Chapter 4
Dimitri had to stifle his amusement at this lovely, na?ve woman.
Law enforcement?
Did she really not know who he was?
Of course, to the outside world, Dimitri De Luca was simply a ruthless businessman—a man who had clawed his way up from the streets to control a multi-billion-dollar import-export empire. But in reality, he was the law in every city under his territory.
The police worked for him, whether they knew it or not.
Several officers were on his payroll, slipping him information before even their captains knew about it. The chief of police himself—along with a select few key figures in the justice system—had long since learned that cooperation with Dimitri De Luca was far more beneficial than opposition.
And, in a way, he did ensure a certain level of crime prevention.
He made sure the streets were safe for businesses—his businesses. He kept out the lowlifes who disrupted commerce, eliminated threats before they could take root, and controlled who was and was not allowed to operate in his city.
But was he going to bring in law enforcement to handle his problem?
That wasn’t how things worked.
Dimitri didn’t rely on courts, juries, or legal loopholes to deal with thieves, traitors, or those who refused to obey him. He had his own methods.
He was the law.
And right now, someone had stolen from him.
Half a million dollars.
In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t a devastating amount. He’d spent more than that on his last mistress’s trip to Paris.
But it wasn’t about the money.
It was about the audacity.
The moment someone dared to steal from him, they were testing his authority, challenging him. If word got out that he allowed such an offense to go unpunished, it would invite more boldness, more betrayal.
And Dimitri did not tolerate betrayal.
Not in business.
Not in life.
The last man who had tried to steal from him—who had foolishly believed he could outmaneuver Dimitri De Luca—was currently rotting in the worst prison the state had to offer.
And soon, whoever had stolen from him this time would learn the same lesson.
However…
His focus drifted, ever so slightly, as the woman before him lifted her chin and met his gaze.
Silver-blue eyes—large, framed with dark lashes, soft and searching—stared up at him, and for the briefest moment, he felt as though she could see something deeper in him.
Something he didn’t allow most people to glimpse.
Who was this woman?
She wasn’t a stunning, head-turning beauty. She wouldn’t command attention simply by walking into a room. But there was something about her—something lovely in a way that wasn’t immediate, but undeniable if one simply looked.
A quiet grace. A soft strength.
Carefully hidden beneath the ridiculous, baggy clothes and the polite, hesitant demeanor.
And, perhaps, something more.
Dimitri wasn’t sure what intrigued him more—the theft that needed to be handled, or the woman standing before him, unaware that she’d managed to captivate him without even trying.
“Sir?”
Her voice was quiet, uncertain, pulling him from his thoughts.
Dimitri blinked once, shaking off the moment of distraction.
His lips curved ever so slightly.
“Let’s start at the beginning,” he suggested.
Because now that he had the information, it was time to hunt down the traitor.
No one stole from Dimitri De Luca and lived to tell the tale.
Dimitri moved closer, towering over her. “You will find this person,” he announced. “And you’ll report only to me.”
Dimitri saw it instantly—the flicker of fear in her wide, luminous eyes.
His jaw tightened, forcing himself to rein it in.
She was such a delicate little thing. A flower, he thought, fragile but resilient.
The contrast between them was stark—his broad, rough hands, her smooth, dainty fingers.
He had no business wanting to touch her, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.
He clenched his fists, shoving them deep into his pockets, as if that would somehow suppress the urge. “How long do you think it will take for you to reveal the person who is stealing from me?”
Her full lips parted slightly, her gaze flickering down to his mouth before snapping back up. Did she see the darkness inside him? Could she sense the ruthless side of him, the side that wanted things it had no right to claim?
He shouldn’t touch her. Dimitri knew that.
He was too big, too impure for someone as untouched and pristine as Giselle.
He didn’t even know her last name, but he knew he shouldn’t taint something so perfect.
A Giselle flower, he thought wryly, mocking his own absurdly poetic thoughts about a woman who was, in all likelihood, as flawed as everyone else.
By the end of the day, he’d know more about her. About her fairy-like ways and why she intrigued him to distraction.
“I don’t…” she began, only to be cut off by the sudden, jarring blast of a song:
“Everything I need, everything I want, sometimes I tell my—”
The rest was cut off as Giselle, cheeks burning, yanked her phone out and silenced it, shoving it deep into the folds of her voluminous skirt. But not before he caught the slight tremble in her fingers, the way her shoulders stiffened.
Dimitri narrowed his eyes. That was not the reaction of a woman ignoring an unimportant call.
“I have to go,” she murmured, her voice suddenly drained of the quiet confidence she’d had just moments before. She looked down, almost… defeated.
Something about the change in her demeanor made his spine stiffen.
“Giselle.” His voice carried an urgent edge, a subtle command that made her pause. “Stop by tomorrow to report what you’ve found. Even if you don’t have any new information.”
She hesitated, pressing her lips together, and he knew she was holding herself back. He could practically see the battle within her—frustration, irritation, maybe even resentment.
At him? Or at whoever had called?
She nodded, sharply. “I really need to go, sir.”
“You will call me Dimitri,” he corrected softly.
Her expression flickered again—irritation, resignation, that same tight press of her lips. It was clear she hated being told what to do, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out, her skirt swishing with the force of her stride.
She’d left the files behind. Dimitri smirked. That was careless. And convenient. It gave him a reason to see her again.
Not that he needed one.
She paused in the doorway, glancing back at him, and he got the distinct feeling that she wanted to say something more. But before she could, her phone vibrated with the same insistent ringtone.
“Everything I need…”
Giselle shut it off with a sharp movement, her jaw tightening.
And in that moment, Dimitri knew—the identity of the caller mattered.
A boyfriend? A lover? A family member?
Whoever it was, she didn’t want to answer. But she would. Because she had to.
And judging by the way her irritation pulsed just beneath the surface, she considered them incredibly selfish.