A DANGEROUS GAME BEGINS
De Luca Estate – Morning Briefing Room
Gianni stood stiffly by the long walnut table as Adriano gazed out the tall windows, the Sicilian sun casting sharp shadows along the marbled floor.
“She handled the Morreti meeting like a seasoned broker, Adriano,” Gianni said, his voice edged with suspicion. “But she’s not on the list. No background. No trace.”
Adriano narrowed his eyes slightly. “I know.”
“You knew she was lying the moment she gave you her name, didn’t you?”
“‘Catalina Marchesi’ doesn’t exist,” Adriano said quietly. “But lies that beautiful deserve time to ripen.”
Gianni frowned. “You’re keeping a snake in the garden.”
Adriano sipped his espresso without hurry. “Snakes only bite when you surprise them. I plan to keep her too occupied for that.”
Gianni didn’t smile. “Until she poisons you.”
Adriano set his cup down slowly. “Then I’ll enjoy every second of the slow burn.”
Valentina’s Apartment – Midmorning
Lola’s voice crackled through the speakerphone. “So, you’re his personal hostess now?”
“More like an elegant decoy,” Valentina replied, brushing lipstick onto her mouth as she studied her reflection. “I serve wine while they launder millions.”
“Girl, you’re not a distraction. You’re a bait.”
“Exactly the point,” Valentina said, clicking the lipstick shut. “The closer I am to him, the more leverage I get.”
Lola sounded unconvinced. “He’s testing you.”
Valentina smirked, adjusting her necklace. “And I’m passing. Trust me. He looks at me like I’m a puzzle he wants to solve before he devours.”
“You better remember who you are in that story,” Lola warned. “You’re the con artist, not the conquest.”
“I never forget,” Valentina murmured. “But sometimes... I play the part too well.”
That Afternoon – Adriano’s Study
“You’re late,” Adriano said the moment she stepped through the carved double doors.
“I prefer the term fashionably unscheduled,” Valentina replied, unbothered.
Adriano moved closer, the tension in the room thickening. “I don’t like unpredictability.”
“Yet you invited me into your empire with no last name and a smile. That’s unpredictable.”
“You smile too often.”
“You scowl too much.”
“I scowl when I smell a trap,” he said coolly.
Valentina’s tone softened. “And yet you haven’t sprung it.”
“Maybe I enjoy watching what walks into it.”
She tilted her head. “Maybe you enjoy being the one who’s caught.”
Adriano took another step forward. “Careful, Catalina. You're not the only one playing a game.”
She met his gaze without flinching. “I know. But I plan to win.”
Adriano’s Lounge – That Night
The lounge buzzed with quiet tension as elite guests moved through the room in their designer suits and silk gowns. Valentina glided between them, champagne in hand, her poise effortless.
A man she didn’t recognize raised his glass toward her. “New face. You De Luca’s latest acquisition?”
Valentina smiled smoothly. “I’m no one’s possession. I just carry the wine and the secrets.”
Another guest laughed. “I like her already.”
Across the room, Adriano watched her without drinking, his eyes shadowed and unreadable.
Gianni leaned toward him. “They’re asking questions about her.”
“Let them,” Adriano murmured. “Curiosity makes men careless.”
“And her?”
“She plays the room like a violin,” Adriano said, voice low. “But even the best string breaks under pressure.”
Private Lounge – Post-Meeting
“You impressed them,” Adriano said as she entered the private lounge. “Dangerous company. Smiles hide teeth.”
Valentina was tired but didn’t let it show. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t flinch around wolves.”
“You flinched when Morreti mentioned Havana.”
She froze slightly, then recovered. “It was the wine. I don’t like that vintage.”
“You’re lying again,” Adriano said quietly, stepping closer.
Valentina’s eyes met his. “You going to punish me for that?”
His voice turned soft and dangerous. “No. Not yet. I enjoy watching you dig your own grave.”
She gave a faint smile. “Then pour me another drink. I’d like the dirt to be velvet-lined.”
Flashback – Havana Rooftop, Five Years Ago
At eighteen, Valentina sat on the edge of a rooftop in Havana, legs dangling, wind in her hair.
“Mamá said the rich are just thieves in cleaner clothes,” she muttered.
Lola, seated beside her, nodded. “She also said men would never love you unless you lied first.”
“She wasn’t wrong,” Valentina said flatly. “Truth gets you abandoned. Lies get you everything.”
“And what happens when someone sees through the lie?” Lola asked gently.
Valentina’s eyes turned cold. “You lie harder.”
Back in Milan – Midnight Walk
The city was hushed as Valentina strolled alone through cobblestone streets, her shoes in her hand and moonlight draping her like a gown.
“You shouldn’t walk these streets alone,” came a voice from behind.
She didn’t turn. “Maybe I wanted someone to follow me.”
“Maybe you wanted to be caught.”
She turned slowly to face him. “Or maybe I’m luring the hunter into the trap.”
Adriano stepped closer. “What do you want from me, Catalina?”
Her voice dropped to something intimate. “I want to understand why a man who owns the world looks so haunted.”
He paused. “Because owning the world costs pieces of your soul.”
“Then maybe I’m here to steal what’s left.”
“Or give it back.”
Secret Basement – Adriano’s Private Archive
Beneath the estate, Adriano walked alone through the cold, silent corridor. He opened a drawer and stared at the untouched file inside—its label read MARCHESI, C.
Gianni appeared behind him. “Want me to run her?”
“Not yet.”
Gianni raised a brow. “Why the hesitation?”
Adriano’s eyes stayed on the file. “Because sometimes... it’s better to let the lie unravel itself.”
“And if it explodes instead?”
“Then I bury it,” Adriano said flatly. “With or without her.”
Valentina’s Apartment – Audio Journal
In the dim light of her bedroom, Valentina sat with her recorder, her voice hushed but clear.
“Day Four. He’s suspicious. But he wants me close. That’s all I need. He watches me like I’m a riddle. But every time he gets closer, I find myself pulling back. That wasn’t in the plan. Neither was the way he looks when he thinks I’m not watching. There’s sadness in him... like something died and never got buried.”
She paused, her throat tightening.
“This isn’t just about money anymore. This is about power. Mine. His. The game. I have to win. I have to—or I disappear.”
She clicked off the recorder and stared at her reflection in the dark window. The confident woman in her voice was gone. What stared back was someone lost.
Final Confrontation – Balcony Overlooking Milan
Later that night, she returned home to find Adriano waiting on her rooftop balcony, a glass of scotch in his hand.
“Don’t you have a palace to brood in?” she asked, stepping into the cool night air.
“Don’t you have lies to tell?”
“Always,” she said, walking toward him. “But I make time for unexpected rooftop visits.”
He took a sip. “Tell me the truth. Just once. Who are you?”
Valentina stood inches from him, her breath hitching. “I’m the woman you’ll regret trusting. But crave anyway.”
A shadow of a smile touched his lips. “Then let the regret begin.”
He leaned in. She let him. The kiss was fire and manipulation and something dangerously close to real.
As they pulled apart, she whispered into the space between them,
“Just don’t ask who I am when it’s too late.”