Sofia tapped her pen against the legal pad, staring at the name she'd written at the top: *Dante Castellano*. Beneath it, a sparse collection of facts she knew with certainty. Harvard Business School. Heir to the Castellano empire. Fluent in Italian and English. Dangerous when provoked.
The incident with Anthony Vega three nights ago had left her unsettled. Not because of Vega's threats - she'd faced worse in her career - but because of Dante's response. The swift, controlled violence. The protective fury in his eyes. The gentle touch to her throat afterward, checking for injury.
It had felt... real. Too real for their carefully negotiated arrangement.
"Research mode?" Gabriella appeared in her doorway, two coffee cups in hand. "You've got that look."
Sofia accepted the coffee gratefully. "What look is that?"
"The one you get before dismantling the prosecution's case." Gabriella glanced at the legal pad. "Castellano? I thought you were dating him, not investigating him."
"Can't I do both?" Sofia took a sip of coffee, noting Gabriella's raised eyebrow. "And speaking of boundaries, we need to discuss you calling him during the Vega incident."
Gabriella remained unrepentant. "That guy was unhinged, Sofia. You needed backup."
"I've handled difficult people before."
"And your boyfriend handled this one pretty efficiently, from what I hear." Gabriella leaned against the doorframe. "Security showed me the garage footage. He moved like something out of an action movie."
Sofia frowned. "There's footage?"
"Don't worry, I made sure it's secured. Client confidentiality and all that." Gabriella studied her boss carefully. "You don't seem thrilled that your boyfriend came to your rescue."
"It's complicated." Sofia tapped her pen again. "How much do you know about the Castellanos?"
"Rich, powerful, rumored mob connections that no one can prove." Gabriella shrugged. "The usual for old Italian families in New York. Why? Are you having second thoughts?"
Sofia considered how to answer. Her agreement with Dante precluded discussing their arrangement, but Gabriella was more than an employee - she was Sofia's closest friend and most trusted confidante.
"Not second thoughts exactly. Just... doing my due diligence."
"Better late than never, I guess," Gabriella said with a hint of amusement. "Though most people Google before the first date, not after they've been photographed together at half the society events in Manhattan."
Sofia gave her a look. "I'm aware of the Castellano reputation. I'm looking for something more... substantive."
"Well, if you're in research mode, you might want to check this out." Gabriella placed a thumb drive on the desk. "It's everything in our database related to Castellano business interests. I may have pulled it together after Mr. Dark-and-Dangerous showed up in Page Six with my boss."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "That's borderline inappropriate use of firm resources."
"Sue me," Gabriella grinned. "That's what I'd have said if you'd asked me to pull the files. I just saved us both the pretense." She headed for the door. "By the way, Judge Harmon's clerk called. He's postponed tomorrow's hearing until next week."
After Gabriella left, Sofia stared at the thumb drive. Her professional instincts warred with the voice reminding her that the less she knew about Dante's business, the better for both of them. But the attorney in her couldn't resist discovering the truth - especially when that truth involved someone who was becoming increasingly important in her life.
Important for the arrangement, she corrected herself. Nothing more.
She plugged in the drive and began reading.
***
Three hours later, Sofia leaned back in her chair, eyes tired from scanning documents, news articles, and case files. The picture emerging was complex and contradictory.
The Castellano business empire was vast and diversified. Restaurants, real estate holdings, import businesses, construction companies, investment firms. Most appeared legitimate, with impeccable paperwork and clean audits. Dante's name appeared frequently in recent years - signing contracts, leading negotiations, quoted in business publications about expansion plans.
Harvard Business Review had profiled him five years ago: *Renaissance Man: How Dante Castellano is Modernizing a Family Empire*. The article praised his strategic vision and highlighted his efforts to transition family businesses toward technology and sustainability.
Yet beneath this impressive facade lay shadows. Mentions in sealed case files. Businesses that changed hands under suspicious circumstances. Competitors who suddenly withdrew legal challenges. A pattern of strategic acquisitions in neighborhoods just before municipal rezoning made them valuable.
And there was more. Charitable donations to hospitals, schools, community centers. Scholarships for underprivileged students. Restoration of historic Little Italy buildings. Anonymous contributions to legal aid services that Sofia herself had used for clients who couldn't afford representation.
The man who emerged from these files was neither the simple criminal nor the legitimate businessman she had categorized him as. He was both, and something more complicated besides.
Sofia opened a new document, intending to compile her findings, when her phone buzzed with an incoming text from the man himself: *Dinner tonight? There's someone I'd like you to meet.*
She hesitated before responding. Their arrangement specified social events and family dinners, but since the Vega incident, the boundaries had blurred. They'd had dinner at La Luna afterward, where Dante had been attentive but respectful of her shaken state. He'd driven her home, walked her to her door, and left with nothing more than a gentle squeeze of her hand.
*Who?* she texted back.
His response came quickly: *My grandmother. She's in town briefly and is curious about you.*
Sofia felt a flutter of unease. Meeting Dante's father had been challenging enough. His grandmother would likely be even more perceptive, more suspicious of this sudden relationship.
*Is this a command performance?* she typed.
There was a longer pause before his reply: *It's a request. She's important to me. But you can decline.*
The simple admission - *she's important to me* - felt significant. In their weeks together, Dante rarely spoke of personal connections or emotional attachments.
*What time?* she asked.
*Seven. My place. Casual dinner, nothing formal.*
Sofia set down her phone and turned back to her computer. A search for "Castellano grandmother" yielded surprisingly little. A few society photos from years ago showing an elegant woman with Marco Castellano at charity events. Nothing recent.
She was debating what to wear when a new email notification appeared. From an address she didn't recognize, with no subject line. She almost marked it as spam until she noticed the sender: D.Castellano@privatenetwork.com.
The email contained only a link, no message. Sofia hesitated, professional paranoia making her wary of clicking unknown links. But curiosity won out. The link opened to a secure server requiring a password.
She tried the obvious - Dante, Castellano, Sofia - before remembering the date they'd agreed upon for their first fictitious meeting. She typed it in, and the server granted access to a single document.
It was a comprehensive security report on Anthony Vega. Criminal history, known associates, current whereabouts, and - most concerningly - detailed surveillance notes from the past three days, confirming he had left the city for his mother's home in New Jersey with no plans to return.
At the bottom was a simple note: *For your peace of mind. He won't bother you again. - D*
Sofia stared at the screen, unsure whether to be grateful for the information or disturbed by the surveillance capabilities it represented. This wasn't information available through legal channels - this was the kind of intelligence that required resources and connections far beyond typical security measures.
She closed the file and shut down her computer. The more she learned about Dante Castellano, the more questions emerged. The man who threatened Vega with disappearance was the same man who provided her with legal proof of his departure. The criminal heir who also funded legal aid for the underprivileged.
Which version was real? The businessman, the enforcer, or something else entirely?
Sofia glanced at her watch. She had three hours before dinner with Dante and his grandmother. Three hours to decide how much she wanted to know about the man whose life had become entangled with hers - and how much she was willing to reveal about her own investigation.
Because one thing was becoming increasingly clear: their carefully negotiated arrangement was evolving into something neither of them had anticipated. Something that made Sofia both wary and curious in equal measure.
And she wasn't entirely sure which emotion would win out in the end.