Adriana

“Girl, you fucked him.”

I nearly spat my latte back into the cup. Heat shot straight up my neck as I slammed it down on the saucer, coughing so hard the woman at the next table gave me a scandalised glare.

“Ruby!” I hissed, leaning forward like I could smother her voice with nothing but sheer panic. “Can you not say that so loud?”

Ruby only smirked, all glossy lips and sharp cheekbones, her iced coffee straw dangling between perfectly manicured fingers. “What? I’m just stating the obvious. Look at you, your hair’s glowing, skin glowing, hell, even your soul looks like it just had an orgasm. Don’t tell me Matteo isn’t putting in work.”

My stomach knotted, and I buried my face in my hands, groaning. “You are impossible.”

“And you missed me,” she fired back instantly, that mischievous grin widening as she leaned across the table.

Ruby’s grin lingered, but her eyes softened, her straw stirring the melting ice in slow circles. “You know… You look different, Adri. Not just the glow.”

I tilted my head, wary. “Different how?”

She studied me… really studied me, like she was peeling back layers I didn’t even know I was showing. “Stronger. Like there’s muscle under all that softness now.”

The words caught me off guard, but I found myself nodding. “I’ve been training.”

Ruby’s brows shot up. “Training? Like… yoga, pilates, boxing classes?”

I leaned in, lowering my voice. “Shooting. Close combat. Knives. Everything.”

Her jaw actually dropped, iced coffee forgotten in her hand. “You? With a gun?”

I gave a short laugh, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Yes, me. With a gun. With blood on my knuckles. With bruises I earned, not just accidents.”

Ruby blinked at me, and for once, she had nothing clever to say. “Adri… why?”

The answer slipped out before I could stop it. “Because I’m going to take Riccardo down.”

The table went silent between us. The clatter of dishes, the hiss of the espresso machine, and the low hum of conversation all felt far away. Ruby’s lips parted, then pressed into a line.

“You’re serious,” she said finally, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

I held her gaze, my chest tightening. “Dead serious.”

Ruby’s fingers tapped nervously against the glass. “That’s… insane. Dangerous. But…” She hesitated, then leaned in, her hand brushing mine across the table. “I believe you. And I get it. I’m scared for you, but I get it.”

The breath I hadn’t realized I was holding loosened.

“And Matteo?” she asked carefully. “What does he think about all this?”

I swallowed. My eyes dropped to the swirl of foam in my cup. “He doesn’t say it out loud. But I know.” I looked back at her, my voice low, steady. “He’s preparing me for war.”

Ruby studied me for another long beat, then exhaled shakily. “Fine. Then I’ll be here, cheering you on, even if it scares the shit out of me.”

Before I could answer, her gaze flicked past my shoulder, out the wide glass window of the café. She frowned. “Uh… Adriana?”

I turned slightly and followed her line of sight. Two men in dark suits stood across the street, hands clasped in front of them, not even pretending to be casual. Their eyes never strayed from me.

Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “Please tell me those are yours, because otherwise I’m about to crawl under the table.”

A small, humorless smile tugged at my lips. “They’re mine. Matteo insists I’m never alone now.”

Ruby let out a low whistle. “Damn. You really are in deep.”

I didn’t answer. I just sipped my coffee, the bitter taste grounding me as my pulse quickened. Those men weren’t just a reminder of Matteo’s world. They were a reminder that my world was already shifting into his.

Ruby leaned back in her chair, smirking over the rim of her latte. “So this is my best friend now? Mafia queen in training, glowing from good dick and planning world domination with her mobster husband. Should I start curtsying when you walk in?”

I nearly choked on my coffee. “Ruby—”

“What?” She grinned, shameless. “You’re giving very mafia wife energy. Leather, heels, bodyguards outside. Admit it, Adri—you’ve gone full boss lady.”

I shook my head, though the flush in my cheeks betrayed me. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, it’s exactly like that.” She leaned closer, her bracelets clinking softly against the table. “So what’s next, hm? Matching tattoos? Running shipments in the dead of night?”

I hesitated, then lowered my voice. “We’re leaving today. For Miami.”

Ruby’s grin faltered. “Leaving? As in, vacation leaving?”

“Not vacation,” I said firmly. My fingers tightened around my cup, knuckles white. “It’s alliances. Matteo needs to visit five families across the country. They need to see him alive, standing, strong enough to face Riccardo. If we don’t secure them…”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. “Jesus, Adriana.”

I forced a weak smile. “It’s survival.”

She let out a long, sharp whistle, then shook her head. “Girl, that doesn’t sound like a trip. That sounds like a bloody vacation, minus the cocktails and beach chairs.”

The corner of my mouth twitched, but the laugh that slipped out was brittle, nervous. “Yh girl Something like that.”

Ruby stared at me for a long moment, her playful smirk fading into something sharper, almost protective. “Adri… are you sure you’re ready for this? I mean, I get it… you’ve got that fight in your eyes I’ve never seen before. But Riccardo? Alliances? That’s not coffee-shop gossip, that’s war.”

Her words pressed down heavier than the cup in my hands. I glanced out the window where the guards still lingered, patient and immovable, all of Matteo's men. “I don’t have a choice,” I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended. “He’s preparing me, Ruby. And whether I like it or not, this is my life now.”

Ruby blew out a slow breath and shook her head, a faint, disbelieving smile tugging at her lips. “God help me, but I actually believe you. You’ve changed. I like it to be honest and i support you”

I gave her a small, sad smile. “I had to.”

She reached across the table and squeezed my hand, her bracelets cool against my wrist. “Then promise me you’ll come back in one piece. I can’t lose my best friend to some mafia soap opera.”

Before I could answer, the café door opened. The shift was instant, the guards outside straightened, the hum of chatter dipped, and Ruby’s eyes widened as her gaze snagged on the man stepping inside.

Matteo.