The mansion felt different that night.
Not louder.
Not busier.
Just… tense.
Like the walls themselves were listening.
After the visitor left, Dante disappeared into his office with Luca and Marco. I hadn't been invited, which was probably a good thing considering the way Dante's mood had shifted.
Something about that man's words had struck a nerve.
Protect her carefully…
If your enemies realize what she is…
I didn't even know what that meant.
And apparently, Dante wasn't ready to explain.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I wandered.
Not aimlessly exactly—but close enough.
The halls of the mansion were quieter now, the night staff moving softly between rooms while guards rotated through their posts. Every corner seemed watched.
Every door seemed locked.
Dante's world was a fortress.
And tonight it felt more like a prison.
I was walking past the indoor courtyard when a voice stopped me.
"You walk like prey."
I turned sharply.
Dante stood behind me.
I hadn't even heard him approach.
"That's a very comforting thing to say," I replied.
He stepped closer, hands in the pockets of his dark trousers.
"You're looking around too much."
"Well excuse me for being curious."
"Curiosity gets people killed."
"Everything here apparently gets people killed."
For a moment he studied my face, like he was measuring something.
Then he nodded once.
"Come with me."
"Again?"
"Yes."
I sighed dramatically.
"Do I get any say in this?"
"No."
"Fantastic."
Still… I followed.
We moved through the mansion until we reached a part I hadn't seen before. A heavy steel door stood at the end of the corridor, guarded by two men.
They stepped aside immediately when Dante approached.
He unlocked the door himself.
The room beyond looked like a training space.
Wide.
Open.
Padded flooring.
Weapon racks along one wall.
My eyebrows rose.
"This is new."
"You'll be using it."
I blinked.
"I'm sorry… what?"
Dante closed the door behind us.
"If you're going to stay here, you need to learn how to survive."
"I thought that was your job."
"It is."
He walked toward one of the weapon racks.
"But I can't be everywhere."
Something about the way he said that made my chest tighten.
He picked up something small from the rack and turned back toward me.
A knife.
Not large.
But sharp.
Very sharp.
My eyes widened slightly.
"Oh good. Weapons."
He held it out toward me.
"Take it."
I hesitated.
"Is this where you teach me to become a mafia assassin?"
"This is where I teach you not to die."
That was… less dramatic than I expected.
Still, I stepped forward and took the knife.
It felt heavier than it looked.
"You ever used one before?" he asked.
"On vegetables."
Dante almost smiled.
"Close enough."
He moved behind me suddenly.
Close.
Too close.
His voice lowered near my ear.
"First rule."
I froze slightly.
"Okay…"
"Never hesitate."
Before I could react, his hand closed around my wrist.
Not painfully.
Just firmly.
He adjusted my grip on the knife.
"Hold it like this."
His fingers guided mine, steady and precise.
My heart suddenly felt very aware of how close he was.
"You're holding it wrong," he continued calmly.
"Sorry for not having knife combat experience."
"Your sarcasm is impressive."
"I've been told that."
He stepped away slightly.
"Now," he said, gesturing toward the center of the room, "come at me."
I stared at him.
"You're joking."
"I never joke about survival."
"You want me to attack you?"
"Yes."
"With a knife."
"Yes."
"That seems like a terrible idea."
"You won't hurt me."
That confidence was almost insulting.
"Wow. Okay."
I took a breath.
Then I lunged.
Not gracefully.
Not expertly.
Just instinctively.
Dante caught my wrist easily.
In one smooth motion, he twisted slightly and the knife slipped from my hand.
It clattered to the floor.
I blinked.
"That was humiliating."
"You hesitated."
"Well yes, because you're a six-foot mafia boss!"
"Again."
He picked up the knife and handed it back.
This time I moved faster.
Dante blocked again.
Effortlessly.
The knife fell from my hand again.
"Again," he said.
We repeated the exercise.
Over and over.
Each time ending the same way.
Disarmed.
Outmaneuvered.
Defeated.
By the fifth attempt I was breathing harder.
"This is unfair," I muttered.
"You're thinking too much."
"I'm trying not to stab you!"
"That's the hesitation I mentioned."
I wiped my hands on my jeans.
"Fine."
I grabbed the knife again.
This time when I lunged, Dante stepped aside—
—but I reacted faster.
My arm shifted direction instinctively.
The blade stopped just inches from his side.
Dante froze.
For half a second.
Then he smiled.
A real one.
"Better."
I lowered the knife slowly.
"Did I almost stab the mafia king?"
"Yes."
"That seems like an important life achievement."
"Don't get used to it."
He took the knife from me.
"You're learning."
"That was pure luck."
"Luck favors people who act."
I folded my arms.
"Is this your version of a self-defense class?"
"Yes."
"Do I get a certificate at the end?"
"No."
"What do I get?"
Dante looked at me carefully.
"A chance."
"For what?"
"To survive this world."
Something about the seriousness in his voice made the joke die on my lips.
I sat down on the edge of the training mat.
"You really think it's that dangerous?"
His silence answered the question.
I exhaled slowly.
"That man tonight… the visitor…"
"Yes."
"What did he mean?"
Dante walked toward the weapon rack again.
"He talks too much."
"That's not an answer."
He ignored that.
Instead, he reached toward a panel on the far wall.
When he pressed something, a quiet click echoed through the room.
A section of the wall slid open.
I stood up slowly.
"What… is that?"
Behind the wall was a narrow staircase.
Dark.
Hidden.
My curiosity exploded instantly.
"You have secret passages in your house?"
"Several."
"That's incredibly suspicious."
"It's practical."
I stepped closer to the hidden doorway.
"Where does it go?"
"Parts of the mansion most people don't see."
"Well now I definitely want to see it."
Dante looked at me.
Long.
Thoughtful.
"You shouldn't."
"Now I want to even more."
A small breath of amusement escaped him.
"You're impossible."
"I've heard that before."
He stepped closer to the entrance.
For a moment I thought he was going to close it again.
Instead he said quietly—
"Come on."
My eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I stepped toward the hidden staircase.
The air inside felt cooler.
Darker.
Like stepping into a secret.
As we started down the stairs, a strange thought crossed my mind.
Every day inside Dante Moretti's world…
I was learning something new.
Tonight I had learned how dangerous it really was.
And the deeper we walked into the hidden parts of the mansion…
the more I realized something else.
Dante hadn't shown this place to anyone lightly.
Which meant one thing.
Somehow…
without even realizing it…
I had started earning his trust.