Moonlight Mafia: Blood & RosesChapter 1: Lollipops, Funerals, and a Death Stare
If there's one thing Ariella Moretti hated more than funerals, it was funerals without snacks.
She sat at the back of the room, legs up on the church pew, lazily twirling a cherry lollipop in her mouth while old men in black suits whispered and side-eyed her like she was a bomb waiting to go off. Which, to be fair, wasn't far from the truth.
The priest droned on about "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", while Ari wondered if it was too soon to steal flowers from the casket for her bedroom. The thought made her smirk. Her mom would've laughed. Mom always said funerals were a waste of good outfits.
Then it happened.
The church doors swung open with a loud bang, and in came a group of tall, terrifying men dressed in suits so sharp they could cut glass. Their faces were stone-cold, like they'd personally invented murder. But the one in front? Different.
He had midnight black hair, icy blue eyes, and the kind of jawline that could probably slice bread. And he was staring at her. Not just a glance — a full-on, I-will-end-you death stare.
Ari popped her lollipop out of her mouth. "What?" she snapped, loud enough for the entire church to hear.
The man blinked, his lips twitching like he wasn't sure if he wanted to smirk or strangle her."The name's Zayne Knight," he said coolly. "You're coming with us."
"Yeah, no," Ari said, leaning back. "Unless 'us' involves pizza and less serial killer energy, I'm good."
The tension in the room could've killed a plant. The old ladies clutched their pearls. Someone fainted. Even the priest paused mid-prayer.
But Ari didn't care. She never did.
Zayne sighed like dealing with her was already the worst part of his day. "Your mother's death wasn't an accident," he said quietly, eyes gleaming. "And you're the next head of the Moretti family."
Ari burst out laughing. Actual, cackling laughter. "Me? Mafia boss? Bro, I can't even commit to a Netflix series without falling asleep!"
But deep down… a cold shiver ran down her spine.Because in the pit of her stomach, she knew.He wasn't lying.And her life was about to get a whole lot scarier.