Chapter 1: Part 1

Part 1: Destruction’s Flame

Chapter 1:

Leo Vanzetti has always struggled with the word “no.” That’s part of why he ended up in this dangerous world, an enforcer for acts ranging from the barely legal to the undeniably criminal. When he was told not to do something, that only meant that it would start to occupy his thoughts nonstop, with his mind whirring on how to bend the rule without breaking it, which was the general rule for success in this lifestyle.

And then his boss told him that, without any room for argument, he should stay away from his sister. Not for her safety, but yours, Dominic had added with a wry smile. I’m serious, Leo. Stay away from Sera.

That was the day when Sera was brought back to live in the manor after the Romano patriarch’s death, all worn out after the scene she caused at the funeral, her laughter echoing softly down dark halls as the boss escorted her gently to her new room.

She’s insane; the whispers spread around the Romano manor as servants were explicitly told not to approach her. Prone to violent rages and loud outbursts, she’s broken from whatever it was the old man did to her. It was something no one would ever know since Romano senior had retired when she was still a young teen and taken her away to live with him, leaving his brother Luciano, nephew Luka, and his eldest child Dominic to take over operations at the manor.

She had come back..different. That was for sure.

Dominic would never let Leo near Sera, which was the ultimate thorn in his side because he had never seen anyone so interesting and so beautiful in his entire life. She was a fire that burned everything she touched to ashes, no mercy, no holding back at any point. And that was just the kind of woman that intrigued him. He would gladly stick his hands right in that fire, not caring about the consequences. After all, that’s how he had always lived his life. Act first, think later.

Of course, going against the boss’s orders was, generally speaking, a one-way ticket to a creative death. So, Leo skirted the rules as closely as he could. Whenever he had a delivery at the house, he made sure his route took him as close to the wing where the mad princess resided as possible. Today is the day I’ll see her; it was a mantra that had begun to be his morning prayer. While others prayed at the altar of their gods, he prayed unabashedly at the altar of Serafina Romano.

The memory of the funeral of the old boss is one of his fondest, though it’s considered a general fuckup and stain on the Romano name to everyone else. But he’s just the hired help, so what does he care? Sera had come stomping in like an oncoming storm during a eulogy (apparently having brilliantly evaded her keepers, because of course, she did, the darling girl), going up to her father's casket and giving it a well-aimed kick with a sparkling scarlet heel that almost sent it tumbling back.

She was infuriated by the shocked silence in the room and the refusal of the coffin to fall dramatically, so the flower arrangements and vases started flying next. Some of the Romano guards grabbed her, not being smart enough to realize that the old order had changed and any man who touched the new boss’s little sister would live to regret it. Dominic’s threat sliced through the air, cold and absolute, and the men took their hands off the princess as if they had been burned.

It was one of those moments when Leo felt that against all odds, despite his shitty personality and worse decisions, he was somehow working for the right guy. When the boss looked at his sister, he was a different person, his usual mask dropping for a moment to reveal a guilty, reverent expression.

The look on Dominic’s face the day of the funeral was an addictive glimpse of gentleness that didn’t exist in their world. It was precious enough to settle even Hurricane Sera, who obediently took her brother's hand and walked out, meek as a lamb.

Of course, Leo had been left to deal with the mess, but the show had been well worth it. Sera was welcome to throw as many vases as she wanted; oddly enough, it brought out the best in the rough men surrounding her.

But it wasn’t only loyalty to Dominic that had led to Leo’s rise in the family. It had all started on that day ten years ago. He was just a homeless teen right out of juvie, and as usual, he ran from one bit of trouble..into the next.

–

Leo could still remember the way his breath burned in his lungs that night, the way the cold air sliced against his skin as he tore through the backstreets like a shadow. His sneakers slapped against the cracked pavement, heartbeat hammering in time with every step. Not from fear—no, never fear. It was the rush that got him, the wild, electric thrill of knowing he’d just pulled off another job.

The old man from the convenience store was still shouting behind him, voice hoarse with rage, but Leo was already three blocks ahead. He could have laughed. Another clean getaway. Another night proving the world couldn’t catch him.

At least, that’s what he thought—until he turned the corner and nearly crashed into them.

Two men stood in the alley, waiting like they had all the time in the world. Not cops. Not some pissed-off locals. No, they were different.

The taller one—sharp suit, dark coat, cool eyes—c****d his head slightly, watching Leo the way a lion might watch a rabbit. The other had an easier posture, leaning against the brick wall, but there was nothing soft about him. His smirk was too sharp, too knowing.

Leo knew trouble when he saw it. And these guys? They were the kind of trouble people whispered about.

“Fast,” the taller one with the icy expression mused, voice smooth and unreadable. “I’ll give you that.”

Leo’s body tensed, his mind already calculating his next move. His fingers tightened around the wad of cash he’d just swiped, his pulse a steady drumbeat in his ears.

“Hell of a risk for a couple of hundred bucks,” the other one—Luka, he’d later learn—remarked. His smirk widened. “You do this a lot, kid?”

Leo shifted his stance, angling himself just enough to bolt if he needed to. “Who’s askin’?”

The tall one took a step forward. “Dominic Romano,” he said like the name should mean something. And it did. It meant everything. “That’s Luka.”

Leo had heard of them before. Everyone had. The Romanos weren’t just street hustlers. They were the kind of men who ruled the underground, the ones people either feared or worked for.

His gut told him to be careful, but he was seventeen, reckless, and too full of himself to back down. “So?” he challenged.

Dominic’s gaze flicked to the cash in Leo’s grip. “You’re quick. Bold. But sloppy.”

Leo bristled. “I got away, didn’t I?”

Luka chuckled, shaking his head. “Correction, you might get away if we let you.”

A chill ran through Leo’s spine, though he masked it with a cocky grin. “That so?”

Dominic stepped in closer, his presence heavy, measured. “We could turn you in.” A pause. “Or—you could work for us.”

Leo’s pulse stuttered for half a second because they weren’t just some guys looking to shake him down. They were offering something. A way in for someone who had lived his whole life on the outside of everything.

“You like risk,” Luka said, still lounging like this was all a game. “You like fast money. We can give you more than a few crumpled bills from a register.”

Dominic’s voice dropped lower. “You want a real purpose, Leo? This is it.”

He should have hesitated. Should have asked more questions. Should have thought about what it meant to owe these men anything. But all he felt was the fire in his veins, the thrill curling in his chest. The world had never given him anything—he’d always had to take it. And now?

Now it was handing him something real.

–

Leo entered through the central foyer, still smiling at the memory. His gaze wasimmediately drawn left to the secured east wing of the Romano manor. This wing was strictly off-limits to all but the highest-ranking family members and select security personnel. Leo knew the layout by heart: the reinforced panic room concealed behind the mahogany bookcase in Dominic's study, the underground passage connecting to the garage that housed their armored vehicles, and the third-floor surveillance room, where rotating shifts of trusted men monitored every approach to the property.

Most importantly, Sera lived on the second floor of the East Wing, which consisted of her apartment, a few guestrooms (which no one was allowed to stay in currently), and the family library. So, even when Leo didn’t strictly have any business there, he made sure to take a stroll in that direction, even though most of the business took place on the west side.

As he passed the heavy oak door to the meeting room, he heard muffled voices discussing shipment routes. Business had expanded significantly since Dominic took over leadership three years ago. The family now controlled not just the traditional protection rackets and gambling operations but had diversified into high-end art theft, cryptocurrency laundering, and legitimate businesses—the chain of luxury hotels and the import-export company being the most profitable fronts for their less legal activities.

Leo walked by a group of men he recognized as part of Viktor's security detail. Unlike most of the muscle who wore the twin golden guns pin—marking them as soldiers and agents directly under Dominic or Luka’s command—these men wore plain silver pins, signifying their loyalty to Viktor's branch of operations, which handled the more violent enforcement tasks. The hierarchy was clear to insiders but invisible to outsiders, precisely as intended.

“Tsk tsk, look who’s sniffing around where he shouldn’t be again.”

He sighed as he turned around to see his old friend and boss’s cousin, Luka. As usual, he wore an easy smirk, auburn curly hair looking purposely tousled. Busted. Because if Luka knew something, that meant Dominic would know it shortly as well.

“Sniffing around? You wound me,” he lifted the envelopes in his hand, “Just on my way to deliver these.”

“Nice try,” Luka gave him a look that clearly said they both knew where the boss’s office was, and it happened to be on the opposite side of the house.

The underboss approached him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Plenty of dangerous women in this world. You can like what you like, but it is best to leave the mad princess alone before Dom pulls one of his famous disappearing tricks on you.”

Good advice, too bad he wasn’t going to take it.

They were startled by the sound of something breaking down the hall—something big. Then, a few more crashes followed by a furious scream and the noise of a large piece of glass shattering.

The two men turned to look at each other, and then Leo ran, his more slender build quickly darting effortlessly away from Luka, who tried to grab him.

“Are you insane?!”

“Just call the boss. Someone needs to check on her,” he yelled back, and hell yes, that someone was going to be him. His prayer was finally answered at long last.