The Don's Obsession

The Favor

"You think you're the first woman to catch his eye? Let me tell you about the others."

The words came from Isabella.

I had been in the library, trying to lose myself in one of the books Alessandro had given me, when she appeared in the doorway. She was beautiful—dark hair, dark eyes, a predator's smile.

I had seen her at the gathering. Alessandro's cousin. The woman who wanted him for herself.

"Livia, isn't it?" She walked into the room without waiting for an invitation. "I've heard so much about you."

"Have you?"

"Of course." She sat across from me, crossing her legs elegantly. "The Virelli girl who tamed the lion. Everyone's talking about it."

I set down my book. "Is there something you want?"

She laughed, a brittle sound. "I want to warn you."

"About what?"

"About Alessandro." She leaned forward, her eyes glittering. "You think you're special. You think you're the first woman to catch his eye. But you're not."

I kept my face neutral. "I never thought I was."

"Good." She rose to her feet. "Because there have been others. Beautiful women. Smart women. Women who thought they could change him."

"And what happened to them?"

She smiled, cold and sharp.

"They disappeared."

The threat followed me through the rest of the day.

Isabella wanted me gone. That much was clear. She saw me as competition, a threat to her place in Alessandro's world.

I couldn't let her win.

I needed to prove myself. To show Alessandro that I was more than just a pretty face, more than just a bargaining chip.

But how?

I found the answer in his study.

I had been looking for him, hoping to ask about the next gathering, when I saw the ledgers on his desk. They were open, filled with columns of numbers and notes in Alessandro's handwriting.

I shouldn't have looked.

But something caught my eye.

A discrepancy. A number that didn't add up. A transaction that had been recorded incorrectly—or deliberately.

I stared at the ledger, my heart pounding.

This was it. My chance to prove myself.

I found Alessandro in the garden.

He was standing by the fountain, his back to me. He turned when he heard my footsteps, his eyes narrowing when he saw the ledger in my hands.

"What are you doing with that?"

"I found something." I walked toward him, holding out the ledger. "A discrepancy. A transaction that doesn't add up."

He took the ledger, his eyes scanning the page.

"Tell me."

"There's a payment here—a large one. It's listed as a business expense, but the recipient doesn't match any of your known associates. I think someone is stealing from you."

Alessandro was silent for a long moment.

"How did you notice this?"

"I looked." I met his gaze. "I wanted to help. I wanted to prove that I'm not just a—"

"A pawn?" He smiled, but there was something different in it. Something warm.

"Yes."

He set down the ledger and walked toward me.

"You found something my own men missed," he said softly. "You found a threat to my empire. And you brought it to me."

"It's what loyalty looks like."

"Yes." He reached out and caught my chin. "It is."

He leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear.

"You've earned something, Livia. A favor. Anything you want."

I blinked. "Anything?"

"Anything within my power." He pulled back, his eyes searching mine. "What do you want?"

I thought about it.

I thought about my family. My mother. Chiara. Matteo. I thought about freedom. Escape.

But I also thought about Alessandro. About the way he looked at me. About the way I felt when I was with him.

I didn't know what I wanted.

Not yet.

"I want to think about it," I said finally.

Alessandro smiled.

"Take your time," he said. "The favor will wait."

Later that night, I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I had earned a favor. A promise from the most powerful man in the underworld. A way out.

But I didn't know if I wanted to use it.

Because a part of me—a growing, terrifying part of me—didn't want to leave.

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to block out the truth.

But it was already there.

I was falling for him.

And I didn't know how to stop it.