Mafia's Obsession

• XXXV •

Sophia's phone buzzed, pulling her attention from the stack of receipts she had been organizing at the café. She glanced down at the screen—Izzy's name flashed across it.
Smiling, Sophia answered, "Hey, Izzy! What's up?"
"Hey, Soph! Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, and I swear I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for my birthday, but..." Izzy trailed off with a hesitant laugh. "Do you think you could maybe, possibly get us into Nexus this weekend?"
Sophia's brow furrowed. "Nexus? That new club Adrian D'Romano is opening? I heard tickets were sold out weeks ago."
"Exactly!" Izzy exclaimed. "They're completely sold out. I've tried everything! It's just... me and the girls really wanted to go to celebrate. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important, I swear. But maybe... you could ask Luciano for some tickets?"
Sophia's stomach dropped at the mention of his name. "Izzy, you know I can't just call Luciano and ask him for something like that. Especially now..."
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry! I wouldn't push this, but it's my birthday!" Izzy's voice softened. "Look, I understand if it's too much. I really do. But if you could ask him, I'm sure he'd say yes. Please, Sophia?"
Sophia sighed. The last thing she wanted was to ask Luciano for a favor, especially something like this. But Izzy was her best friend. "Izzy, I really don't know..."
"Just try," Izzy pleaded. "I promise, if you can't, it's totally okay. But it would mean so much to me and the girls. We could all go together, and it'd be amazing. No pressure!"
Sophia hesitated. Asking Luciano for anything right now felt complicated. "I'll think about it," she finally said, though the thought made her stomach twist.
"Thank you, Soph! I won't bring it up again, but I really appreciate you even considering it. I love you!"
Sophia couldn't help but smile. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."
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The next few days flew by in a whirlwind of meetings and busy café hours. Sophia threw herself into her work, trying to distract herself from the thought of asking Luciano for a favor. The man was relentless, always lingering in the back of her mind.
As she wrapped up the last customer order for the afternoon, the air seemed heavier, almost charged with something she couldn't quite explain. She shrugged off the feeling as she closed the café for the evening.
Just as she was about to lock the door, a familiar voice drifted toward her.
"Closing up early?"
Sophia turned, her breath catching for a split second when she saw Luciano leaning casually against the wall, his black suit tailored perfectly to his muscular frame. He was undeniably attractive, with his chiseled jawline, tousled dark hair, and piercing eyes that always seemed to see straight through her defenses.
"Don't you have better things to do than stalk me?" she quipped, folding her arms over her chest, trying to ignore how effortlessly he made her heart race.
Luciano smirked, stepping closer. "If I were stalking you, I'd be a lot less obvious."
She rolled her eyes. "What do you want this time? More roses? Another grand gesture to prove something?"
He chuckled softly, his voice low and smooth. "I figured I'd try a more direct approach today. No flowers, no grand gestures, just... me." His eyes glinted mischievously, and as he stepped even closer, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. The proximity was making her heart beat faster, and she hated that her body reacted to him so easily.
"Luciano," she warned, her tone soft but guarded, "I told you, I don't have time for this."
"For what?" he asked, feigning innocence. "A casual conversation with a friend?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Since when are we friends?"
Luciano leaned in, his face now inches from hers, his breath warm against her skin. "We could be... more than friends, if you stopped resisting."
Sophia exhaled, crossing her arms tighter as she looked him up and down. "You really think you can just waltz in here, flash a smile, and I'll fall for it?"
"I don't think it," he said, his grin widening. "I know it. Sooner or later, you'll fall for me. You'll see."
Sophia bit her lip, contemplating. It was now or never.
"Actually," she began, her voice a little quieter, "there is something I need to ask you."
Luciano raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? This sounds interesting."
Sophia sighed. "It's my friend Izzy's birthday this weekend, and she and our friends really want to go to Nexus, the club your brother is opening. The tickets are sold out, and she... well, she asked if I could get tickets. From you."
Luciano smirked, his eyes lighting up. "So, you told your friends about me?"
"No!" Sophia quickly corrected herself. "I mean, just one. And not much. Only because you were annoying me."
Luciano chuckled, clearly enjoying how flustered she was. "Of course I can get you the tickets. Consider it done."
Sophia relaxed slightly but kept her guard up. "Thank you. That's all I needed."
"But you should know," he added, his voice dropping into a more suggestive tone, "I'll be there too. It's opening night, and I'm an investor."
Sophia blinked, her heart skipping a beat. "Oh... right. Well, I'm going too. With Izzy. So, I guess... we'll see each other there."
Luciano grinned, clearly pleased with that response. "Looking forward to it. See you around, Sophia."
He gave her one last lingering look, sending her heart into a spiral, before turning and walking off into the night. Sophia stood there, fighting the growing pull he had on her, knowing full well that their next encounter was only days away.
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Guess what's going to happen at the club :p