A 20-year-old woman, Sofia, has always lived in the shadow of a powerful crime family. Since the tragic death of her mother, her father and his accomplices have treated her with contempt, forcing her to hide behind a mask of coldness. She has chosen silence since the age of 15, sharing her thoughts only with her faithful dog, an animal with keen instincts that accompanies her everywhere. One day, after discovering compromising secrets about her father's illegal activities, Sofia decides it's time to escape. She goes on the run and accidentally finds herself in the territory of a feared billionaire mafioso: Marco De Luca. Marco is known for his magnetic charm and his overwhelming authority in the underworld. When he meets Sofia, he is first intrigued by her mysterious beauty and her aloof air. Instead of treating her like an intruder, he sees in her an opportunity-a way to escape his own loneliness. As Sofia begins to navigate this dangerous world alongside Marco, she discovers that behind his tough exterior lies a man wounded by past betrayals. Together, they explore the boundaries between loyalty and freedom, while confronting the enemies that threaten their future.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
The spark of rebellion was born the moment Sofia perceived, in the whispered conversation of her father's men, the echo of the point of no return. She never wanted to know, but sometimes the truth takes its toll, and she could no longer hide behind her silence.
The dim light from Sofia's father's office cast long, almost spectral shadows on the walls. She stood there, frozen, hidden in the shadow of the large wooden door that separated the hall from the interior of the room. The heavy air in the room felt oppressive, filled with a tension that seemed to make each breath more difficult. There was always something menacing in that office, but tonight something was different. An almost palpable thrill ran through the room.
Sofia had always avoided paying too close attention to what was said behind these walls. This world, this dark and violent world that defined her father's life, had never really interested her. It was a universe of which she was only a spectator. But tonight, something had pushed her to listen, something inexplicable, something deaf that called her to be a witness. What she discovered that evening, however, would change her life forever.
The voices that rose from the office were muffled, but Sofia had learned to read the whispers, to see the fear hidden behind the seemingly mundane words. She leaned forward slightly, listening carefully. Names, details, numbers - numbers that, suddenly, appeared to him like symbols of the hell his father had created.
"The contract must be fulfilled tomorrow," said a deep voice she recognized as Gianni, a man her father always had around him. "The cargo has to arrive on time, otherwise everything else falls apart. »
Another voice, softer but threatening, replied. "We need to solve Sofia's problem. She knows too many things. Maybe it's time to... move him away, right? »
The worry in the man's voice made her shiver. She knew that her father, despite the facade of a protective father, was nothing more than a monster behind the doors of their home. But the words "keep away" and "Sofia" did not have the same meaning as the other threats. There, it was no longer a question of simple intimidation. No, this time it was the promise of something much more sinister.
She took a step back, her heart racing. Her hands tightened on the wood of the door, as if she could anchor him in the reality of what she had just heard. Her father, the only man she had ever known, had not only killed, he had betrayed his own flesh. He was ready to sacrifice her, his own daughter, as a simple piece in his Machiavellian game.
Adrenaline quickly invades every fiber of his being. What she knew, what she discovered by accident, should not be ignored. She was no longer a simple spectator. That evening, Sofia became an integral part of the world she had always wanted to escape.
Letting the men's voices ring in her ears, she rushed to her room. We had to leave, leave everything, before it was too late. But something pulled her towards her father's office. On impulse, she walked towards the small shelf where he kept documents. She searched quickly, her trembling hands frantically searching for anything that could prove what she had just heard.
She knew it might turn everything upside down. But this notebook... it could change everything. This notebook that was there, in a drawer, and which contained damning evidence of his father's involvement in large-scale criminal cases. Dirty money, illegal transactions, cover-up murders - it was all there. A document that could save her, or condemn her. But the worst thing was that she knew that by taking it, she risked giving up on her family, on what she had always believed to be her life.
Without thinking, she took the notebook under her arm. She no longer had a choice. There was no going back. The dull sound of the office door was heard. The voices were getting closer. She turned around quickly, legs trembling, and slipped out of the room.
She walked down the hallway, her footsteps barely audible on the wooden floors. Every movement was calculated, every sound analyzed. She stopped in front of the front door. She felt her hands sweaty. Sofia knew that this time, escape was no longer an option. It was a necessity, an emergency.
His eyes rested on the lock. She had not anticipated such an outcome. She hadn't anticipated that the tension of that night would push her over the line. But she no longer had time to think. She rushed to the door, closing it behind her as quietly as possible. But as she began to walk away, a voice broke the tranquility of the night.
"Who goes there? »
She froze, a surge of panic washing over her. There was no more time. She rushed forward, running down the deserted street, her heart beating wildly, the notebook under her arm, like a burden she couldn't let go.
Heavy footsteps were heard behind her. Shadows were emerging, drawing closer, his father's men. Sofia could hear them swearing in the darkness. They knew. They had spotted her.
She had never run so fast in her life. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, but the instinct for survival pushed her further. She turned in the alleys, hoping to lose her pursuers. But they were too close. She heard their voices, their heavy breathing. The hunt was on.
A scream pierced the night. "Get her!" »
She turned down a narrow alley, her body brushing against the brick walls. For a moment she thought freedom was within reach, but at the corner she stopped short. Three men stood there, blocking his path. Sofia didn't have time to think. She charged straight towards one of them, using everything she had to push him away. But he was too strong. She felt her arms being grabbed roughly, a searing pain spreading through her back as he pushed her against the wall.
"You can't escape, Sofia. It's over," the man growled, his face hidden in the shadows.
She struggled, but his grip was too strong. A punch made her stagger. Pain exploded in her skull, but she didn't let it stop. Adrenaline kept her awake, alive.
"My father...he will kill you all, you know that? » she shouted, her eyes crazy.
The men hesitated for a moment, but their leader waved, and Sofia felt her wrists tighten around her arms.
"You're too dangerous to stay alive, Sofia. Sorry, but that's how it is. »
A last cry, a last effort to free himself, but a violent blow to the stomach forced him to double over. The notebook she was holding fell from her arms. The men began to take him away, but a figure suddenly intervened. A familiar voice, full of anger, rose through the icy air.
"Release her!" »
It was his father.
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