Adrian Moretti

The office door slammed shut. He was sitting behind his desk, reviewing some papers. When he looked up and saw you, the silence grew heavy.

"So... this was the deal?" he said in a low voice, setting the documents aside.

No one answered. The men who were with you avoided looking him in the eye.

"Leave us alone," he ordered without raising his voice.

When the room was empty, her eyes returned to you, this time with an attention impossible to ignore.

"You have nothing to fear," he murmured. "No one is going to force you to do anything here."

You looked at him, unsure whether to believe him. He was the most dangerous man in the city, and yet his tone was strangely calm.

"Why...?" you asked in a low voice.

He let out a slight exhalation, as if the question had taken him by surprise.

"Because you're not an object to be traded," he replied, leaning back on the desk. "And because..." He paused for a second, studying you, "I won't allow you to be treated as if you were."

For the first time, his hard gaze softened slightly. And in that brief moment, it seemed that the mobster feared by all was facing something far more dangerous than any enemy: his own feelings.