The silent vow +18

Prologue

Isabella's POV

The rain was relentless, a dull, rhythmic thrum against the windows as I stepped into the grand entrance of my apartment in Manhattan.

I greeted the security guards with a nod. Sometimes I wonder why my father had hired them. I can protect myself; I don't need men who can't keep their eyes off my cleavage when they think I'm not paying attention.

They're quite useless, if I do say so myself.

I continued down the hallway, reaching the elevator, and stepped inside. I punched in the code for the seventy-fifth floor, the familiar beeping noise echoing through the small space as the elevator moved up. 

The cool, metallic hum soothed me, momentarily drowning out the whirlwind of thoughts racing through my head.

When I reached the top floor, I stepped out, my heels clicking on the marble floors as I walked into the apartment.

 I tossed my keys onto the side table and peeled off my wet leather coat, letting it drop to the floor. I'd pick it up later. Maybe.

For a moment, I stood still, letting the silence settle in. It wasn't the comforting kind of quiet. No, this felt heavy, like it was waiting for something to happen. 

In this life, silence never meant peace—it meant something was coming.

I couldn't pretend I didn't know what was coming. I knew exactly what it was.

My father had been planning this for weeks, maybe even months. The Romano family owned most of New York, their empire built on blood, loyalty, and betrayal. And my father, Don Greco, had his eyes set on taking it all.

 He always wanted more, as if power was the only thing that gave him life. It wasn't enough to control our part of the city's underworld. No, he wanted every inch of it.

And I was his chosen weapon.

I sighed, walking into the kitchen and sinking onto one of the stools by the island. My fingers curled around the glass of wine I'd poured earlier, swirling the crimson liquid as I stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

 The streets below were slick, the city lights bouncing off the rain-soaked pavement like reflections of something I couldn't quite reach.

I should have felt at ease in my own home, but I never did.

 Not when every corner of this place was tainted by my father's expectations, by the weight of the role I was supposed to play in his twisted chess game.

Matteo Romano.

The name echoed in my mind. I didn't want to be involved in any of this, but what choice did I have? I was caught between two terrible options: follow my father's plan, or betray him and risk everything. Either way, I would lose.

I took a deep breath, letting the tension seep from my shoulders, but it didn't do much.

 My father's plan was reckless, bordering on suicidal. The Romano family wasn't something you could take down without a lot of blood being spilled.

 I had tried to talk him out of it, but he didn't listen. Why would he? To him, I was still his fragile little princess. A girl who couldn't be trusted to make her own decisions.

But fragile? That wasn't me. I'd been through enough to know that no one could take me down without a fight. And guess who wins every fight? Me. Every. Single. Time.

Enough thinking about him. I tipped my glass to my lips and gulped down the wine, hoping it would take the edge off.

Just as I put the empty glass back down, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen, Sofia.

I answered, already sensing the excitement in her voice. "Isabella!" she practically shouted, "You'd better be getting ready. We're going to a party tonight, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

I couldn't help but smirk. Sofia always had a way of brightening the mood, dragging me into her world of fun and chaos when I needed it the most.

"A party?" I said, leaning back against the counter, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. "You know I'm not in the mood for—"

"Save it," she interrupted, not buying my excuse for a second. "It's at one of those fancy penthouses downtown.

 Everyone's going to be there. Besides, you could use a distraction. Don't think I haven't noticed that look in your eye."

I chuckled. She wasn't wrong. I did need a distraction. "Fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes even though she couldn't see me. 

"I'll go."

"Good! I'll pick you up in an hour," she said before hanging up.

I looked at my reflection in the window. 

A party. Maybe it was exactly what I needed. Something to pull me out of my own head for a few hours.

With one last glance at the city below, I made my way to the bedroom to get ready.

End of Chapter One

hello again!,

this is a very short chapter, I'm just testing the waters.

If you guys have any ideas for the next chapter, let me know! I'm open to anything.

I hope you enjoyed this (short) chapter, the next one will be longer

love, A-