Between love and hate

The Unwelcome Guest

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.