chapter 3
1055 Words
Viviana’s POV:
I couldn't believe he didn't request me.
But—thank whatever gods there are—he didn’t.
Tisha seemed thrilled. She came out just as our shift ended, practically glowing.
“I don’t know why you’d decline a private dance with him,” she said. “I just bagged six G’s.”
I couldn’t hide the shock on my face. Six thousand dollars?
And when we came out of the dressing room for the end-of-night meeting, Daniel—our manager—was nowhere to be found. We looked around, confused, until Max, the bouncer, stepped up and said, “He left.”
That’s when the VIP came forward.
He didn’t say much—he didn’t have to. He commanded respect without a word.
Then he spoke.
“I’m Tommaso Rossi.”
My blood ran cold.
I recognized the name instantly. And the face too, now that I really looked. The realization washed over me so hard I almost bolted for the door.
He must be the head of the family.
Years ago, I came home from a party. I saw the smoke from blocks away and immediately pulled over. I walked closer and saw a Rossi soldier, casually smoking a cigarette beside his SUV.
I knew what it meant. I knew the signs.
I knew this was the message.
And I refused to become part of it.
My father taught me how to disappear—and I did. Right under their noses.
They thought I died in that fire.
It made everything easier.
I stayed in the town I was raised in, blending into the background. I never realized I’d made the mistake of working for a business owned by them. No doubt a front for laundering money.
Tommaso gave a short speech about work ethic, thanked us, and said we were dismissed.
Then he added, “Except Vivi.”
Everyone paused. Looked at me.
But one by one, they filed out.
His men lingered, then silently stepped back against the wall. My heart was pounding. I was petrified of what was going to happen next.
I remembered him as kind. I had a massive crush on him once.
But now?
Now he’s the head of the family.
And I know how they send messages.
TOMMASO POV
I saw her flinch the second I said her name.
Vivi.
It rolled off my tongue like a memory I couldn’t shake.
I watched the way her shoulders tensed, how her eyes darted to the door like she was calculating if she could make it before anyone stopped her.
She remembered.
I knew she would.
She’d always been smart. Smart enough to run that night. Smart enough to disappear. Smart enough to avoid me, every single damn time I walked in this club—until now.
But the time for hiding was over.
I hadn’t come this far to pretend I didn’t know who she was. I let her keep her distance. Let her think I was just another man in a suit wanting a dance.
But I wasn't just another man.
I was the last Rossi.
And she was the ghost that never left my mind.
The only softness I remembered from a time so brutal I’d buried most of it under blood and fire.
And now… she worked in my club.
That wasn’t an accident. That was fate, dragging her back into my world.
She didn’t know it yet—but I hadn’t kept her alive just to let her vanish again.
She wasn’t part of my father’s message.
She was mine.
And tonight was just the beginning.
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Tommaso's POV:
I would let her squirm a bit. She looked caught between wanting the floor to swallow her whole and wanting to slap the s**t out of me. I couldn’t decide which I’d prefer — both were entertaining. But beneath all that fire in her eyes, I saw the panic. The kind of fear that comes from knowing too much and surviving worse. I wanted to tell her she was safe now — from everyone except me. Because the truth was, she wouldn’t be disappearing again. Not on my watch. My father had been the threat to her back then… not me. I’d buried him and everything he stood for, but I wasn’t naive enough to think his ghost didn’t still linger in my name.
When I stepped closer, I caught the scent of sweat and cheap liquor clinging to her skin — signs of a long shift, maybe a long life. It didn’t matter. She still looked like the girl who once made me feel like I wasn’t born for blood. I hadn’t had time to watch her tonight — some i***t thought it’d be smart to skim from my club — but now, standing in front of her, all I could think about was how close she’d come to walking out of my world again… and how I wasn’t going to let that happen.
Viviana's POV:
The moment he stepped closer, my pulse kicked up like it was trying to escape my chest. I hated that he could still do that to me — make my entire body react with just a look. I told myself it was fear. Logical fear. But deep down, I knew better. It wasn’t just about the man he’d become. It was about the boy I used to know… and how much of him still lived in the shadows of his eyes.
I couldn’t read his expression. He looked too calm. Too sure. Like he already knew exactly how this night would end. I didn’t. I was torn between running and lunging at him — to scream, to cry, to demand answers to questions I never got to ask. But I stayed frozen. Because one wrong move and I didn’t know if I’d be kissing death or something worse… like the truth.
He smelled like danger wrapped in power, but something about it felt familiar. Like the smoke that clung to your clothes after a fire. I used to dream about him. Not like this. Back then, he was just a boy who smiled like he could keep me safe from the world. Now he was the man who owned it.
And somehow, I wasn’t sure if that scared me… or made me want to get closer.
- Writer
