Matteo handles the money. Every dollar that moves through this city passes through his hands first, clean or dirty; it doesn't matter. He makes it matter.
Raffaele runs enforcement. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't need to. You cross the family, you meet Raffaele. That's the last introduction you'll ever need.
Elio watches. Learns. Waits. Most people underestimate him because he hasn't struck yet. That's exactly why he's dangerous.
And Shadow? He moves in the darkness. No rules, no limits, no boundaries.
In La Cosa Nostra, we are known as the Vitale Kings. Five brothers. One throne.
But make no mistake… this is my reign.
I'm the one they answer to. I'm the one who decides who lives, who dies, and who pays.
I don’t negotiate. I don’t compromise. I don’t let sentiment rewrite strategy. Not until her.
Valentina Marino walked into my world and I realized I didn’t want her compliance. I wanted her surrender.
History doesn’t repeat itself.
It corrects itself.
This is not a love story.
It’s a claiming.
And she never stood a chance.
CHAPTER ONE
Valentina
"Ilove New Jersey." I stare out the library's front windows at the gray sky. "But if it rains again, I'm suing."
My best friend Lindsay bursts out laughing so hard she nearly spits out the wine, which she definitely shouldn't be drinking this early in the morning.
"Good ol' spring showers, what do you expect?" she says, waving the tiny bottle at me. "Besides, who exactly are you planning on suing for the weather? Because I would love to know."
"Probably the mayor," I shrug. "Or his daughter."
She gasps dramatically. "Rude. And for the record, my father has been an excellent mayor."
"True," I admit. "But people blame him for potholes, traffic, and bad hair days. Weather feels fair."
We've been making that joke for years. Suing her dad for things that are completely outside his control. It's tradition at this point. Four years into his term, and he's somehow become responsible for everything from zoning issues to seasonal depression.
Lindsay holds the bottle out again. "Are you sure you don't want a sip?"
"No, thank you. I still can't believe they sell wine in single bottles." I eye the bottle with disapproval. "Like no one's going to drink it immediately and then drive. It feels... irresponsible."
She snorts. "You are such a librarian."
"And proud."
She turns toward the return cart, scanning the stack of books. "Hey, do you have the new one from that series we were obsessed with?"
I cross my arms. "Nope. Not until you return the first hundred you borrowed."
She winces. "I already paid the replacement fees."
