Episode 1: The Assignment.
1046 Words
The rain fell heavily over the city, turning the streets into rivers of reflected lights and shadows.
Inside the Romano Family headquarters, silence ruled.
The men gathered around the long oak table barely moved. No one dared speak unless spoken to.
At the head of the table sat the most feared man in the city.
Don Alessandro Romano.
His silver hair and calm expression hid the danger beneath. One command from him could start a war—or end a life.
Beside him stood a man dressed entirely in black.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Expressionless.
Luca Moretti.
The Don's most trusted bodyguard.
At twenty-nine years old, Luca had earned a reputation that made grown men nervous. He never smiled. Never talked more than necessary. Never failed an assignment.
Not once.
Which was exactly why he was being summoned tonight.
The Don folded his hands.
"You have a new assignment."
Luca nodded.
"I'm listening."
Alessandro's gaze hardened.
"It's Sophia."
For the first time, Luca's expression changed slightly.
Sophia Romano.
The Don's only daughter.
The most stubborn woman he'd ever met.
A headache wrapped in designer dresses and expensive heels.
Luca already knew this assignment wouldn't be easy.
"What happened?" he asked.
The Don slid a photograph across the table.
Luca picked it up.
A black SUV.
Shattered windows.
Bullet holes covering the driver's side.
His eyes narrowed.
"An attack?"
"Three nights ago."
"Was she inside?"
"No."
Luca relaxed slightly.
"Who was the target?"
The Don's voice became ice.
"She was."
The room fell silent.
Luca studied the photo again.
Someone had tried to kill the Don's daughter.
That wasn't bravery.
That was suicide.
Every criminal organization in the city knew touching Sophia Romano was a death sentence.
Which meant whoever ordered the attack either had a death wish...
...or believed they could destroy the Romano family.
Neither possibility was good.
The Don stood.
"I want her protected twenty-four hours a day."
Luca sighed internally.
There it was.
The assignment he didn't want.
"She won't like that."
Several men around the table chuckled.
The Don pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Believe me, I know."
Everyone knew.
Sophia Romano hated bodyguards.
She called them "human shadows."
She had spent years sneaking away from security teams.
More than once, she'd disappeared for hours simply because she enjoyed proving she could.
It drove her father insane.
"You start tonight," Alessandro said.
Luca nodded.
"Understood."
The meeting ended.
Men filed from the room.
Luca remained behind.
The Don looked older once everyone left.
For a moment, he wasn't a mafia boss.
He was simply a father worried about his daughter.
"There's something else," Alessandro said quietly.
Luca waited.
The Don's eyes darkened.
"The attack wasn't random."
"Do you know who did it?"
"No."
That answer surprised Luca.
The Romano family always knew everything.
Always.
Alessandro leaned forward.
"Someone inside my organization is feeding information to our enemies."
Luca's jaw tightened.
A traitor.
That explained everything.
The attack.
The secrecy.
The urgency.
If there was a mole inside the family, Sophia was in more danger than anyone realized.
"Find them," Alessandro ordered.
Luca gave a single nod.
"I will."
Across the city, Sophia Romano was completely unaware of the meeting.
Music blasted through the speakers of an upscale rooftop restaurant.
People laughed.
Drank.
Danced.
And Sophia sat at the edge of the terrace, staring at the skyline.
The city sparkled beneath her.
She loved moments like this.
Moments where she could pretend she wasn't the daughter of a mafia king.
Moments where she felt normal.
"You're thinking again."
Sophia turned.
Her best friend, Isabella, dropped into the chair beside her.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
"Terrible habit, I know."
"Very."
Isabella stole a french fry from Sophia's plate.
"What are you thinking about?"
"The same thing I always think about."
"Freedom?"
Sophia laughed.
"Was it that obvious?"
"You're the daughter of a mafia boss. Of course it's obvious."
Sophia sighed.
People saw luxury.
Money.
Power.
Expensive cars.
Private jets.
What they didn't see were the rules.
The security.
The constant danger.
The feeling that her life belonged to everyone except herself.
She loved her father.
But sometimes she felt trapped inside his world.
"I just want one day where nobody follows me."
Isabella nearly choked on her drink.
"Good luck with that."
Sophia smirked.
"Maybe I'll disappear tomorrow."
"You say that every week."
"And one day I'll do it."
The two women laughed.
Neither noticed the black sedan parked across the street below.
Neither noticed the man watching the rooftop through binoculars.
The man lowered them slowly.
Then picked up his phone.
"She's here."
A voice answered.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Silence.
Then:
"Do not lose her."
The call ended.
The watcher smiled.
Tonight wasn't the night.
But soon.
Very soon.
Around midnight, Sophia finally returned home.
The Romano mansion stood atop a hill overlooking the city.
Elegant.
Massive.
Heavily guarded.
She stepped through the front doors and immediately froze.
A familiar figure stood in the entrance hall.
Black suit.
Black tie.
Cold eyes.
Luca Moretti.
Of all people.
Wonderful.
Sophia groaned dramatically.
"No."
Luca didn't move.
"Good evening."
"No."
"Good evening, Sophia."
"No."
Luca blinked.
"That's not how conversations work."
Sophia pointed at him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I've been assigned to your security."
Her face fell.
"Absolutely not."
"It's already been approved."
"By who?"
"Your father."
"Of course."
Sophia spun around.
"I refuse."
Luca folded his arms.
"You don't have a choice."
That got her attention.
Slowly, she turned back toward him.
Danger flashed in her eyes.
Most people would've been intimidated.
Luca wasn't most people.
"You work for my father," she said.
"Correct."
"I don't."
"Also correct."
Sophia crossed her arms.
"You know what? Fine."
Luca raised an eyebrow.
That was suspiciously easy.
A smile appeared on her face.
And somehow that made him more nervous.
"Fine," she repeated.
Then she walked past him.
Luca watched her disappear upstairs.
Something told him this wasn't over.
Not even close.
Because Sophia Romano never surrendered.
And protecting her was about to become the most difficult assignment of his life.
Far away, hidden in the darkness of the city, another phone call was made.
A voice whispered:
"The bodyguard has arrived."
Silence.
Then a chilling reply came.
"Good."
"That means we're ready to begin."
- Writer
