XAVIER – POV

The doorman hesitated.

That’s how I knew I was expected. "Luciano, smart ass" I said to myself.


He buzzed me up like someone who knew the weight of my name and the shadow of what I could do. The elevator ride was silent, smooth, the kind that made you forget how high you were until the doors slid open — and there he was.

Luciano, My brother...or should I say..My half brother.


He sat on the edge of a white leather chair like a king without a crown, holding a glass of something dark. Scotch, probably. Same taste he always had. The place was quiet, pristine — but cold. Too clean.

He didn’t stand. Just smiled like a snake.

>“Xavier, was wondering when you’d show up” He said.

I stepped inside, slow, watching him like prey watches a predator and vice versa.

“I assume you got my message,” I said, shrugging off my coat.

“Liked the fireworks?”


He sipped his drink, unbothered. >“If that was a message, you should work on your delivery.”<

I chuckled.

“Funny. I thought I was being merciful. You’re slipping if that place went down that easy.”

He tilted his head.

“The son of a mistress who found her way into my father's bed, is not supposed to this bold"


I let the grin fall from my face. There he goes, he knows the right trigger to pull. This got to me but I am not going down, not this time.

We stared each other down like animals remembering old wounds.

Then I leaned in slightly.


“I’m not here for conversation. I’m here to warn you. Stay sharp, Luciano. I’m back. And I’m not hiding anymore.” is


He didn’t blink.

>“Neither am I, But if you want to leave a real mark next time... aim for the head.”< He said quietly, unbothered.

"Cool"

I replied and walk out of his goddamn penthouse.

******************

DAISY – POV

If I was coming to see Luciano, then I needed something to fill my empty stomach because that Walking temptation would offer me nothing but a drink.

I stopped by at a restaurant to eat something.

After what seems like an hour, I was standing at the entrance of Luciano's penthouse.

The bastard tried to stop me.

His right hand man stood at the double doors like a fucking bodyguard ripped out of a mafia poster — arms crossed, suit tight, jaw clenched. His eyes swept down to my black dress like it offended him.

>“This isn’t a club,” < he said coldly.

>“You don’t get to walk in and out like it’s a brothel. This is Luciano’s home"<


I adjusted my dress with slow defiance. “Got a problem with me, tough boy?”


>“I’ve got a problem with girls who think they can fuck their way into power.”<

He fired back..

I didn’t hesitate.

My fist slammed into his jaw so fast he barely caught it — but when he did, he twisted, and suddenly we were locked.


He shoved me. I grabbed his shirt.

He swung. I ducked and elbowed him in the ribs.

The bodyguards inside rushed out and surrounded me with their guns.., Waiting for orders, I guess. The security cam blinked like an unblinking eye.

We went at it hard — fists, knees, grunts. I caught him in the gut. He threw me against the wall. I hit back harder. He didn’t land every shot, but I made damn sure he felt mine.

No one was winning — and that’s what made it satisfying.

Until the front door clicked open.

And out stepped him. Luciano.

Black shirt. No tie. Gold watch glinting under the sun like it had blood on it.

His voice cut the air in half. >“Enough.”<

We both froze.

>"Put down your weapons and go back to your posts"<

The men disappeared like they were never there.

“Hardin,” he said, voice calm but firm. >Let her in.”<

Hardin’s jaw twitched. But he stepped aside.

I adjusted my dress again, flipped my hair, and walked past him like I’d already won.

**********************

LUCIANO – POV


I was reviewing shipment files in my office when the alert blinked red on my security monitor.

Front entrance. Motion detected.

I tapped the screen—and there she was.

Daisy.

Wearing that little red dress again like sin sewn into fabric. Legs long, skin gleaming like honey under sun, attitude sharp enough to slice steel. And right in front of her — Hardin, already squared up like a dog guarding a bone.

I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers.

This would be good.

Hardin blocked her path like a wall of muscle, his mouth moving — no doubt delivering one of his lectures. I didn't bother turning on the sound. I didn’t need to hear the words to know the heat behind them.

And Daisy?

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t shrink. Her stance shifted, chin tilted, the slow lean of someone ready to strike. I saw it coming a second before it happened — she swung.

My eyes narrowed, and something in my chest burned.

She moved like she’d been raised in back alleys and war zones. Fast, direct, unapologetic. Hardin grabbed her wrist, twisted — but she spun, elbowed, shoved back. They tangled, fists flying, bodies colliding like opposing storms. This wasn’t just a scuffle. This was two wolves testing territory.

Even with five of my men surrounding her, she didn't flinch.


And fuck... she looked beautiful.

Not in the soft, polished way I usually kept around me. No. This was feral beauty — messy, wild, alive. Hair whipping. Dress riding up with every kick. Legs flashing. Blood pumping.

She wasn’t a girl in a pretty dress anymore. She was a weapon in stilettos.

And I wanted her more than I cared to admit.

Not just in my bed — though the thought of her under me, moaning, writhing, pulling at my shirt, had my jaw clenching. No, I wanted her in — in my world, in my fire, in the circle that burned all outsiders alive. She didn’t need rescuing. She needed unleashing.

I stood, finally, buttoning my shirt slowly as they continued bruising each other.

Enough play.

Time to collect the queen.

I stepped out of the office and headed for the door.

***********************

DAISY – POV

LUCIANO’S LIVING ROOM – MOMENTS LATER

He didn’t say anything at first.

Just poured me a drink and sat back, watching me like a man trying to decide if he wanted to kiss me or cage me.

I leaned against the wall, crossing one leg over the other.

“You might want to put a leash on your mutts.”

His lips twitched. >“You held your own.”<

>“He’s lucky I didn’t break his nose.”<

“Mm,” he said, sipping his drink.

“How’d you fight like that in that dress?”

I tilted my head. “Would’ve fought better if it was shorter.”

His eyes darkened.

He stood, slow, walking over with that same lethal

“You wore it for me.”

“I wore it for war.” I replied, flatly.

“And what do you want, Daisy?” he asked, his gaze fixed on me.


I stepped closer, until there were only inches between us.

“I want in.”

His brow lifted. “You sure?”

I nodded. " I’m tired of crumbs. I want the table.”

He stared at me for a long second.

Then he nodded once, sharp.

“Hardin,” he called.


His right hand stalked back in, still seething.

>“Gather the men<” Luciano said. >“We’re going to the warehouse”<

*****************

LUCIANO – POV

On the Way to the Warehouse

The silence between us was thick enough to choke on.

Hardin drove like he always did — slow, confident, one hand on the wheel. I stared out the window, arms crossed, but my mind wasn’t on the streets flashing by.

It was on her

The way she looked at me when she told me she wanted in. Like I’d unzipped something dark inside het. My jaw clenched every time she shifted on her seat. I And even though we didn’t speak a word on that ride, I felt everything.

If our thoughts had hands, they’d be tearing off each other’s clothes right now.

By the time the car rolled to a slow stop outside the Harlem warehouse, I was burning inside. Lust. Rage.


Hardin opened the door. I stepped out and waited for Daisy.

She hops out. We head into the warehouse, accompanied by Hardin.

*********************

DAISY POV

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

The warehouse itself was hollow and echoing, but once we stepped through a hidden steel door at the back and went down the winding staircase, I saw his world.

The underground meeting room was like a mob cathedral.

Dark walls lined with weapons. A massive obsidian table stretched the length of the room, lit only by rows of industrial bulbs hanging low from the ceiling. Forty-plus men sat in black chairs like wolves around a kill. No smiles. No greetings. Just quiet judgment.

Some wore leather. Others suits.All had that same heavy, unbothered look that said they’d seen things no one should survive.

Luciano walked ahead, calm and unreadable. I followed with my head high.

The moment I stepped into that room, I could feel their hate.

Their eyes crawled over me like they were trying to peel me apart and spit me out.

The room was packed — more than forty men, silent, hard-faced, sharp-eyed. Soldiers. Killers. Sharks in suits. They weren’t expecting me, and they definitely weren’t happy to see me.

Luciano didn’t care.

He stopped at the head of the obsidian table and placed one hand flat on the surface.

>“This is Daisy,” < he said calmly.

>“She’s one of us now.”<


The murmurs began immediately — low, uncomfortable, disapproving. Someone scoffed. Another shook his head.

Luciano didn’t flinch.


>“She’s earned her place. Question her, and you question me.”<


One man — tall, pale, full of false bravado — stepped forward from the crowd. He wore a dark vest and a smirk that begged to be broken.

>“This chick?”< he said, gesturing to me. >“Boss, come on, She’s a pretty toy, not a soldier. Don’t expect us to take orders from a skirt.”<


I didn’t even get the chance to move.

*Bang*

The gunshot echoed like thunder in a tunnel.

The man dropped with a cry, clutching his side, blood blooming fast.

Gasps. Chaos.

Luciano lowered his pistol like it was nothing more than a wine glass.

>“Take him to the hospital, and have my private doctor attend to him” <

he said, already turning away.

>“If he lives, maybe he’ll learn to shut his mouth.”<

Two men rushed to drag the bleeding fool out. No one else made a sound.

I just stood there, frozen in place, breath caught in my throat.

He’d done that—for me.

Not because I asked. Not because I needed saving. But because he wouldn’t let anyone disrespect me.

No one had ever stood up for me like that.

Ever!

And in that moment, something cracked open in my chest — something terrifying and thrilling.

I felt seen. Protected. Wanted.

God help me.

*********************

LUCIANO – POV


Seconds After the Shot

They wanted to test her. Challenge her. Break her.

And I wasn’t having it.

I shot without hesitation. Not in the leg. Not a warning. A clean hit to the ribs. Could’ve gone worse if I didn’t need him alive to make a point.

The room went still. Some of them flinched — not from the sound, but from the shift in power.

That was the first time I’d ever drawn blood on one of my own in front of the circle because of a woman.

But I meant every trigger pull.

I glanced at Daisy from the corner of my eye. She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t angry. She just stared at me — something flickering behind those dark eyes.

A softness. Surprise. Maybe even trust.

That’s when I knew I’d done more than silence a disrespectful soldier.

I’d bound her to me.

***********************

HARDIN – POV

He did it.

He fucking shot one of ours. Over her.

I watched the blood stain the floor, watched the men grow uneasy. Watched her — smug in that tight dress, head held high like she hadn’t just turned everything upside down.

I clenched my fists until I felt bone crack.

Luciano never pulled his gun unless he meant war. And today? He pointed it inward. For a girl. A wild, unpredictable, loud-mouthed outsider who should’ve been kicked out, not crowned.


I fought her once and walked away bruised.

I won’t make that mistake again.

I see the way he looks at her. Like she’s more than a pawn. Like she matters. Like she could change something.

No.

I’ve bled for this circle. Killed for it. Lived in its shadows. And I won’t let her burn it all down because she fits into his sick, lust-drunk fantasy of a queen.

She doesn’t belong.

And I swear, if Luciano won’t do something about it...

I will.


[TO BE CONTINUED...]