The city of Ravenza never truly slept.
Neon lights flickered against wet asphalt, and the distant echo of sirens blended with the thumping music from nightclubs that ruled the streets after midnight.
Riyana stood near the balcony of the grand hotel ballroom, clutching the edge of her black dress.
She hated parties like this.
The room behind her glittered with wealth—expensive suits, diamond necklaces, champagne glasses clinking in celebration. But beneath the elegance, Riyana knew the truth.
This wasn't just a party.
It was a gathering of the most powerful crime families in the city.
And her father was one of them.
"Riyana," her father's deep voice called from across the room.
She turned slowly. Her father, Viktor Leone, stood with a group of men in tailored suits. His expression was sharp, commanding, the same expression that had terrified half the city for decades.
"Come here."
Riyana forced a polite smile and walked toward him.
"This is my daughter," Viktor said proudly to the men beside him.
They nodded respectfully.
Riyana hated when he introduced her like a trophy.
She knew what people whispered behind her back:
The mafia princess.
The enemy's daughter.
But none of them knew how badly she wanted to escape this life.
"Stay close tonight," Viktor said quietly once the men turned away. "There are people here who would love to hurt me by hurting you."
Riyana swallowed.
"I know, Father."
Just then, the music in the ballroom suddenly stopped.
A strange silence fell across the room.
Conversations faded. Glasses froze mid-air.
And then the large doors of the ballroom slowly opened.
Three men walked in.
Two of them looked like bodyguards, tall and silent.
But the man between them…
He was different.
Dark suit. Black tie. Broad shoulders. Calm, dangerous eyes that seemed to scan the entire room in seconds.
The atmosphere changed the moment he stepped inside.
Fear.
Respect.
Power.
People moved aside as if an invisible force pushed them away.
Riyana noticed the way even the most dangerous criminals lowered their voices when he passed.
A whisper traveled through the crowd.
"Bosco… Bosco is here."
Her heart skipped.
Bosco.
The name she had heard all her life.
The most feared mafia boss in Ravenza.
The man her father hated more than anyone.
The man responsible for half the city's underground empire.
And the man Viktor Leone had sworn to destroy.
Riyana looked down quickly, hoping not to attract attention.
But it was too late.
Bosco's eyes had already found her.
Across the ballroom, through dozens of people, his gaze locked onto hers.
It felt like the world stopped.
Riyana's breath caught in her throat.
Those eyes were cold… calculating… but there was something else there.
Curiosity.
Dangerous curiosity.
Bosco tilted his head slightly as if studying her.
"Who is she?" one of his men asked quietly beside him.
Bosco didn't look away from Riyana.
His voice was low.
"That," he said slowly, "is Viktor Leone's daughter."
The room continued buzzing with tension, but Riyana could only feel one thing.
Bosco's eyes.
Watching her.
Like a predator that had just discovered something… interesting.
And somewhere deep inside, a terrible feeling whispered in her mind.
Tonight was the night everything would change.
Because the most dangerous man in the city had just noticed the one woman he should never want.
To be continued...