Valeria sat across from her father in his grand office, the air thick with tension. The heavy scent of cigar smoke curled through the dimly lit room, mixing with the faint aroma of aged whiskey. Lorenzo Ivanov leaned back in his leather chair, his sharp eyes fixed on her as he swirled the dark liquid in his glass.
She knew that look. Cold. Calculating. Unforgiving.
"You took longer than expected," he said, voice calm, but laced with the edge of disapproval.
Valeria crossed her legs, feigning indifference as she slid a neatly folded document across the desk. "I wanted to be thorough."
Lorenzo's gaze didn't waver as he picked up the papers, scanning them.
She had given him just enough. Key figures, business records, some of the DeLuca family's recent financial movements. Enough to look useful. Not enough to expose Adrian.
As Lorenzo read, Valeria kept her expression neutral, even as an unsettling realization settled deep inside her.
She was protecting Adrian.
Why?
She was supposed to be breaking him. Not shielding him.
"Is this all?" her father asked, his tone dangerously even.
She met his gaze head-on. "For now."
Lorenzo exhaled through his nose, tapping the papers against the desk. Not pleased.
"This is nothing I couldn't have found on my own," he said coldly. "You're slipping, Valeria."
Her jaw clenched, but she forced a soft smirk onto her lips. "Or maybe the DeLucas are better at keeping secrets than we thought."
Lorenzo's eyes flickered with something unreadable. Amusement? Distrust?
"Or maybe," he mused, setting the papers down, "you're getting too close."
Her heart skipped—too fast, too sharp. But she didn't let it show.
"If I was getting too close, I'd have all the answers already," she countered smoothly.
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Then Lorenzo exhaled, leaning forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
"The Profile Gala is in three nights," he said, his voice shifting to something more calculated. "A gathering of the most powerful men in this city—politicians, businessmen, crime lords alike."
Valeria listened carefully, ignoring the way her pulse hammered at the thought of seeing Adrian again.
"You're going to be there," her father continued, picking up his cigar. "And so will DeLuca Enterprises."
He took a slow drag, exhaling the smoke in a long, measured breath.
"I expect results, Valeria. Get closer," he ordered, his eyes glinting. "And bring me something worth my time."
Valeria lifted her chin, giving him a slow, deliberate nod.
"Of course," she murmured.
But as she walked out of the room, her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
Closer.
Her father had no idea just how close she had already gotten.
And that was the problem.
★★★
Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian DeLuca stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse, a glass of whiskey in hand. The lights of the city stretched out beneath him, but his mind was elsewhere.
Valeria.
Her name was a whisper in his thoughts, her lips still a ghost of a memory against his own. He had never met someone who toyed with him so effortlessly, who matched him move for move, kiss for kiss.
But that wasn't what unsettled him.
It was the way she made him want more.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. Nikolai stepped in, his usual brooding expression in place.
"You still obsessing over her?" Nikolai asked dryly, pouring himself a drink.
Adrian didn't answer, just took another slow sip of whiskey.
"You know something feels off about her," Nikolai continued, eyes narrowing. "She's too smooth, too perfect at this game. Women don't just walk into your world and play you at your own level."
Adrian smirked, but there was no humor in it. "Maybe she's just different."
"Maybe she's a fucking snake," Nikolai countered, voice tight.
Adrian set his glass down with a soft clink. "She's hiding something. I know that."
"Then why the hell are you still entertaining this?"
Adrian exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Because I don't know if I want to expose her or let her win."
Nikolai scoffed. "That's dangerous thinking."
Adrian glanced at him. "Then I guess it's a good thing danger doesn't scare me."
Nikolai's jaw ticked, but he didn't argue. Instead, he changed the subject.
"The Profile Gala is in three nights. We're going."
Adrian arched a brow. "Oh?"
"DeLuca Enterprises is one of the main investors. You can't exactly skip out."
Adrian hummed in thought. "And Valeria?"
Nikolai rolled his eyes. "She's part of the city's elite, so yeah, she'll probably be there."
Something sharp flickered in Adrian's gaze.
"Good."
Nikolai groaned. "You're playing with fire."
Adrian just smirked, swirling the whiskey in his glass.
"Then let's see who burns first."