The wild queen of the cursed king Zafira Lazzaro is the daughter of the sponsor of the Noctis Nero cartel, one of the country's most dreaded criminal families. But Zafira refuses to be a simple submissive heiress. She despises arranged marriages, loves illegal races and prefers weapons to worldly balls. But when she reached her eighteen years, she is forced to choose a fiancé to seal an alliance. She selects one ... and three years later, he betrays her, leaving her alone and pregnant with an illegitimate heir. Now, Zafira is summoned to the gala of dynasties, where she will discover the identity of her true blood partner. Rafael de Santis is the new king of crime, a ruthless mafia marked by a curse that eats away at his empire. He must find his queen before the next blood eclipse, otherwise his organization collapsed. But when his soul is linked to Zafira, an unmanageable rebel with the explosive past, he refuses to believe it. It is a traveling danger, a storm impossible to tame ... And yet it is the only one capable of breaking the curse that weighs on it. But an unforgivable error threatens to destroy them before they can even unite. Betrayals, vendettas, assassinations and coup d'etat stand on their way. Can the king of crime and the rebel queen love each other without reducing their empire in ashes?
Chapter 1 Chapître 1
Chapter 1
The roar of the engines resonated during the night, vibrating against the concrete walls of the abandoned warehouses of the port. The smell of burnt gasoline and rubber filled the air, electrifying the senses. Zafira Lazzaro inspired deeply, his fingers tight around the steering wheel of his car, a black Lamborghini with sharp lines. His heart was beating to the rhythm of the rising excitement, this intoxicating mixture of adrenaline and freedom.
Around her, the crowd animated, cries, bets exchanged in a low voice, hands that took place in Défiolades de Défi. This world, that of illegal races, was his kingdom. Here, she was not just the daughter of the powerful Lorenzo Lazzaro, chief of the Cartel noctis nero. She was a legend.
A shirtless man, tattooed to his neck, advanced on the starting line, waving a red scarf. Zafira glance at his opponents. Three men, all of them, arrogant, convinced that a woman had nothing to do here. She sketched a sly smile.
- Ready to lose? she launched, raising an eyebrow.
The largest of the three, a certain Diego, sneered by spitting on the ground.
- Don't worry, princess, I'll be there to console your defeat.
Zafira replied with a carnivorous smile.
- Always dream.
The scarf fell, and in a fraction of a second, it cried the accelerator. The Lamborghini leaps forward, its roaring engine like a hungry animal. The wind rushed into her hair, and everything else disappeared. No more responsibilities, more arranged marriage, more betrayals. Just the road, speed, and danger.
The lights paraded at full speed. Behind her, Diego was trying to catch her, but he had no chance. She knew this course by heart, each turn, each straight line where she could push her car to the maximum. She doesn't even slow down a tight turning point, her tires shouting on asphalt.
The other pilots had approached each other too much. An error. A glance in the rear view mirror allowed him to see Diego losing control of his vehicle and getting stressed in a security barrier.
- Damn, she sighed with a satisfied smile.
She crossed the finish line first, braking abruptly, letting the car stop in a deafening crime. The crowd exploded, acclaiming its name. She descended, a victorious smile on his lips, while the tickets were exchanged in all directions between the disappointed bettors and the lucky ones.
But barely she had time to savor her victory than a massive silhouette advanced towards her. His father.
Lorenzo Lazzaro was a man that no one dared to challenge. He released a contained threat aura, his severe features marked by years of settling of accounts and absolute power.
- Zafira .
His voice slammed like a whip. Silence instantly fell around them.
- Dad, she replied with a cheeky smile. Have you come to admire my talent?
His black eyes darkened.
- In the car. NOW.
She hesitated for a second, then sighed before obeying her. He said nothing throughout the journey to their immense villa, but the tension in the air was palpable.
As soon as they were in Lorenzo's office, he closed the door and looked at it for a long time.
- Do you think it's a game?
Zafira crossed his arms, leam nonchalantly to the office.
- Everything is a game, dad. Just know how to win it.
Lorenzo approached, putting his hands on the solid wood from the office.
- It's not a game. It's our family, our power. You are my only daughter. And it's time for you to assume your role.
She gave her teeth. She knew where he wanted to come.
- I assume my role in my own way.
- No. You run away.
Zafira looked away.
- It's not a leak.
- So why do you refuse to choose a fiancé?
She felt a thrill of frustration traveling her back.
- Because I don't want to be a trophy to marry the most offering!
Lorenzo sighed deeply, passing a tired hand over her face.
- It's not a matter of envy, zafira . It's a necessity.
She clenched her fists. She knew it was true. In their world, alliances were sealed by blood and marriages. But the idea of being locked in a golden cage stifled him.
Lorenzo continued, more gently this time.
- I have held rival families as long as possible. But the pressure rises. They want insurance. A marriage between you and an heir to another cartel would prevent a war.
She bit the inside of her cheek.
- Who ?
He looked at her for a moment before answering.
- Massimo Ricci.
She felt her stomach twist.
Massimo Ricci was the son of one of the most powerful sponsors in Italy. A charming man in appearance, but cruel in the shadows. She had already met him several times. He wanted it. And he was ready to do anything.
- No.
Lorenzo put his hands on his shoulders.
- Zafira ...
- No, dad! This man is a snake! He wants to own me like a trophy, not like a wife!
Lorenzo fixed it for a long time before letting go, his voice heavy with gravity:
- And do you prefer an open war? Do you want to see our Empire collapse because you refuse to make a sacrifice?
Zafira trembled slightly, but she did not look away.
- There must be another solution.
Lorenzo shook his head.
- Not this time.
Silence settled together.
She could have flee. She could have refused and watch their empire burn around them. But it wasn't her. She was a Lazzaro. She had grown up in this world, and she knew what duty meant.
She inspired deeply, feeling her heart hug her chest.
- Alright.
Lorenzo looked up.
- Alright ?
She clenched her fists.
- I will accept.
A light of relief passed through her father's eyes, but she felt as if she had just signed her own death warrant.
She may not have a choice.
But Massimo Ricci did not yet know that he had not just obtained a submissive wife.
He had just engaged with a storm.
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