“Don’t Look at Him Again,” the Italian Mafia Boss Said After Her Boyfriend Betrayed Her at Milan’s Most Exclusive Restaurant
Part 2
The man led Sophie through a hidden doorway behind a wine rack and into a private office that smelled of leather, amber liquor, and power.
Alessandro Russo sat behind a mahogany desk, his jacket removed, sleeves rolled precisely to his elbows. Without the public distance of the restaurant, his presence was almost overwhelming.
“Sit,” he said.
Sophie remained standing. “Why am I here?”
A faint approval flickered in his eyes. “You’re covered in sauce, crying, and about to leave with a man who clearly intended to harm you. I’m offering an alternative.”
“I don’t need saving.”
“Everyone needs saving at least once.” His gaze sharpened. “Your boyfriend—”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
His mouth curved slightly. “Your ex-boyfriend works for Carlo Bianchi.”
Sophie nodded, though Daniel had always been vague about his job.
“Do you know what Bianchi does beyond banking?”
“No.”
“Then listen carefully.” Alessandro poured two glasses of whiskey and slid one toward her. “Daniel has been stealing from Bianchi. Worse, he used your father’s identity to secure loans. When Bianchi discovers the theft, he will look for repayment from anyone connected to Daniel. Including your father.”
The room tilted.
Sophie gripped the chair. “How do you know this?”
“I know everything that happens in Milan.”
He said it not like a boast.
Like fact.
“I need to warn my father.”
“That won’t be enough. The damage is done.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Alessandro took a slow sip from his glass. “I can make the problem disappear.”
Suspicion cut through her panic. “Why would you?”
His eyes locked onto hers. “Let’s say I dislike seeing innocents pay for other men’s mistakes.”
“And what do you want in return?”
The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Smart girl.”
Nothing in Sophie’s life had prepared her for a man like him. Daniel’s danger had been messy, selfish, desperate. Alessandro’s was controlled. Elegant. Absolute.
“I want information,” he said. “You return to your life as if nothing has changed. You forgive Daniel temporarily. You listen. Men speak freely around women they underestimate.”
Sophie laughed once without humor. “You want me to spy for you? I’m a junior curator.”
“Exactly why no one will suspect you.”
“And if I refuse?”
His silence answered before he did.
“Then events unfold naturally.”
Her father’s face flashed through her mind. Kind, aging, trusting Daniel because Sophie had once loved him.
“And my father will be safe if I agree?”
“You have my word,” Alessandro said. “Unlike your boyfriend’s, it means something.”
Sophie believed him.
That frightened her.
“Why are you really helping me?” she asked.
His gaze moved over her face, lingering just long enough to make heat rise to her cheeks.
“Perhaps I see something worth preserving.”
She looked away first.
“I should go.”
“My driver will take you.”
May you like
“That isn’t necessary.”
“It wasn’t a suggestion.”
