The first night of training was brutal. Elena was thrown into the Romano world guns, strategy, intimidation, and psychological warfare. Adrian watched her every move, not with malice, but with scrutiny. Every hesitation, every misstep was noted.
You have potential, he said later, in the quiet of his office, the city lights glowing behind him. But potential means nothing if you don't survive the night, the week, the year. Here, loyalty is earned, and betrayal is final.
Elena nodded, absorbing every word. In this world, intelligence was power but instinct was survival. And instinct whispered that Adrian Romano was more than a man. He was a storm she could either control or be consumed by.