Chapter 5%
Rebirth wasn’t a gentle thing.
It was bloody Ruthless. Unforgiving.
Two months after my supposed death, I stood at the gates of the underworld, not as a fallen mafia queen, but as a woman with nothing left to lose.”
I had burned Valeria De Luca along with the wreckage of that car
Now, I was someone else.X
And I would make the ones who betrayed me regret every breath they took.
The club was dark, drowning in sin and smoke, but I had spent years as a mafia wife. This wasn’t new
The man sitting in the center of the room, however, was different.
Darius Romano.
A king without a throne. The kind of man men like Lorenzo feared. The kind of man who could turn dust into gold or corpses into lessons.
And right now, his cold black eyes were fixed on me…
I felt Ronan shift beside me, his usual smirk in place “She’s got fire, boss. Just needs direction”
Darius took a slow drag of his cigar before exhaling. “You were De Luca’s wife.” His voice was like steel grinding against stone. “And now you want to be something more?”
Imet his gaze head–on. “I’m going to take back what’s mine.”
His lip twitched. “Ambitious”
“I don’t have the luxury of anything else.”
He leaned back, fingers tapping against the armrest. “Tell me, Valeria, why should I waste my time on you? Why should I believe you havee what it takes to survive in my world?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Because I already died once. And I came back with nothing left to lose.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then, he smirked. “You think that makes you dangerous?”
“No.” I said. I know it does.”
Ronan let out a low whistle. “She’s got balls,”
Darius flicked his cigar, the ash falling onto the glass table between us. “You want my help? Then you’ll earn it.“%
I expected nothing less.}
“Then teach me,” I said
His smirk deepened. “Careful what you ask for, sweetheart. In my world, lessons come with pain. ”
I already knew that.X
Pain was the only language I understood now.ll
Darius didn’t go easy on me.
He made sure I bled, made sure I crawled, made sure I leamed the hard way that survival in this world had nothing to do with being strong.E
It had everything to do with being ruthless.
“Again,” he barked, tossing a knife at my feet. “You’re still too slow”
I swallowed the metallic taste of blood and picked up the blade. Across from me, Ronan cracked his neck. “You sure you wanna keep going, sweetheart? You already look half–dead.”
I ignored him. “Come at me.”
Ronan grinned. “Your funeral.”
He lunged
This time, I didn’t hesitate. I sidestepped, twisted the knife in my grip, and slashed–fast and precise.
The blade cut through his shirt, slicing his skin just enough to make him curse.)
Dahus chuckled. “Better.“!
Ronan wiped the blood off his arm, giving me a grin that was half–impressed, half–annoyed. “She’s learning.”
Darius walked up to me, his expression unreadable. “But not fast enough.”
Then he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall.!!
My vision blurred for a second, but I refused to react
He leaned in, his grip tightening. “Do you know why you’re still weak?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm. I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Enlighten me.“K
Darius walked up to me, his expression unreadable. “But not fast enough”
Then he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall.
My vision blurred for a second, but I refused to react.
He leaned in, his grip tightening. “Do you know why you’re still weak?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Enlighten me”
His fingers pressed harder against my throat. “Because you still have something left of that woman you used to be. The wife. The mother” His eyes darkened. “And until you kill her you’ll never be ready“!!
He let go. I dropped to my knees, coughing, but I understood his message.)
I had to stop hesitating
Because hesitation had killed my daughter.)
I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up. “I’ll be ready”
Darius studied me for a long moment. Then, he smirked “Let’s hope so.”
The first real test come a week later!
Darius handed me a gun. “A man stole from me,” he said, nodding g toward the mom behind him. “He thought he could betray me and live” I stared at the gun. Then at the door
This was it. The line between what I had been and what I was becoming.X
Danus tilted his head. “Hesitation means death.“X
I didn’t hesitate.
I walked into the room.
The man was tied to a chair, blood pooling beneath him. He looked up, his eyes pleading. “Please..”
I pulled the trigger.
No hesitation.
No regret
When I turned back to Darius, my hands steady, he grinned. “Now, you’re ready.”
Weeks passed, and with each one, I became something else.
I learned to fight like a killer,
I learned to manipulate like a queen.
I learned that in this world, power wasn’t just about money or strength.
It was about control
Darius watched me closely, testing me at every turn. “What’s your endgame, Valeria?” he asked one night, pouring himself a drink.!! I met his gaze. “Lorenzo.”
His smirk widened. “You want to kill him?”
“No.” I leaned forward, my voice steady. “I want to take everything from him. His power. His empire. His peace.”
Darius chuckled, swirling his whiskey. “Now that, I can help with.”
By the time a month had passed, I wasn’t just surviving in the underworld.
I was thriving.
Ronan leaned against the bar, watching underworld ”
me with a
an amused look
look. “Never thought I’d see Lorenzo De Luca’s widow running the
I smirked, swirling the drink in my hand. “Then you’re not looking close enough.” Darius sat across from me, his dark eyes gleaming. “You’ve come far.”
“But not far enough,” I said. “Not yet.”
Danus’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “Then let’s change that.”
Because I wasn’t just coming back for revenge.
I was coming back to rule
