LA CAMORRA / MAFIA ROMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

Maria Delvina
Italy, Milan

They all think I'm the princess, but in this world, a crown is another weapon.

I sat at the long mahogany table, my eyes on the glass of red wine I wasn't drinking. The room smelled of cigar smoke and expensive cologne, but underneath it was the unmistakable stench of fear. My father's underbosses were gathered around me, all of them pretending to discuss "family business" as if they didn't know what this really was. The minute my father went down, the vultures started circling.

Now, they were circling me.

I could see the hunger in their eyes. They didn't believe I belonged at the top of the table. Not after my father was left clinging to life in a hospital bed after the ambush. They thought that because my brother had disappeared, and because I wasn't a man, I wasn't dangerous. How wrong they were.

My father, Alessandro Delvina, had ruled the family with an iron fist. But his grip was slipping, and I had no intention of letting everything fall apart because the men in this room underestimated me. It was time for them to understand who I really was.

"Maria, you should go home," said Carlo, one of my father's oldest and most trusted men, his deep voice cutting through the murmurs of conversation. He leaned forward, his thick fingers clenching a cigar. "This meeting is no place for you. Let us handle the business."

I lifted my eyes from the untouched glass and met his gaze, my expression calm. I had expected this. In fact, I had counted on it. Carlo had always been the type to test boundaries—subtle at first, then more direct, like he was doing now. The others were watching, waiting to see how I'd react. Would I crumble under the weight of my father's legacy? Or would I step into the role they didn't believe I could fulfil?

I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other slowly, deliberately. "Let me make something clear," I said, my voice low and deadly, cutting through the haze of smoke. "This family belongs to me right now. My father may be lying in a hospital bed, but I'm still a Delvina, and nothing happens without my approval."

The room fell silent. Carlo's eyes flickered for a moment with uncertainty. Good.

"Now, if any of you still have doubts about my ability to lead," I continued, my gaze sweeping over the table, locking onto each pair of eyes in turn, "feel free to challenge me. But make no mistake—you'll only get one chance. And when you fail, you won't live to regret it."

A few men shifted in their seats, unease rippling through the group like a shockwave. Carlo opened his mouth, maybe to argue, but something behind his eyes told me he wouldn't. He was smart enough to know when he was pushing too far.

"I've been running things behind the scenes for a long time," I added, leaning forward again. "You just never noticed. And that's the real difference between me and all of you—I know how to play this game without anyone seeing my hand."

For a moment, the silence stretched so thin I thought I might hear it snap. Then Carlo nodded stiffly, his face unreadable. He couldn't risk it, not now. He needed me, whether he liked it or not.

"Of course, Maria," he said finally, his voice tight. "We trust you, we're with you."

I didn't believe a word, but I smiled anyway. "Good. Let's get down to business, then."

As the conversation shifted to the logistics of moving the next shipment and smoothing over relations with a rival crew, I kept focus sharp, even though I could feel the familiar burn of frustration shimmering beneath my calm exterior. The truth was, I had everything under control. My father's empire was vast, with connections that reached for beyond these men's comprehension, and I'd been managing key pieces of it long before anyone knew. But the attack had changed everything. Now, I couldn't afford to sit in the shadows any longer. I had to step into the light, or risk it all.