Romano’s POV
The gala took place in the luxurious estate of one of the city's most prominent Mafia Dons. To a stranger, it would have looked like an ordinary ballroom, but it was nothing of the sort. This was a theater where power was traded, where an introduction could mean a new ally or a new enemy, depending on how much influence you commanded.
John pushed the big, polished wooden doors open. The sounds of a hundred conversations, clinking glasses, and soft music died down the moment I stepped inside. The silence was as complete as a graveyard. With my hands in my pockets, I made my way deeper into the hall, my gaze flickering across the room, watching as the people who murmured to themselves as I entered.
The hall was a sea of fractured light, glinting off glittering chandeliers and
