Chapter 6 - Into the Lion’s Den
Adapting to life inside Dominic Russo’s fortified world was a brutal shock for a girl used to counting pennies. The suite was bigger than her entire apartment building, filled with luxurious amenities she didn't know how to use, but it felt suffocatingly empty. Dominic ensured she had everything she needed, yet he remained distant, buried under the crushing weight of running a vast criminal empire while a turf war loomed outside. Day by day, Sadie began to see the man behind the mafia myths. She watched him from a distance through the glass doors of his study, observing the exhaustion lines etched deep into his face, the endless phone calls, and the heavy burden of command. One evening, when a silent, awkward dinner was served between them, Sadie finally broke the ice. “Why do you do it?” she asked softly, stirring her soup. “Run all of this, I mean. You look like you haven't slept a full night in years.” Dominic stopped eating, looking up slowly. “Some men are born into storms, Sadie. Others build them to keep the world away.”
