ep 1 the crimson vows

Title: Crimson Vows

The night was cold, but inside La Rossa, the air burned with tension. Smoke coiled lazily from crystal ashtrays, the jazz band’s soft melody drowned by whispered deals and clinking glasses. In the corner booth, with red velvet seats and shadows masking his expression, sat Luca Moretti—Don of the most feared crime syndicate in New York.

And across from him, with her red lips curved in a dare and a silk slit dress that shimmered with every breath, was Ariella Voss—the daughter of the Russian mafia’s second-in-command. Sent to spy. But playing a far more dangerous game.

“I’m not scared of you,” she murmured, stirring her drink slowly, not meeting his eyes.

Luca leaned in, elbows on the table, voice low and lethal. “You should be.”

His gaze dropped briefly to the scar that peeked out from her shoulder—faint, old, but real. He had seen that scar in a photo once, years ago. When she was just the girl behind enemy lines. She didn’t know he recognized her yet. But he had waited too long to make this move.

“You're not just here for a drink,” he said. “You’re here to play with fire.”

Her lashes flicked up. “What if I like fire?”

Luca’s jaw clenched. His father had warned him about women like her—pretty lies wrapped in red silk and ruin. But Luca was no boy anymore. He knew how to burn and survive it.

“Then let’s burn together, bella bugiarda,” he whispered.

Ariella’s breath caught—just for a moment. Then she smiled. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

Before he could answer, one of Luca’s men entered through the side, whispering urgently in his ear. Luca’s demeanor changed—cold, sharp, calculated.

“Excuse me,” he said to her, standing up. “Don’t leave.”

Ariella waited five minutes. Then ten. Her fingers itched for the gun strapped to her thigh. She hadn’t come just to flirt. Her father wanted Luca dead by sunrise. She was just the distraction.

She should have walked out. But something in the way he looked at her… something in the way her name sounded in his mouth… it made her hesitate.

She stood up and slipped through the back hallway. The club’s interior was a maze, but she found his private office door ajar, voices coming from inside.

“…she’s not who she says she is. We found proof. She’s Viktor Voss’ daughter. Sent here last year under a new name. Changed everything but her eyes.”

Silence.

Then Luca’s voice: “I know.”

A pause.

“You what?”

“I knew the moment I saw her. I’ve known for weeks.”

“Then why the hell—”

“Because I wanted her to lie to me,” Luca growled. “I wanted to see how far she’d go. And I wanted to know if I could make her choose me over them.”

Ariella’s heart thudded so loud, she was sure they’d hear it.

She backed away—but her heel caught on the rug, and the soft sound made Luca whip open the door.

For one moment, neither of them moved.

“Listening in now?” he asked.

“I should kill you,” she hissed, hand flying to her thigh.

“You could try.”

She pulled the gun. He didn’t flinch. Just stepped forward, letting the door fall shut behind him. The tension between them snapped like a rubber band stretched too thin.

“You lied,” he said, voice soft, dangerous. “But I don’t care.”

He took another step.

“You think seduction is enough to kill me? You think I didn’t see through your plan?”

She aimed the gun at his chest.

“I’ll do it.”

“Then do it,” he said, pressing closer until the barrel met his chest. “Shoot me. But you and I both know you don’t want to.”

Her hand trembled.

Luca reached up, cupping her jaw, tilting her face up to his. His touch was rough, possessive, but not cruel. His lips brushed hers—lightly, just once.

“You feel it too,” he whispered.

She dropped the gun.

His mouth crashed into hers.

There was no gentleness now. Just fire and hunger and everything that had been building since the night they met. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers threading through his hair, pulling him closer as his hands gripped her hips, lifting her onto the desk.

“You’re trouble,” she gasped against his lips.

“So are you.”

He unzipped her dress slowly, savoring the sound. “This changes everything, Ariella.”

“Then let it,” she whispered. “Let it all burn.”

And as their bodies tangled in shadows and secrets, the war outside paused—for just one night.

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