Chapter 4

Seraphina's POV

That night, I laid in bed. My phone buzzed. A friend request on Signal.

Silas Romano.

Interesting. The ruthless mafia prince was delivering himself to my doorstep. I accepted.

Three seconds later. A message.

[What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?]

Straight to the point. I liked his style. I decided to test his limits.

[A French croissant from Balthazar. Add a poached egg and premium Parma ham. Bring white truffle butter.]

[Where is that?]

[The Upper East Side. Ten miles away. Have it in my lobby before 7 AM.]

Five full minutes passed.

[Fine.]

I smiled. Making this arrogant beast run ten miles to fetch breakfast was pure entertainment.

The next morning. 6:50 AM. My doorman called. Breakfast arrived.

I went downstairs in my silk pajamas. A breathtaking sight waited for me.

Six-foot-three Silas stood in my marble lobby. He wore a black trench coat. He held an exquisite food box. He radiated a freezing, lethal aura. He looked exactly like a forcibly chained wolf.

Passing residents took detours to avoid him.

"Ms. Blackwood." His voice was low. Detached. "Your breakfast."

I took the box. I opened it to inspect. The croissant was perfect. The egg was flawless.

I took a bite.

I immediately frowned.

"What is this?" I glared at him. "Where's the white truffle butter?"

Silas paused. "What?"

"I asked for white truffle butter." My voice sharpened. "Julian never makes rookie mistakes. He memorized all my preferences."

Silas's face darkened.

"Do it again," I ordered.

"No way." Silas coldly refused. "I am not your slave."

He took a massive step forward. His towering frame cast a shadow over me. But I didn't flinch. I lazily leaned against the railing. I tilted my chin up.

"Is that so?" I casually pulled out my phone. "Then I'll just punish Julian. He highly recommended you. Didn't he?"

A complete lie. But Silas didn't know that.

"Since you're so disobedient..." I lazily waved my hand. "Come here. Drop to your knees. Kiss my shoes."

"Absolutely not." Silas stepped back. A dangerous, violent glint flashed in his eyes.

"Alright then." I dialed Julian's number.

It rang three times.

"Julian. Time to wake up." My voice dripped with honey.

"Seraphina?" Julian sounded groggy. "It's only seven..."

"I know, baby. I need a tiny favor." I used my softest tone. "Slap yourself."

Silence.

Then, a sharp, crisp SMACK.

"Is one enough?" Julian asked.

Silas went dead pale.

He snatched my phone. He yelled into the receiver. "Enough! That's enough!"

But the call had already disconnected. Knowing my brother, he probably just went right back to sleep.

Silas handed my phone back. His hands shook. His eyes burned with shock and absolute rage.

"You are a literal demon." His voice was hoarse. His solid chest heaved violently.

"I appreciate the compliment." I smiled gracefully.

My cool fingertips reached up. I grabbed his jaw. Because of our massive height difference, I forced him to lower his proud gaze.

"Now," I stared into his shrinking pupils. I felt his entire body go stiff. "Are you still refusing to kiss my shoes?"

Silas closed his eyes. He took a ragged breath.

I watched the war inside his head. This fiercely proud man. A man who never bowed to anyone. He was actually considering submission. All for Julian.

"At least..." He gritted his teeth. The tips of his ears burned red from absolute humiliation. His voice sounded like gravel. "...find somewhere private."