The Dons Mafia Princess Lethal Love

[PROLOGUE]

MANY, MANY YEARS AGO

It was tedious. But it was done.

Her position was now secured.

The voices from the realm's Crimson Dust echoed through the ears of High Lady Calliope as a triumphant smirk lifted her lips. She could hear them now – the buzzes and whispers, meaning that the power was now hers.

Finally.

Just as she was about to move, a more distinct echo came, one that whispered in an eerie tone of rage, "One who misleads the land issues a challenge... challenge...challenge... to Incanta's Spirits and that will never be forgiven... given... given..."

[CHAPTER 1]

PRESENT DAY

"Why are you holding it upside down?" Reida asked, confoundment arching her brows.

The man's gaze was stolen from the page. Dark brows rising, his plum-purple eyes pierced into her lilac ones in equal parts annoyed and confused. "Pardon?" he replied, his deep voice carrying a lilt exhibited by the oldest and some of the most revered wizarding families in Incanta. Hair as deep as raven with the occasional dark purple streaks was tied into a high bun as some strands fell over his eyes, which he pushed back out of habit.

Reida saw him from a distance. Her family had just arrived but her parents were caught in a conversation with Incanta's politicians. Reida wasn't one to care much about politics, so her eyes wandered, and she spotted him sitting alone on one of the leaf-shaped benches outside the walls of Thavma University.

There was a book on his lap, where his eyes were glued to. A white bird with black and gold butterfly wings soared and landed on the pages, pecking on the side the wizard was reading. He gently plucked the small creature off the page and set it on the bench next to him. The action was so natural, like it wasn't the first time he'd place a bird aside when it landed on his things. The bird wasn't pleased, and its blunt beak pecked against his thigh, receiving no response from him so it chirped and hopped like it was throwing a tantrum before ultimately giving up and flying away.

"The book," Reida said like it was obvious, pointing at the thick, indigo hardcover with an elaborated white design, the standard image of a potion bottle sat on one side – upside down. "How are you able to read it like that? Are you using a spell?"

Befuddled, his brows dipped lower. His gaze dropped, and he angled the cover toward himself. His bewilderment turned into comprehension and amusement. "Why yes," he said. "And the spell only requires one simple ingredient." The mischievous glint in his eye held her curiosity-lit pair when he continued, "Glue."

He flipped the book around, surprising Reida when the interior wasn't upside down. That was when she noticed the edges of the book were tattered, like the whole thing was ripped off the cover before being glued back – upside down.

Her curiosity vaporized, annoyance taking its place and filtering through her skin. Reida's cheeks burned in embarrassment and a tinge of anger, a reaction that was amusing him, judging by the way he was pressing back a smile. "My apologies. I was just being friendly."

"Were you?" Reida retorted, hearing her mother in her tone and reigned back her pulsating anger, dragging out an exhale. "Never mind. Let's start again: are most books in the university torn out and glued upside down?" She knew she should've requested the Library Guide to be sent with her textbooks!

His lips pressed and lifted like he was trying to contain the laughter bubbling in his chest. "That would be quite a world to live in, won't it?"

Tell that to her mother and the queen would probably tear someone's head off and glue it back upside down.

"But no," he uttered, bringing Reida out of her thoughts as he leaned back against the bench, two fingers secured between the pages he was reading like a bookmark. "I'm probably the only one with a book like this, thanks to my former roommate."

"Why would he do that?"