My mother's voice whispers in my memory: "Never give away your power, Sophie. Once it's gone, you can't get it back."
But what does running a crime family even mean? Ordering hits? Counting drug money? Meeting with men who'd rather see me dead than taking orders from a woman?
I splash water on my face. At least Lorenzo wants me. I'm certain of that now. It's not just protection or obligation anymore.
Pietro has been surprisingly reasonable since Francesco's death. Even Nico nodded at me this morning in the kitchen, almost like acknowledgment. Like I'd earned something by surviving this long.
It's Bruno who terrifies me. The way he watches me with those dead eyes, like he's calculating exactly how to hurt Lorenzo through me. He's not wrong that my presence puts them at risk, but there's something else there. Something personal in his hatred.
I dry my hands on the towel, thinking through my options. If I keep the Torrino holdings, I become a target for every ambitious criminal in Chicago. If I hand everything to Lorenzo, I lose any leverage I might have. Not that I think he'd hurt me, but independence means something. My mother taught me that too.
I step out of the bathroom to find Lorenzo standing by the window, his shoulders tense as he stares at the darkening sky.
"You don't have to think about the business right now," he says without turning around. "Francesco left you money—a lot of it. Enough to shut down anything illegal if that's what you want."
I move closer, drawn by the unexpected gentleness in his voice. "Just... shut it down?"
"Why not?" He finally faces me. "The restaurants, the legitimate holdings—we can put managers in place to run them. It's not a big deal, Sophia. You don't have to become anything like us."
Relief floods through me so fast my knees almost buckle. "But what about?—"
"First, we need access to his records. Figure out what he owes and to whom. Pay off any debts that could come back on you." Lorenzo's jaw tightens. "After that, we'll figure out the next moves. Together."
"Together," I repeat, the word tasting like hope.
"You're not in this alone." He steps closer. "I know it feels like the world just dropped on your shoulders, but we'll handle it. One piece at a time."
The knot in my chest loosens. For the first time since the lawyer read that will, I can breathe properly. "I thought I'd haveto... I don't know, become him somehow. Run meetings, make deals?—"
"You could, if you wanted." Lorenzo's eyes search mine. "You're stronger than you think. But you don't have to be anything you don't want to be. And right now it's risky to even try to work among other crime families."
I want him so bad.
This man who deals in violence and power is offering me a choice. Real choice, not the illusion of it.
I close the distance between us, my hands finding his chest. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not assuming I'd just hand everything over to you. For giving me options."
His hand comes up to cup my face. "You're not property to be managed, Sophia. Not Francesco's, not mine Well, you are mine but not in that way. You get to decide what happens next."
The words undo something inside me.
"Right now?" My voice comes out rough. "I just want you."
Lorenzo pulls me against him, his arms wrapping around me like armor.
His hand strokes my hair, and I tilt my head back to look at him. Whatever he sees in my face makes his expression soften.
"Sophia..."
I rise up on my toes, cutting off whatever he was going to say with my lips against his. For a moment he's still, then his arms tighten around me and he's kissing me back with a hunger that matches mine.
One of his hands tangles in my hair while the other spreads across my lower back, pressing me closer. I can feel his heart beating against my chest, fast and hard. Mine matches its rhythm.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard. Lorenzo rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.
