Chapter 1 The Unseen Daughter

• Leona Valencia's POV
• The Valencia mansion was filled with quiet conversations and the sound of glasses clinking.
• A celebration was happening. One of my brothers had made a good deal involving cargo and customs.
• The whole family gathered in the ballroom to celebrate, smiling as if everything were perfect.
• No one noticed me. They never did.
• I sat alone at the edge of the room, hidden between a marble column and a potted plant, my champagne untouched.
• I watched my siblings laugh, their fancy clothes glittering under the chandeliers. My father, Don Emilio Valencia, stood in the middle, his loud voice demanding respect.
• My mother stood beside him, looking every bit the mafia matriarch.
• I was different from them.
• I wore a simple blue dress that was out of style. I hadn’t received a new one in months.
• My dark hair fell softly over my shoulders, but I hadn’t curled it like my sister did, and my eyes, quiet and unreadable, scanned the room like a ghost looking in on the living.
• They only remembered me when they needed my silence or my obedience, or when they needed my signature on something I didn’t understand.
• I lifted my glass to my lips, letting the champagne touch my mouth without drinking while the bubbles tickled my lips.
• Then someone called my name—clearly and firmly.
• "Leona," my father said.
• The room fell silent, the music softened, as if it sensed that something important was about to happen.
• My fingers tightened around the glass as I slowly stood and walked toward him, the soft sound of my heels echoing like a countdown.
• "Yes, Papa?" I said softly.
• Don Emilio looked at me.
• His eyes were dark and unreadable, but they seemed a bit apologetic.
• "There is a man you will meet tomorrow," he said.
• The room didn’t move. It froze.
• I blinked slowly, trying to understand.
• "A man?" I repeated.
• My mother stepped closer, my mouth a tight line.
• "A powerful man who has done your father a big favour. One that saved us all."
• "Saved us?" I felt confusion growing inside me.
• My older brother Mateo coughed and turned away, and my sister rubbed her temples. It was only my youngest sibling, Camila, who looked at me with some sympathy.
• My father’s next words hit me hard:
• "You’re to be his wife."
• The air was sucked from my lungs.
• I didn’t cry; neither did I scream or even shake. I just stood there, silent, trying to understand that my life had been traded away like a secret business deal.
• "Who is he?" I managed to ask.
• "His name is Lucien Moretti," my father answered.
• The room seemed to shake at the name. Even the servants paused, unsure whether to run or bow.
• Lucien Moretti.
• The King of the Italian underworld. Cold, ruthless, and powerful.
• He didn’t make friends. He made enemies disappear.
• He didn’t marry. He owned it.
• My chest tightened and my heart pounded against the bars of a cage that had suddenly closed around me.
• "But why me?" I asked.
• "Why not?"
• "Because he chose you," my mother interrupted sharply. "And because you owe this family everything."
• The words stung.
• That night, I lay awake in my room, staring at the ceiling as moonlight fell across my sheets. Outside, the city buzzed. Inside, my body lay still.
• Chosen.
• By a man who could intimidate anyone, by a man who could end anyone with just a look.
• Tomorrow, I will meet him.
• I sat up, moved to my window, and opened it. The night air was thick with the smell of gasoline and roses.
• I wondered what kind of man Lucien Moretti really was, beyond the news and rumours.
• I wondered if he would see me as more than just my father's daughter.
• I wondered if my life was about to begin—or end.
• Then I saw him across the courtyard; next to a black car hidden in the shadows stood a man in a sharp suit.
• He was tall, broad-shouldered, and still. His face was hard. His eyes were on me.
• I didn’t look away. Our gazes locked.
• His stare was cold and unfeeling, yet it pulled me in, like a chain across a distance.
• For the first time, someone saw me, and I felt something awaken inside me.
• Not fear but curiosity.
• I will meet him tomorrow.
• But tonight.
• The cage door creaked open, and I stepped toward it.