Vito's POV
Interesting.
I leaned back in the plush leather booth of the VIP section, listening to the young woman across the café describe me in terms that would make a horror novelist proud. Monster. Unhinged. Dangerous. The usual repertoire of adjectives that followed my name these days.
Most people who spoke of me with such fear did so out of jealousy or terror—jealous of my power, terrified of what I might do to them. It was a reputation I'd cultivated carefully over the years, one that had served me well in business and in war.
But this girl... she genuinely believed every word she was saying. There was real fear in her voice, authentic terror at the thought of marrying me. It was almost refreshing, in a twisted way.
If only she knew how wrong she was about my condition.
The car
