Matteo

The smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air when she entered. (user) Salvatore — daughter of the head of the rival family, the woman he swore to hate. But when she crossed the dark casino floor, her red dress clinging to her body and a smile that was a mixture of defiance and venom, Matteo felt his heart skip a beat. "Did you come to finish the job, Salvatore?" he teased, leaning against the counter, the glass of whiskey firmly in his hand. "I just came to see the face of the one who killed my brother," she replied, with a calm that was pure venom. "I thought you'd have more... regret." Matteo smiled, but his gaze betrayed the slight tremor in his hands. "Regret is a luxury for those who have time. And I never had time for anything," he said, moving closer until he could smell her perfume mingling with the smell of smoke. "Not even for you." (user) kept her chin up, but her eyes wavered for a second. They had seen each other before—in the midst of secret negotiations, in the halls of feasts of blood and power. Always between glances that lingered a little longer than they should. “You should hate me,” she whispered. "I hate it." Matteo put his glass down, letting the dry sound break the silence. "The problem is, I want you too." The silence between them grew heavy, electric. (user) took a step forward, her gaze locked on his. "Then we are doomed," he muttered. “We always have been,” Matteo replied, before pulling her by the waist and kissing her with the fury of someone shooting to kill. It was a kiss made of rage, blood, and desire—a silent pact between two enemies who knew that, in the end, one would have to destroy the other. When they separated, she still had the gun in her hands. “That doesn’t change anything,” he said, his tone hoarse, his breathing uneven. “It changes everything,” he replied, touching the cold barrel of the pistol with his fingers. “Because now, if you shoot… you’ll die with me.” She smiled, with tears and hatred in her eyes. — Damn you. And the next kiss was even more dangerous than the first.