Weight of a name

The door slammed shut behind Alessandro, and for a long, agonizing moment, no one said a word.

Sienna stood frozen, her chest rising and falling in slow, controlled breaths — though her heart beat a frenzied rhythm beneath the surface. The tension left in Alessandro’s wake clung to the room, but the moment he was gone, it shifted.

Darker. More dangerous.

 Now,it was just her and Mildred Volkov.

And the way he smiled made her bones tremble 

Mildred Volkov leaned back against his desk once again, the ghost of a smile still playing at his lips. He swirled the last drops of whiskey in his glass, the soft clink of ice the only sound between them. His gaze — sharp as a blade and twice as cold — lingered on Sienna, not with desire, but with something far more unnerving.

Curiosity. Calculation.

His smile didn’t fade, if anything, it deepened. A slow curl of his lips that felt more like a predator baring his teeth than a gesture of amusement. 

Sienna finally found her voice, sharp and steady despite the chaos inside her head. “What exactly is going on?”

Mildred lifted a brow. “That, cara mia, was a glimpse into a world you’re standing far too close 

 “If you have something to say, Mildred, say it. I don’t have time for your riddles.”

He chuckled softly. “Ah, but time is a luxury, cara mia. One you may find slipping through your fingers soon enough.”

Her jaw tightened. 

“No?” Mildred’s smile sharpened. “I thought you enjoyed puzzles. A sharp mind like yours… always searching for answers.”

Sienna’s heart thudded against her ribs. There it was again — the way he spoke, as if there was something she should know but didn’t. As if she were the only one in the room unaware of the rules of the game they were playing.

“Let’s get something straight,” she said, her voice like steel. “I’m your lawyer. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want this arrangement to work, you need to stop with the cryptic nonsense and treat me like a professional.”

Mildred tilted his head ever so slightly. “A professional,” he echoed. “Yes… that’s what you believe you are.”

Her blood ran cold. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

His smile didn’t waver. “You truly don’t know, do you?”

Sienna’s pulse quickened. “Know what?”

For a moment, she thought he might actually answer — that he might pull the veil back just enough to give her a glimpse of whatever dark secret he was toying with. But instead, Mildred merely stepped away from the desk, his movements slow, deliberate.

“Why did you call me a Russo like it meant something more than just a name?”

A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes — intrigue, maybe even satisfaction. He took a slow sip of his drink before speaking. 

“Because it does. Your name is precious, Sienna,” he said softly, almost too softly. “Not because you’re a lawyer. Not because of your sharp mind.”

Sienna’s stomach twisted. She wasn’t sure if it was fear, anger, or the gnawing sensation that she’d just stepped onto a road without knowing where it led. “Explain.”

Mildred’s gaze burned into hers. “It means,” he said, voice calm, “that your blood is more valuable than you realize.”

 “It’s not my place to explain your own history to you, cara. Though, I must say — it’s quite… fascinating that you’re so unaware.”

Her heart pounded harder. “Unaware of what?”

He studied her like she was a puzzle he was slowly putting together. “Your bloodline. Your name isn’t just Russo — it’s that Russo.”

Sienna blinked, her mind spinning.What could this old man be up to?

“That Russo?”

But Mildred only chuckled. “You remind me of her, you know.”

Sienna’s heart lurched. “Of who?”

Silence.

The question hung in the air like smoke, unanswered and suffocating.

Her mother’s face flashed in her mind — a memory of soft hands and quiet smiles, of a woman who never spoke of her past, who kept the door to her own history locked shut.

Was that who Mildred meant?

Her pulse thundered in her ears. “If this is your way of scaring me, it’s not working.”

“Scare you?” Mildred let out a soft, almost pitying laugh. “No, Sienna. I’m simply reminding you that names carry weight — especially in our world.”

Sienna’s hands curled into fists at her sides. “I’m not part of your world.”

He leaned back against his desk again, his gaze a mix of amusement and something far more dangerous. “Aren’t you?”

Sienna’s head spun, but she didn’t let it show. She forced her shoulders back, straightened her spine “If you think I’m some piece to be moved around your board, you’re mistaken.”

Mildred stepped closer — not invading her space, but near enough that she could feel the weight of his presence. “Oh, cara mia,” he murmured, “you’re not a pawn.”

“You’re the prize.”

The words struck like a hammer.

“I’m a lawyer — nothing more.”

 “Contracts are just words on paper, cara mia. Bloodlines… those are written in something far more permanent.”

Sienna’s mouth went dry. “Again,I don’t know what you think you know about me, but I’m here to handle your legal matters — not whatever twisted fantasy you have about my last name.”

Mildred smiled, as though she had said something amusing. “Of course,” he said smoothly. “Strictly business.”

She didn’t blink. “Yes.”

But something in the way he looked at her told her it was anything but.

Before she could push him further, the door creaked open again.

A young man stepped inside — sharp suit, clipped movements, his gaze flicking quickly from Mildred to Sienna. His presence was less imposing than Alessandro’s, but there was a quiet danger to him — the kind of person who didn’t need to speak to make his presence known.

Boss,” the man said quietly. “A call from Dmitri.”

Mildred’s smile grew. “Ah, always on schedule.”

He turned back to Sienna. “If you’ll excuse me, cara mia, duty calls.”

Sienna’s throat tightened. “This conversation hasn't ended Mildred”

Mildred chuckled, stepping toward the door. “Oh, I’m counting on that. After you please”

Her fingers itched to slam the door behind her, but she forced herself to move with calm, calculated precision as she stepped past Mildred and the silent man at the door.

But just before she crossed the threshold, Mildred’s voice stopped her cold.

“Say hello to Alessandro for me.”

Sienna’s shoulders stiffened.

She didn’t turn around.

She didn’t give him the satisfaction.

Instead, she stepped into the hallway, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she put as much distance as possible between herself and the man who seemed to know more about her life than she did.

And then he was gone — leaving Sienna standing alone in the center of the hallway, the echo of his words spiraling like smoke through her mind.

Sienna’s mind raced. Why was he talking like this? Like her name was some sort of unspoken secret?

Her father had never been involved in anything criminal. Her family wasn’t part of this world — at least, not that she knew of.

But Mildred’s words chipped away at the foundation of what she thought she knew.

Her name wasn’t just Russo.

It was that Russo.

What the hell did that mean?