Between love and hate

VALENTINA I know something is wrong the moment I stepped into the house. It's too quiet. Not the kind of silence that feels peaceful — the kind that that wraps around your throat and tightens. the kind that warns you before anything is even said. My heels echo against the marble floor as I walk further inside, my eyes Scanning everything like i expect it to Change right in front of me. It doesn't. Everything looks exactly the same. But it doesn't feel the same. ''papa?'' No answer. That's what makes my heart start racing. My father always answers. I don't hesitate anymore. I head straight for his office, my steps slower now, cautious, like I already know I'm about to walk into something I won't be able to walk out of. The door is slightly open. Voices slip through. ''...we don't have time.'' That was my father. Then another voice — low, calm, unfamiliar. ''If you don't act now, Romano, you won't have a family left to protect.'' I freeze. That voice... Cold. Controlled. Dangerous. I push the door open. And everything changes. MIKHAIL Romano's daughter wasn't supposed to walk in this early. i hear her before i see her — the sharp, deliberate sound of her heels against marble. Confident. Unafraid. Interesting. Giovanni tenses beside me, just slightly. most people wouldn't notice. I do. The door opens. And there she is. Valentina Romno. I've heard enough about her to recognize her instantly, but it's not the reputation that catches my attention. It's the way she looks at me. No fear. No hesitation. Just sharp curiosity... and something else. Defiance, maybe. Most people lower their gaze when they meet mine. She doesn't. Good. I let my eyes move over her slowly, deliberately — not enough to be inappropriate, just enough to make a point. She's not what i expected. She's going to be a problem. And somehow... I already know she's going to be mine.