I ran away like a coward.

My stupid brain decided to make a fool of me on my first day back, all to avoid getting into a fight I was afraid of losing.

God, I should start digging my own grave.

In the darkness of my room I replayed the scene over and over. Every time I saw myself asking my father to talk later because I was tired I wanted to punch myself in the face until I got my thoughts straight.

Victor is going to think I'm weak. I buried my face in my pillow and let out a scream.

I admit it, maybe I was being a little dramatic. But the thing is that within the mafia any sign of weakness is a weapon in the hands of your enemies, and even though the members of the Barone Syndicate were loyal to my father I still needed to prove my worth.

The good side was that my excuse was solid, if the members in the hallway heard something they wouldn't think twice about such a simple matter.

The bad side was that Victor didn't believe a single word I said. I could see it in his wicked smile, he knew I was running away from him, and he must have already been planning his next move.

Also, fucking sleep refused to show up.

If there was one thing that put me in a bad mood it was not being able to fall asleep when I felt tired. At those times I was capable of doing anything to make my brain stop torturing me with my bad decisions and turn off once and for all.

And then a damn light attacked me right in the face.

"Uhg, now what?" I complained, opening my eyes.

I followed the light looking for its source. There he was, the infamous Victor Stoll leaning against the door frame. He had a tray of food in his hands and from the grimace on his face it was obvious he didn't want to be there.

"Don't you know how to knock?" I asked him, sitting up.

"I did knock, twice, but it seems someone was too tired to hear me," he replied. "The boss is worried because you didn't have dinner."

"And he sent you with my food?" I ran my hand through my hair to fix it. "I didn't know you were his errand boy."

"I'm just a good employee who cares about his boss. Plus I'm your bodyguard now, I can't risk someone trying to kill you while they're bringing you your food."

He was mocking me, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. The image I had of him as a quiet killer who lived in the shadows was fading every time Victor opened his mouth. I was already starting to think that his version of a man without feelings would have been a better option.

"So can I come in or are you just going to stay there staring at me with drool on your face?" Victor took a step into my room.

No. I wasn't going to fall for his game.

"Just put the tray on my desk," I ordered, turning around so I wouldn't see him.

The sound of his footsteps as he approached was too loud for someone who was in the business of killing people for money, but still, I kept ignoring him.

I was doing so well until I felt my mattress dip behind me.

Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself to stay calm. The heir to a mafia empire doesn't act like a child, I'd already made myself look like a coward in front of him.

"Do you need anything else?" I asked.

Turning around I confirmed that Victor was sitting next to me. Even though he was only illuminated by the dim light coming through the half-open door his smirk was easy to see.

Without saying a word, he turned on my nightstand and, looking me straight in the eyes, he speared a piece of meat with my fork and brought it to his mouth.

"It's really good and definitely not poisoned." Victor put the fork back on the tray. "I guess you can eat on your own."

With a fake smile, I took the tray from his hand. "You did your job. Now go."

He had no sense of personal space. Even when it was completely unnecessary, he leaned into me until our chests were almost touching. Hypocritical coming from the person who dodged my hand like the plague.

"If I leave now, can you assure me that you're going to eat?" Victor asked me, his minty breath hitting my face. "I don't want to get in trouble with the boss."

I turned my face away from his. "I'm an adult, I'm sure my father doesn't care."

"You'd be surprised how scared your father is about your safety. Losing a child was more than enough for him." He stole a carrot from my plate and stood up. "Choosing me as your bodyguard is a clear sign of how desperate he is."

"Aren't you his strongest subordinate?" I asked to make him mad. "I'm sure he must need you for more important things."

Victor shrugged. "The others can handle themselves without me. Right now, you're priority number one."

"You mean I'm a priority for my father? I don't think it really affects the rest of the syndicate."

I cut a piece of the steak and brought it to my mouth to get Victor out once and for all. I was tired of having a dangerous complete stranger in my room. My father could trust him, but I still didn't trust his intentions.

"It's not just about you." Victor looked at me as if I had said the stupidest thing in the world. "Forget about being an individual, since your brother died your life has become part of the syndicate. They may not really care about you, but they need an heir and for most of us you're the best option."

"I'm the only option," I said, after swallowing.

"You're so funny." Victor started laughing. "There's always someone willing to take the spot."

"Who's the other option, then?" He had finally managed to pique my curiosity.

"I've already said too much," he said, approaching the door. "It was fun talking to you. I think you and I are going to have a great time together."

His wicked grin told me that Victor wasn't exactly thinking about us turning into besties. As far as I knew, he wasn't the kind of man who had friends, nothing came before his loyalty to my father and he enjoyed having fun at the expense of people's suffering more than being nice.

I watched him leave my room, plagued by a million questions because of his words. If what Victor said was true, then there was already someone trying to fill the spot my brother left vacant.

It didn't matter, I was ready to face anything.

×××

"You didn't finish eating your dinner last night."

I jumped a little and turned my head to find Victor looking down at me.

"Do you always sneak on people like that?" I asked, backing away from him until I was almost pressed against the door to my father's office.

"I like it when they jump like little prey." Victor closed the distance between us. He caged me with his body and waited a long minute before knocking on the door. "Adorable."

I ignored the tingling sensation that ran through my body, pushing at Victor's chest so he would leave me alone.

"Don't look so scared, my lady, I'm here to protect you," he whispered in my ear before backing away.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

"Good, you're just in time," my father said as he opened the door. He looked between us, back and forth, obviously sensing the tension. "Did something happen between you two? Victor, I told you to play nice."

"I don't know what you're talking about, boss." He feigned innocence. "I was just telling the lady I noticed she didn't finish her meal last night."

"Is that true?" My father looked at me disappointedly. "You have to take care of yourself, Ella. Anyway, get in there already, I have another meeting in less than an hour."

"Tight schedule, boss?" Victor asked, walking past me as if nothing had happened.

I was going to kill him, how could he make me look like a little girl in front of my father?

After taking a deep breath, I entered the office.

My father and Victor couldn't stop talking about what they had done that morning, they sounded like two old friends catching up. I, for one, tried to remain calm. I couldn't let Victor continue to bring out the worst in me.

I was a grown woman about to fight to take my place as heir of a criminal syndicate, for God's sake, not a child who gets carried away because of a single annoying man.

I slowly regained my patience, settling into one of the chairs. The key to not losing control was to ignore whatever the two of them were saying.

"You said you had something important to tell me?" I asked my father, crossing my legs. "I imagine you're going to explain everything to me once and for all."

"Oh, yes, that was the idea," he replied, resting his elbows on the table. "All the information we were able to gather about your brother's death is too much for me to give you the details now. But I prepared a folder with it for you. I'll give it to you when we're done."

"So why are we here now?" I looked at my father and then at Victor, both of them wearing the same serious expression.

"Someone is claiming they are a better choice than you to be my heir," my father said.

"I know, I heard a little rumor."

Victor let out a short laugh, drawing my father's attention.

"I'm surprised you managed to get Victor to say something." My father smiled at me. "Usually it's impossible to get him to talk."

"What can I say, boss? The lady is scary." Victor took advantage of the moment when my father looked down at his desk to turn around and wink at me.

Calm down, don't play along, he's trying to make you look ridiculous.

"Who is it?" I asked. "There can be no one more qualified than me, I am a member of the family."

"Well, that's the problem," my father said. "Your uncle Santino is back."