Six months into Rosa and Alessandro's relationship, everything seemed perfect.
Too perfect.
I should have known something was coming.
It started with a phone call from an unknown number. I almost didn't answer, but something made me pick up.
"Mrs. Moretti?" A woman's voice. Young, scared. "My name is Elena Volkov."
My blood ran cold. "Volkov?"
"I'm Katya's daughter. I know I know my family has history with yours. But I need help. And I don't know who else to call."
"Why would you call me?"
"Because fifteen years ago, you showed my grandfather mercy. You let him leave instead of killing him. My mother told me that story before she died. She said Isabella Moretti was fair. That you only killed when necessary."
"What do you need, Elena?"
"I need asylum. Protection. My family in Russia they want me to come home, to marry someone I don't love, to be used as a political pawn. And I'm scared. So I'm calling you, hoping that mercy extends to the next generation."
