Page 1 of Bound to the Enforcer

Chapter One

Sophia

The funeral ended hours ago, but it feels like it's still dragging on. The air in the house is suffocating, thick with the scent of flowers and the weight of loss. I stand in my room, staring at the walls lined with portraits of family members long gone. They've all watched over me and guided me, but none of them are here now. None of them can explain what happened.

I reach for my father's journal. His handwriting is sharp and deliberate, but there's a distance to the words now. A coldness that wasn't there before. I've always believed my father knew everything and understood the undercurrents of this world in a way that kept me safe. But now, with him gone, I'm left in the dark, grasping at shadows.

The pages are filled with reminders of his lessons, notes on our family's business, and thoughts on power. But it's the last page that catches my attention. I've read it over and over again since I found it earlier today.

Trust no one.

I crumple the paper, feeling the weight of the words settle in my chest. The realization hits me like a hammer. My father hasn't just been worried about his enemies. He's been worried about us. About me. And now, without him, I'm exposed, vulnerable to whatever comes next.

"The war within." He's spoken about it in passing, and now I wish more than ever I had paid more attention. I've been so wrapped up in my own world of classes, boys, and parties that I didn't hear the warnings he was trying to give me. My yearning for a "normal college life" made me docile and oblivious to what had been happening right in front of my eyes.

THE SIGNS HAD ALL BEEN THERE.

Twenty-three and now the responsibility of the organization rests on my shoulders. I didn't want the crown then, and still it's been thrust upon me.

There's a knock at the door, but I don't need to be told who it is. I know that heavy, deliberate knock from anywhere.

It's Alessio.

I don't want to see him. He's the last person I want near me. I knew that he was meant to protect me, but with all that had gone on in the last few days I don't know if he can.

The door opens, and there he is. Tall, imposing, his dark eyes scanning the room, taking everything in. He always does that. Always watches and calculates.

"You should rest," he says. "You haven't slept."

"I'm fine," I reply, though the words feel hollow.

Alessio steps inside, his presence filling the room. It isn't just his size—it's the way he carries himself, the way everything about him screams control. Even his quiet commands attention. I hate how easily he can fill a room like that, how effortlessly he makes it clear that I'm never alone when he's around.

It is all unnerving. I had never liked this man in the past, and I certainly do not like him now. He carries a heavy cloudof darkness around him. Even as someone who grew up in this world, his energy is something unworldly.

"Go away, Alessio." I stare into his dark chocolate eyes.

"You're not fine," he presses. His eyes are set on me, not an ounce of emotion swimming in them. "You need to sleep. You're starting to resemble a raccoon."

I rub at my eyes. "Ha ha, you're not funny, Alessio. Leave."

"I wasn't trying to be." He folds his arms over his chest. "Have you eaten?"

"Why does that concern you?"

"Everything about you concerns me now. The amount of breaths you take, the steps you make. Hell, even the amount of times you take shits per day is my business now."

I scrunch my nose in disgust. "You're disgusting."

"And you're childish." He steps into the room, his presence towering over me. "You are now the head of the Romano family. You don't have time for tears or to feel sorry for yourself. The sharks are gathering, Sophia."

I narrow my eyes. "You think I don't know that?"

Alessio doesn't answer immediately. He just watches me, his stare hard, but there's a glint of something in his eyes that I can't place.

"The situation's worse than you realize. We're not just dealing with the loss of your father," he says. "Someone wanted him dead. And now they'll come for you."

I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to let the fear creep in. "I can take care of myself."

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