Crimson vows

**Chapter 1: The Black Rose**

**Valentina's POV**

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I've always hated funerals.

The silence. The way people look at you like you're a fragile piece of glass about to shatter. The suffocating weight of grief pressing down until you feel like you can't breathe. But this? This isn't just any funeral. This is my father's.

My father was supposed to be invincible. The man everyone feared, the one who controlled the streets of New York with nothing more than a glance. But he's gone now, and I'm left standing in the wreckage of everything he built.

The church is packed, but it feels like I'm alone. All eyes are on me, waiting for me to fall apart. Waiting to see how the daughter of Marco Russo handles the end of her empire. I keep my face expressionless, the way I've been taught since I was a child. Never let them see your fear. Never let them see your pain.

I'm wearing black, of course, but it's more than just mourning attire. It feels like the end of who I was. My world has crumbled, and now I'm expected to survive in this one — a world where I'm nothing but a pawn in a game I don't understand.

The last of the prayers are spoken, the priest's words drifting over me like a fog I can't shake. My eyes don't leave the casket. I can still see his face in my mind, cold, lifeless. A face that used to bring me comfort. Now, it's just a memory.

I turn to leave the church, and that's when I see him.

Luca Moretti.

He's standing by the door, leaning against the wall like he owns the place. Like he owns me. And maybe, in a way, he does. His icy blue eyes lock onto mine, and the world seems to tilt beneath my feet. He's always had that effect on me, even when I didn't want to admit it.

There's something about him—something dark, dangerous. I've always known he was trouble, but now that my father's gone, Luca is more than that. He's a threat. A reminder that the world I grew up in, the one where my father's name carried weight, no longer exists.

He's watching me with an expression I can't read. Pity? No. Luca Moretti doesn't pity anyone. He's cold, ruthless, everything my father warned me about. Yet, here he is, at my father's funeral. And I know why.

He's not here to grieve. He's here to remind me that I don't have a choice.

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**Luca's POV**

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She looks smaller than I remember.

Valentina Russo. The last remaining piece of the Russo legacy, standing there like she can hold the world on her shoulders. But I know the truth. I can see it in her eyes. She's lost, drowning in a sea of grief and fear, but trying her damned hardest to hide it.

I watch her from across the room as the service ends. She moves like a ghost, all grace and poise, but it's a mask. One that's about to crack.

Her father's death has left a vacuum in this city, and every family knows it. The Russos are vulnerable now, and Valentina... she's a target.

It's strange seeing her like this. I've known her for years, though we've always kept our distance. She was the untouchable daughter of the most powerful man in the city. Off-limits. Now, she's nothing but a pawn in this war, and I have no choice but to protect her.

Not because I want to.

Because I have to.

The truce between our families is fragile, and her safety is part of the deal. My father made that clear before he sent me here. The old man is too sick to deal with this himself, so it falls on me to keep her alive.

Valentina's dark eyes meet mine, and for a second, something flickers there. Fear, maybe? Anger? I can't tell, but it doesn't matter. She's trapped now, whether she likes it or not.

As she walks toward the exit, her steps falter slightly when she sees me. She hesitates, just for a moment, but I catch it. She's trying to decide if she can avoid me.

She can't.

I push off the wall and move to intercept her. Her gaze narrows as I approach, and I know what she's thinking. She doesn't trust me. Good. She shouldn't.

When I'm close enough, I stop, my eyes scanning her face. She's beautiful, even in grief. But I'm not here to admire her. I'm here to do a job.

"You should be careful," I say, my voice low. "There are a lot of people who would love to see you fall."

Her eyes flash with anger, and for a second, I almost smile. She still has some fight left in her. That's good. She'll need it if she's going to survive.

"I don't need your protection," she snaps, her voice sharp and cold.

I raise an eyebrow, amused despite myself. "That's where you're wrong."

She tries to push past me, but I step in her path, blocking her exit. She's not getting away that easily.

"You're coming with me, Valentina," I say, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Her jaw clenches. "You don't get to order me around, Luca. I'm not one of your men."

"No, you're not. But you're under my protection now, whether you like it or not."

She glares at me, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "I don't want your protection. I don't need it."

I step closer, lowering my voice so only she can hear me. "Do you think any of them care what you want?" I gesture to the room behind us, where the heads of various families linger, watching us with thinly veiled interest. "Without me, you're dead within a week."

Her breath catches, and I know I've hit a nerve. She knows I'm right. This world isn't kind to the weak, and right now, Valentina is very, very weak.

I wait for her to argue, but she doesn't. Instead, she lifts her chin, defiance burning in her eyes. "Fine," she says, her voice like ice. "But don't think for a second that I trust you."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

She brushes past me then, her shoulder bumping mine as she heads for the exit. I watch her go, a strange sense of satisfaction settling in my chest. She'll fight me every step of the way, but it doesn't matter.

Valentina Russo is mine now.

Whether she likes it or not.

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**Valentina's POV**

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The cold air hits me as soon as I step outside, but it does nothing to clear my head.

Luca's words echo in my mind, a constant reminder of how trapped I am. I hate him for it. I hate that he's right.

My father is dead, and with him, the protection of the Russo name. The families in that church weren't there to pay their respects. They were there to see what's left of us. To see how much longer I'll last before someone makes their move.

I glance back at the church door, expecting to see Luca following me, but he's still inside. For now. I know it's only a matter of time before he forces me into his world, into his life. He's already made it clear that I don't have a choice.

But I won't be weak. I won't let him control me, no matter how powerful he thinks he is.

I've lost everything.

But I won't lose myself.

Not to him. Not to anyone.