Chapter 1: The Baby Who Knew Her
The first time Leo Rosselli reached for me, three armed men moved before I even understood what was happening.
It was supposed to be an ordinary Tuesday night.
Ordinary meant surviving another double shift at L’Orso D’Oro, smiling at wealthy customers who barely looked at me, and counting the hours until I could go home, kick off my shoes, and sleep.
I had no idea that one small child sitting in the arms of the most feared man in the city was about to change my entire life.
The restaurant was glowing with golden lights, expensive wine bottles lined the shelves, and the sound of silverware hitting porcelain filled the air.
I moved between tables with a tray balanced in one hand.
“Table twelve needs another bottle of sparkling water,” my manager called.
“I’m on it,” I replied.
My feet hurt. My shoulders ached. My bank account was nearly empty.
But I had learned a long time ago that exhaustion was easier to handle than desperation.
Then I reached the VIP section.
Everyone knew that booth.
Nobody sat there unless they were invited.
Nobody interrupted the man inside.
Dante Rosselli.
Even people who had never met him knew his name.
Forty-nine years old. Powerful. Untouchable.
The kind of man whose reputation made conversations stop when he entered a room.
I had seen him in newspapers and whispered conversations. A businessman to some. A dangerous figure to others.
But the man sitting there looked less like a legend and more like someone carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He wore a burgundy suit with a white silk shirt underneath. His dark hair had streaks of silver, and a thin scar crossed his left cheekbone.
Four men in black suits sat nearby.
Bodyguards.
Their eyes followed everything.
Everyone except the baby in Dante’s arms.
Leo Rosselli was nine months old, dressed in a tiny white shirt and dark vest. He looked completely out of place surrounded by intimidating men.
I approached the table carefully with a wine glass.
“Your wine, sir,” I said.
Dante barely looked at me.
“Thank you.””
His voice was calm, controlled.
Then Leo saw me.
The change happened instantly.
The baby’s eyes widened.
His little hands opened.
And before I could react, he suddenly leaned forward with surprising force.
“Whoa—easy!””
I stepped back, grabbing my tray.
Dante immediately tightened his arms around him.
“Leo.””
The single word sounded like a command.
But the baby ignored him.
Leo twisted toward me, making a small desperate sound.
Then he reached again.
Both hands.
Straight toward me.
The entire booth went silent.
One bodyguard shifted his hand closer to his jacket.
Another stood halfway from his chair.
I froze.
“Is he okay?”” I asked.
Dante stared at his son.
That was the first time I saw something unexpected in his expression.
Confusion.
“Leo doesn’t do this,” one of the guards quietly said.
The baby’s face turned red as tears filled his eyes.
He wasn’t afraid.
He was reaching for me.
I slowly lowered my hand.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I don’t know why he’s…”
Before I finished, Leo grabbed my finger.
The crying stopped.
Completely.
His tiny fingers wrapped around mine, and he let out the softest little laugh.
The entire room watched.
Dante Rosselli looked like someone had just revealed a secret he wasn’t prepared to hear.
“My son has never reached for a stranger,” he said.
I swallowed.
“Maybe he just likes people?””
Dante’s eyes remained fixed on me.
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“He doesn’t.””
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Leo smiled at me.
And I noticed something.
A tattoo peeked from beneath Dante’s sleeve as he adjusted his son.
A black dragon wrapped around his forearm.
My breath stopped.
The tray in my hand nearly slipped.
Because I knew that dragon.
I had seen it before.
Not on Dante Rosselli.
On someone else.
Someone I had spent years trying to forget.
Dante noticed my expression immediately.
“You recognize it,” he said.
I looked away too quickly.
“No.””
But my voice betrayed me.
His eyes narrowed.
The dangerous man everyone feared was suddenly paying attention to me.
“What’s your name?””
I hesitated.
“Alina.””
“Alina what?””
My fingers tightened around the tray.
“Alina Valdez.””
The second I said my last name, something changed.
The bodyguards exchanged looks.
Dante went completely still.
And Leo, still holding my finger, smiled like he had been waiting years to find me.
May you like
Then Dante asked the question that made my blood run cold.
“Who taught you to fear the dragon?””
