbrellas, Ariana wished that were true.
Instead, she stared at the polished mahogany coffin slowly disappearing into the earth.
The words of the priest faded into meaningless whispers. She couldn't hear them anymore.
Her father was gone.
Just three days ago, he had kissed her forehead before leaving for work.
"Don't stay up too late, Ari. I'll be home for dinner."
He never came home.
The police called it a robbery gone wrong.
A single bullet.
A stolen wallet.
Case closed.
Ariana didn't believe it.
Her father had enemies. Not because he was cruel, but because he was honest. As CEO of Moretti Construction, he'd refused countless shady business deals over the years. Someone had wanted him dead.
She just didn't know who.
"Miss Moretti."
Her father's lawyer stepped beside her, his voice gentle.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
She nodded numbly.
"Thank you."
Guests began placing white roses on the coffin before leaving one by one.
Some cried.
Some whispered condolences.
Others watched her with pity.
The cemetery slowly emptied until only family friends and a handful of employees remained.
Ariana wiped away another tear.
This couldn't be real.
She was only twenty-two.
Too young to bury the man who had been her entire world.
Just as the workers prepared to lower the coffin completely into the grave, the distant roar of engines shattered the silence.
Everyone turned.
A procession of sleek black luxury cars rolled through the cemetery gates.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
They moved with military precision before stopping in a perfect line.
Every door opened at once.
Men dressed in tailored black suits stepped out.
Each wore an earpiece.
Each carried the unmistakable posture of someone trained to kill.
The mourners exchanged nervous glances.
"Who are they?"
"I've never seen security like this..."
"They're armed..."
Ariana's pulse quickened.
The men formed two silent lines.
Then he appeared.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that looked as though it had been made for royalty.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
Cold grey eyes swept over the cemetery before settling on Ariana.
He carried a single red rose.
Not white.
Red.
He walked toward the grave without hesitation.
No one dared stop him.
Even the priest stepped aside.
The stranger knelt beside the coffin and carefully placed the rose on the polished wood.
For a long moment...
He said nothing.
Then he looked up.
His eyes met Ariana's.
"You must be Ariana."
She frowned.
"Do I know you?"
"No."
His voice was low and steady.
"But your father knew me."
A strange chill crawled down her spine.
"My father is dead."
"I know."
Silence stretched between them.
Then he spoke the words that made the world stop turning.
"Your father promised you to me."
The cemetery fell silent.
Ariana blinked.
"...What?"
"I've come to fulfill his final wish."
For a second...
She thought she had misheard him.
Then anger exploded inside her.
"You're insane."
She took a step closer.
"I don't know who you are, but this is my father's funeral. Leave."
The man didn't move.
Instead, he reached into his coat and removed a sealed envelope.
The paper was old.
Her father's handwriting covered the front.
For Lucien De Luca.
Her breath caught.
How...?
Her father had written that.
She recognized every curve of every letter.
Lucien held the envelope without opening it.
"He gave this to me twenty years ago."
"No."
"He told me to deliver it to you only after his death."
"You're lying."
"I wish I were."
Ariana snatched the envelope from his hand.
Her fingers trembled.
Before she could break the seal—
A deafening gunshot echoed across the cemetery.
Someone screamed.
Another shot.
Glass shattered.
People dropped to the ground in panic.
"Get down!"
Lucien moved before Ariana even understood what was happening.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
He pulled her behind a marble headstone just as another bullet tore through the air.
The sound of automatic gunfire erupted from the cemetery entrance.
Chaos swallowed everything.
Black-suited men drew weapons.
The funeral had become a battlefield.
Ariana's heart pounded violently against her ribs.
"What... what's happening?"
Lucien's expression darkened as he glanced toward the gates.
"They're early."
"They?"
He looked directly into her terrified eyes.
"The people who killed your father."
Another explosion rocked the cemetery.
Lucien tightened his grip on her hand.
"We have to leave."
"I am not going anywhere with you!"
"You don't have a choice anymore."
The world around them dissolved into screams, gunfire, and smoke.
And somewhere beyond the chaos...
Someone was hunting Ariana Moretti.
