Chapter 13-Mateo De Luca
Sophia’s Pov
I stared at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me.
The silk dress hugged my curves, a deep burgundy that matched the stiletto heels I was
wearing.
My hair had been curled softly around my shoulders, and my makeup was flawless.
After my grandfather and dad revealed who had saved me, they had informed me that he was waiting for me at a restaurant for a date.
“Good luck, Princess,” my father said as I descended the staircase. He smiled proudly, his eyes glassy. “You look like her.”
I didn’t ask who. I knew he meant my mother.
My grandfather kissed my cheek. “Call if anything feels wrong. But I trust Mateo.”
I gave a small nod. “I’ll be fine.”
The driver held the car door open, and for the first time since escaping death, I stepped out of the Calderon estate. Into the world. Into the light.
The city looked different tonight. Less terrifying. I wasn’t just Sophia Moretti anymore.
I was Sophia Calderon.
When we arrived, the valet bowed and opened my door. I stepped out in heels, the clicking of my footsteps echoing against the marble steps of the five-star restaurant.
Everything had been reserved.
The maître d’ smiled. “Miss Calderon, he’s waiting upstairs.”
The elevator took me straight to the rooftop.
I stepped out-and there he was.
Mateo De Luca.
He was sitting at a private table under fairy lights, backlit by the city skyline.
Tall, broad, and sinfully handsome. A tailored dark suit wrapped around his body like it was
made for him.
His dark hair was slightly tousled, and he had this calm, dangerous smile that made my heart stutter in my chest.
“Well, well,” he stood and walked toward me with effortless grace. “The phoenix rises from the ashes.”
I blinked. “What?”
He grinned. “The last time I saw you, smoke was everywhere. Couldn’t even see your face properly. And now here you are. Officially.”
He offered his hand. I took it, hesitantly. His touch was warm.
“Mateo De Luca,” he said with a slight bow.
“Sophia Calderon,” I replied.
8:20 pm D
He raised a brow. “Moretti really is dead, huh?”
I smiled. Just a little.
He pulled out my chair for me, and we sat down. Waiters appeared out of nowhere, serving wine and courses I couldn’t even name. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t here for the food.
“Thank you,” I said after a moment. “For rescuing me.”
He tilted his head. “I didn’t do it for free. I saw potential. I knew who you were. I’ve waited years to take Lorenzo down, but never had the right bullet. Until now.”
His words were sharp, but they didn’t scare me. Not anymore.
“How do you know my family?” I asked.
“They saved me. When I was a child… I lived on the streets. The Calderons took me in, trained me, gave me a purpose. I owe them everything.”
“And Lorenzo?” I narrowed my eyes.
Mateo’s smile faded. His expression turned cold.
“Lorenzo Moretti’s father raped my mother when she worked in their estate,” he said simply “When she got pregnant, he ordered her to abort the child.”
My mouth parted slightly, shocked.
“She didn’t. She ran. The doctor who was supposed to end my life helped her escape. I was born in hiding, raised in poverty. And years later, they found us.”
I swallowed hard. “They?”
“Lorenzo, his father, his grandfather. They stormed our house. Shot my mother. She died in my arms.”
His jaw clenched. “I was twelve. I ran. I ran until my legs gave out, until my lungs collapsed. And then… your grandfather found me.”
Everything inside me twisted.
I’d thought I knew what darkness was. But Mateo’s voice… the weight behind his words… he’c lived in a deeper hell.
“I took my mother’s last name,” he continued. “Built my empire from nothing. Blood. Guns. Trade Politics. I became a ghost with power.”
“And now?” I asked quietly.
“Now?” He leaned closer, voice low and dangerous. “Now I crush the Morettis, brick by brick. And lucky me… I have their greatest weakness beside me now.”
I blinked. “You mean Renata?”
He smirked. “Her too. But I meant you.”
“Why me?”
“Because Lorenzo believed you were weak. And yet here you are, reborn. A grieving mother with nothing left to lose is the most dangerous weapon of all.”
I shivered. Not from fear. From the truth of it.
“You think I’m a weapon?”
“I think you’re my favorite one.”
I stared at him, unsure whether to slap him or kiss him.
He raised his glass. “To revenge?”
I picked up mine. “Not yet.”
His brow arched.
“I want to destroy everything he’s built first,” I said. “I want to make him bleed financially. I wan to watch his name rot. Then-when he has nothing left-I’ll bury him with the truth.”
Mateo’s smile widened. “Now you’re thinking beautifully.”
We clinked glasses.
“And as for Renata…” he added, “I have dirt. Plenty of it. Her secret meetings. Her pregnancy.”
“Not yet,” I said. “Let her think she’s safe. We’ll deal with her after.”
He reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “You’re good at this.”
“I’ve had a good teacher,” I murmured.
“Who?”
“Lorenzo.”
Sophia’s Pov
