THE LAST HEIRESS OF THE MAFIA EMPIRE

Chapter 2: The Woman in the File

"I suppose I should be worried," Alessia said as they left the bar together, "because my mother always warned me not to have dinner with handsome strangers."

Massimo let out a low chuckle, the sound warm and surprisingly genuine. "And yet, here you are."

"And yet, here I am," Alessia admitted with a shrug. "Maybe I've finally decided to rebel."

"I should feel honoured," Massimo replied, resting a hand dramatically against his chest.

"You shouldn't get ahead of yourself," Alessia teased, shooting him a playful glance. "I'm only giving you one dinner."

"Only one?" Massimo repeated, feigning heartbreak. "You're breaking my heart already."

She laughed, the sound light and effortless. "You seem like a man who's survived far worse."

His smile lingered, but something flickered in his eyes so briefly that she almost missed it.

"If only you knew," Massimo murmured quietly.

A waiter escorted them to a quiet table overlooking the illuminated skyline. After pulling out a chair for Alessia, he waited until she was seated before taking the chair opposite her. Moments later, another waiter poured sparkling water into their glasses and handed each of them a menu. As Alessia glanced through the dishes, she realized how strangely comfortable she felt around him. Normally, she kept conversations professional and carefully measured, but somehow, barely thirty minutes after meeting this man, she'd laughed more than she had in weeks.

"So," Massimo began, setting his menu aside and resting his forearms on the table, "What brings you to Milan?"

"Work," Alessia replied. "I'm a translator."

His eyebrows lifted with genuine interest.

"How many languages?" Massimo asked.

"Italian, English and Japanese professionally," Alessia answered before taking a sip of water. "Enough to keep me constantly jet-lagged."

He smiled.

"Only three?" Massimo asked, his tone carrying a hint of playful curiosity.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"'Only'?" Alessia echoed. "You make it sound like that's not impressive."

"I was expecting a higher number," Massimo admitted with a teasing smile.

"You sound disappointed," Alessia observed, trying to read the expression on his face.

"I'd say... intrigued," he corrected.

She studied him for a second before laughing softly.

"Let's just say there are a few languages I don't advertise."

Massimo noticed the careful choice of words but didn't press further. Instead, he admired the quiet confidence with which she spoke. She wasn't trying to impress him, and somehow, that impressed him even more.

"And you?" Alessia asked, setting her glass down gently. "What do you do?"

"Business," Massimo answered simply.

She blinked, staring at him for a brief moment.

"That's it?" Alessia asked.

"That's it," Massimo repeated without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Alessia folded her arms, a grin spreading across her face.

"You do realize that's the most suspicious answer anyone has ever given me."

Massimo laughed, genuinely amused.

"Does it sound that bad?" he asked.

"It sounds like you're either a billionaire..." Alessia began, counting on one finger, "...an undercover spy..." she continued, raising a second finger, "...or someone avoiding taxes."

For the first time that evening, Massimo laughed loudly enough to draw curious glances from nearby tables.

"I promise it's much less interesting than that," he said, shaking his head.

"I don't believe you," Alessia replied without hesitation.

"You shouldn't," Massimo admitted with an unreadable smile.

She pointed at him triumphantly.

"Aha! I knew you were hiding something."

Before he could answer, his phone vibrated against the table.

The smile faded from his face the instant he looked at the screen.

He slowly rose to his feet and slipped the phone into his hand.

"I'll only be a moment," Massimo said politely.

Alessia waved him off with a teasing smile.

"I'll try not to eat your dessert while you're gone."

"I'll hold you to that," he replied before walking away.

As soon as Massimo disappeared beyond the restaurant doors, the warmth in his expression vanished.

One of the suited men waiting in the corridor stepped forward and lowered his head respectfully.

"Boss," the man said quietly. "We have a problem."

Massimo's dark eyes hardened instantly.

"What happened?" he asked.

The moment the restaurant doors closed behind him, Massimo's entire demeanour changed. The warmth that had softened his features moments ago disappeared, replaced by the cold authority that made even seasoned men hesitate in his presence. Without another word, he followed his security detail through a restricted corridor leading to one of the hotel's private VIP suites.

The man who had interrupted his dinner was already waiting outside.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Boss," the man said, lowering his head respectfully. "But we just received confirmation."

Massimo's expression remained unreadable as he slipped both hands into his trouser pockets.

"Confirmation of what?" he asked calmly.

The guard stepped aside and opened the suite door.

Inside, the consigliere and two trusted capos immediately rose to their feet.

"Boss," they greeted in unison.

Massimo acknowledged them with a slight nod before taking the seat at the head of the table.

His consigliere stepped forward and placed a thick brown file before him.

"The DNA results arrived ten minutes ago," he reported. "We verified them three times before contacting you."

Massimo's gaze lingered on the file, but he made no move to open it.

"I hope this isn't another dead end," he said quietly. "I've spent years chasing ghosts."

"So have we," the consigliere replied. "But this time... we're certain

Silence settled over the room as Massimo finally reached for the file. Without much interest, he flipped through the first few pages, finding nothing more than surveillance reports, financial records, and photographs of different locations. He was already preparing himself for another disappointment when he turned to the next page. The movement of his hand stopped abruptly. His brows drew together as his eyes settled on the photograph in front of him, the familiar smile sending a wave of disbelief through him. He stared at it for several seconds before slowly lifting his head to the consigliere.

"Who is she?" Massimo asked quietly, though something deep inside him already knew the answer.

The consigliere met his gaze without flinching. "Alessia Bellini," he replied. "According to the DNA results we received tonight, she is the last surviving member of the De Luca bloodline."

Massimo lowered his eyes to the photograph once more. Only minutes ago, she had been sitting across from him, laughing as she accused him of giving the most suspicious job description she'd ever heard. He had been looking forward to returning to her table, never imagining that the woman occupying his thoughts was the very person his family had spent decades searching for.

For the first time in years, Massimo found himself at a loss for words. He closed the file slowly, rose from his chair, and walked toward the window overlooking the city. Behind him, no one dared to break the silence. Ahead of him, one thought echoed relentlessly in his mind.

Alessia Bellini had no idea that, from this moment on, she had become the most wanted woman in Italy.