Chapter 1 - The Woman Who Chose HimThe most dangerous person in the room was also the one Nora ran toward.
Lorenzo sat alone in the center of the luxury VIP lounge, one arm draped across the back of a black leather sofa, a glass of untouched whiskey resting on the table beside him.
He did not need to raise his voice to control the room.
People simply listened when he spoke.
Three armed men stood behind him.
Two more guarded the entrance.
Nobody entered the lounge without permission.
Nobody left without Lorenzo knowing.
Then Nora came crashing through the doors.
She was barefoot.
Her evening dress was torn at the shoulder.
A thin streak of blood ran down one side of her face.
Her breathing was so shallow she looked seconds away from collapsing.
Every gun in the room pointed at her.
Nora took three more steps.
Then her knees buckled.
She fell beside Lorenzo.
“Please…”
Her trembling fingers grabbed the front of his black shirt.
“Help me.”
The room went silent.
Lorenzo looked down at her.
He had seen frightened people before.
People lied when they were afraid.
They begged.
They manipulated.
They promised anything to survive.
But Nora wasn't performing.
She looked genuinely terrified.
Lorenzo leaned forward.
“Who did this?”
Nora opened her mouth.
No sound came out.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
She looked toward the doors.
And whispered one name.
“Leo.”
Every man in the room turned.
The doors opened again.
Leo walked inside.
He wore an expensive suit.
His hair was perfectly styled.
His smile was calm.
Too calm.
He looked at Nora as though she were an inconvenience.
“Get up, Nora.”
She flinched.
Leo chuckled softly.
“She does this sometimes.”
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.
Leo spread his hands.
“She gets confused.”
Nobody moved.
Leo continued.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Nora's grip on Lorenzo's shirt tightened.
Lorenzo slowly placed one hand over hers.
Then he pulled her against his chest.
Leo's smile vanished.
“You heard me,” Leo said.
“She belongs with me.”
Lorenzo looked at him for several seconds.
Then he looked down at Nora.
“Do you want to leave with him?”
Nora's entire body shook.
Leo stepped forward.
“You don't need to answer that.”
Lorenzo's gaze snapped back to him.
“I wasn't speaking to you.”
Silence.
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
She swallowed.
Then whispered the word that changed everything.
“No.”
Leo's face hardened.
The armed men stepped closer.
Lorenzo's arm tightened around Nora.
“Then she stays.”
Leo stared at him.
“You don't understand what you're getting involved in.”
A faint smile touched Lorenzo's mouth.
“I understand enough.”
Leo glanced around the room.
Then he said something that made the blood drain from Nora's face.
“Ask her what happened to Daniel.”
Lorenzo froze.
Nora stopped breathing.
Leo smiled again.
“You'll see why she came to you.”
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
Lorenzo's men moved to stop him.
Lorenzo raised one finger.
They stopped.
He looked down at Nora.
“Who is Daniel?”
Nora's lips trembled.
And for the first time that night, she looked more afraid of the truth than of Leo.
“Daniel,” she whispered, “was my brother.”
She looked toward the closing doors.
“He died three years ago.”
Lorenzo's expression changed.
“Why does Leo know his name?”
Nora stared at him.
“Because Leo killed him.”
And somewhere outside the lounge, a phone began ringing.
Not Nora's.
May you like
Not Lorenzo's.
Leo's.
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