Chapter 1 - The Taste of Defiance
The vacuum of silence stretched until it felt like the expensive room might shatter.
Gabriel’s eyes widened, his polite mask slipping completely to reveal raw shock.
At the adjacent tables, the two massive bodyguards reached inside their tailored jackets.
Tessa did not blink, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the old man's pitch-black eyes.
She knew she had just crossed a dangerous line that most people died for crossing.
Salvatore stared at her, his face an unreadable map of craggy, weathered wrinkles.
Then, a strange, wet sound rumbled deep in his chest.
It was laughter.
The Don threw his head back and let out a raspy, booming laugh that echoed off the crystal chandeliers.
"A peasant with a spine," Salvatore wheezed, wiping a single tear from his eye.
He slammed the heavy wooden head of his cane against the marble floor.
"Cancel my order, Gabriel."
Gabriel slowly lowered his hand, his eyes never leaving Tessa's face.
"Dad, you can't just cause a scene here."
"Silence," the old man snapped, pointing his crooked, arthritic finger at Tessa.
"You speak the tongue of the dirt, girl."
"I speak the truth," Tessa replied smoothly in standard English, refusing to let him trap her in his psychological game.
Salvatore’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating glare that made her blood run cold.
"Then prove it to me."
"Excuse me?" Tessa asked, her heart finally beginning to pound frantically against her ribs.
"You promised me a bone-in steak, garlic, and good oil."
Salvatore leaned forward, bringing with him the scent of expensive cologne and copper blood.
"You will go into that kitchen and cook it yourself."
Richard, the general manager, materialized from the shadows, looking like he might faint on the spot.
"Don Salvatore, I apologize, but she is merely a waitress, not a trained chef."
"If she does not cook it, I will lock the doors and burn this place to the ground tonight."
Salvatore did not raise his voice, but the terrifying threat was absolute.
Gabriel stood up slowly, tossing his linen napkin onto the pristine table.
"Show her to the kitchen, Richard."
Tessa realized she was no longer an invisible ghost hiding behind an apron.
She had just stepped onto the chessboard of the most dangerous men in the city.
Richard grabbed her arm, practically dragging her toward the swinging kitchen doors.
Gabriel stepped into her path, forcing her to stop.
May you like
"Get moving," Gabriel whispered as he passed her, his breath warm against her ear.
"If he hates the food, I won't be able to stop what he does to you."
