Roselle’s POV
He hesitated for a moment before answering.
“The Belladonna Family.”
It wasn’t long after he mentioned their name that, almost as if on cue, several men dressed in black suits walked into the room.
The moment they entered, the atmosphere changed.
Everyone around me became alert.
There was a noticeable shift in their behavior, almost as if an invisible command had been given.
Some of the men subtly moved their hands toward their weapons, their bodies becoming tense as they watched the newcomers approach.
No one spoke.
The men continued walking toward the center of the room, and the silence grew heavier with every step.
From instinct alone, I could tell that they were dangerous.
But one man walking among them immediately stood out to me.
He was tall, much taller than most of the men in the room, with broad shoulders and a strong, well-built body.
He wore a perfectly fitted black suit that made his presence even more intimidating.
His dark hair was neatly styled, and his face was sharp and handsome in a way that made him difficult to ignore.
But it wasn’t his appearance that caught my attention.
It was his eyes.
They were cold.
Not the kind of cold that came from anger or hatred.
His expression was completely calm, almost indifferent, as though nothing in the room was important enough to disturb him.
He walked slowly, yet every step carried authority.
He walked as though he owned the place.
As though the tension in the air had nothing to do with him.
There was something about his presence that reminded me of a king standing in his own territory.
The men around him didn’t need to announce who he was.
Their reactions told me everything.
Some lowered their heads.
Others immediately straightened.
Even the men who had been standing confidently moments ago became noticeably more careful.
I studied him silently.
A leader.
That was my first thought.
Not because of his clothes or the number of men following him, but because of the way everyone reacted to his presence.
A true commander didn’t need to shout to make his soldiers listen.
Sometimes, he only needed to enter the room.
And this man had that kind of presence.
My eyes moved over him again, instinctively studying his posture, his hands, the way he walked, and the men surrounding him.
He wasn’t careless.
He was alert, even though he didn’t appear to be.
His gaze moved across the room once, slowly taking everything in.
Then his eyes stopped on me.
For a moment, neither of us looked away.
I felt something strange in my chest.
Not fear.
At least, I didn’t think it was fear.
It was the uncomfortable feeling of being examined by someone who was just as observant as I was.
His eyes briefly moved to the little girl holding onto my dress before returning to me.
There was no surprise on his face.
No anger.
No pity.
Nothing.
That somehow made him even more difficult to understand.
He finally stopped in front of me.
“I am surprised you are still alive,” he said.
The moment those words left his mouth, my daughter’s hands tightened around my dress.
I felt her small fingers trembling.
My expression changed slightly.
I immediately reached down and took her hands in mine.
Shock and confusion filled my mind.
What did he mean?
“Am I supposed to be dead?” I asked.
As far as I knew, Roselle had tried to take her own life.
She hadn’t been murdered.
Yet the way he spoke made it sound as though my death had been expected.
I glanced down and saw my daughter slowly move away from my front.
She stepped behind me, still holding onto my dress as she cautiously peeked out from behind my body.
The man looked at her briefly before returning his attention to me.
“I suppose not,” he said calmly.
“But when you conquer enough families, you begin to realize how easily the wives of dead or defeated Dons choose to kill themselves in an attempt to escape me.”
His words only created more questions in my mind.
So this was the man Roselle had feared?
The man who had defeated her husband and destroyed the DeLuca Family?
And apparently, other women had been so terrified of him that they had chosen death rather than face him.
I kept my expression calm.
Whatever was happening, I wasn’t going to let him see how confused I was.
“I can see you are here on business,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “but as you can also see, we are burying my late husband. Can’t your business wait for a day?”
I glanced toward the coffin.
“At least until his body is in the ground.”
I deliberately ignored his earlier statement.
I couldn’t afford to question him when I barely understood what was happening around me.
I needed time.
Time to understand this world, understand Roselle, and figure out exactly what had happened to her before I allowed myself to get involved with a man like him.
I couldn’t keep relying solely on my instincts and quick judgment.
For the first time since waking in this body, I needed information before I made my next move.
My request seemed to surprise several of the men who had been in the room before the Belladonnas arrived.
A few exchanged glances.
The man standing in front of me, however, simply stared at me.
His expression remained unreadable.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he finally nodded.
“Alright. I will respect that.” He turned slightly, but before walking away, he looked back at me.
“But by tomorrow, you will have to come to the Belladonna Family estate. We will continue this conversation there.”
His gaze remained fixed on mine.
“I will give you today to mourn your loss.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
The other men immediately followed him.
I watched until they disappeared through the doors.
Only after they were gone did the tension in the room begin to ease.
I looked down at my daughter, who was still hiding behind me.
Then I looked toward the doors again.
The Belladonna Family.
And tomorrow, I was expected to walk directly into their territory.
I had a feeling that was where my real battle would begin.