The deep, commanding voice silenced every conversation within a thirty foot radius. Vittorio Romano stood at the entrance of the main hall, a glass of whiskey in one hand and absolute authority carved into every line of his aged face.He was not a tall man, but the way every person in the room instinctively straightened their posture when he spoke made him look like a giant.His sharp eyes scanned the scene. They moved from Stefano's smug grin, to Alessia's furious expression, and finally landed on Dante.Vittorio went completely still.Recognition hit his face like a lightning strike. The security footage his team had recovered from the alley. The description Alessia had given him three separate times, repeating every detail of the stranger's face because she was terrified of forgetting it. The man standing ten feet away from him right now matched every single detail perfectly."Papa." Alessia moved toward her father, placing her hand gently on his arm. "This is Dante. This is the ma

"He did seem too calm for a nobody." One of the older cousins nodded, swirling his wine thoughtfully. "Nobody walks away from Vittorio's generosity unless they are after something bigger.""Exactly!" Stefano slammed his palm against the mantelpiece. "The man is a con artist wearing a cheap shirt. He probably staged the entire attack just to get close to Alessia. I have seen this a hundred times. Desperate men with nothing to lose always target wealthy, naive women.""That is enough."Vittorio's voice hit the room like a hammer striking an anvil. Every conversation within twenty feet died instantly. The old man stood in the doorway of his private study, his sharp eyes locked directly onto his nephew with an intensity that made Stefano's spine go rigid."Papa, I was just expressing concern for Alessia's safety." Stefano tried to soften his tone, spreading his hands in a gesture of innocent reasoning. "We do not know anything about this man. He could be dangerous.""He is dangerous." Vit

Dante's eyes widened. Since the night Mars had chosen him, none of the other gods had responded to anything. They had remained cold, dead, completely indifferent to his presence. But now, for the first time, the massive stone figures of Freya, Neptune, and a faceless deity he had not yet identified shuddered on their pedestals. Fine dust fell from their carved shoulders like ancient snow.Dante stepped back instinctively, his body dropping into a combat stance without conscious thought. Every nerve in his body screamed that something was about to attack.Nothing happened.The trembling stopped. The statues went still. The pressure in his chest faded slowly, leaving behind a dull ache that throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat.Then a sound echoed through the enormous sanctuary. Distant. Deep. Rhythmic.A heartbeat.Not his own. Something else. Something vast and old and buried so deep beneath the sanctuary that the sound had to travel through miles of stone and darkness before it reac

The man picked up the broken edge of his own blade from the floor. He looked at it for one long second. Then he pushed it into his chest without hesitation.Silence filled the corridor like cement being poured into a mold.Dante stared at the two bodies. His fists clenched at his sides so tightly that his knuckles turned white. These men had not been afraid of him. They had been afraid of whoever had sent them. The kind of fear that made death look like a relief was not created by threats or violence alone. It was built over years of systematic, relentless cruelty.The apartment door opened behind him. Alessia stood in the doorway, her face drained of color, one hand pressed against the frame for support."Are they dead?" Her voice was barely above a whisper."They killed themselves." Dante pulled his shirt collar back into place, covering the golden mark. "They saw something on me and chose death over going back to whoever sent them."Alessia's hand shook as she pulled her phone from

The red handprint on Matteo Rinaldi's face glowed brighter with every passing second. The entire banquet hall remained frozen in absolute silence, dozens of wealthy guests staring at the young heir pressed against the edge of the ruined table with shattered crystal and spilled appetizers scattered around his designer shoes.Matteo's chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths. His fingers trembled against his burning cheek. The shock in his eyes slowly hardened into something far more dangerous. Pure, unfiltered rage."Security!" Matteo's voice cracked across the marble hall like a whip. He jabbed his finger toward Dante without lowering his other hand from his swollen face. "Get this filthy street animal out of my sight right now! Drag him out by his collar and throw him into the gutter where he belongs!"Two broad shouldered men in black suits pushed through the crowd immediately. Private Rinaldi security. Both over six feet tall, both carrying the thick necks and squared jaws of men w