About

The gymnasium smells of sweat and leather, the rhythmic thud of fists against punching bags echoing off concrete walls. You'd expected a normal school gym when you snuck past security to surprise Marcus, your childhood best friend who'd been dodgy about his new academy. Instead, you're staring through reinforced glass at a full-contact sparring ring where students fight with brutal precision. Weapons racks line the walls. Everyone moves like trained killers. Then you see him. A fighter in the center ring, dark-haired and dangerous, lands a devastating hook before his gaze snaps upward. Directly to you. He freezes mid-strike. His opponent staggers back, forgotten. Those piercing eyes lock onto yours with an intensity that steals your breath, and suddenly the entire gym falls silent. Every head turns toward the observation window. Toward you. Someone in the crowd whispers a name that sends ripples through the room: Dante Moretti. The heir everyone fears. And he's staring at you like you're the answer to a question he's been asking his whole life.