THE MAFIA BOSS CALLED MY NAME THREE TIMES WHILE I WAS SERVING HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE HIT HER HEAD ON THE SERVICE DOOR,” BEFORE HE EVEN ASKED WHY I COULDN’T HEAR HIM. For three seconds, everyone at the table thought I was deliberately ignoring Luca Moretti. I wasn't.

The standoff in my tiny bedroom was suffocating.

I backed up until my shoulders hit the cold glass of the window, clutching Matteo so tightly my arms ached. The little boy was perfectly silent now, sensing the absolute, lethal tension in the room.

Daniel stood in the doorway, his 9mm pistol aimed squarely at the center of Luca’s chest. The security head’s hands were remarkably steady, but a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

Vanessa immediately stepped behind Daniel, using him as a human shield. The panicked victim routine vanished entirely, replaced by a cruel, triumphant smirk.

"You always were too smart for your own good, Luca," Vanessa sneered from over Daniel's shoulder. "I told Daniel you'd figure it out eventually. That's why we had a contingency plan."

Luca didn't raise his hands. He didn't dive for cover. He stood perfectly still, his dark eyes locked onto the man he had trusted with his life for the past five years.

"A contingency plan," Luca repeated, the words tasting like ash in the air. He looked at the silver pocket watch dangling from Daniel’s vest. "My father's watch, Daniel? Really? You sell me out to this parasite, and your price is a piece of jewelry?"

"It’s not just the watch, Boss," Daniel said, his voice tight but defensive. "She offered me a way out. Real money. Not just the crumbs you throw at the staff to keep us loyal. In a week, Isabella would have been quietly transferred to a state facility under a John Doe name. The kid goes into the system. Vanessa and I take the trust funds, we move to Europe, and you go on playing your legitimate businessman games."

Answer one: Daniel wasn't just hired muscle; he was a full partner in this conspiracy, driven by greed and resentment of Luca’s wealth.

"You think you're walking out of this house alive?" Luca asked, his tone entirely conversational.

"I know I am," Daniel replied, gesturing slightly with the gun. "Because you're going to walk downstairs with us. You're going to smile for your guests, and you're going to escort Vanessa and me to the private garage. If you try to signal your men, or if you refuse... I put a bullet in you."

Daniel shifted his aim for a fraction of a second, pointing the gun directly at me.

"And then I put a bullet in the maid and the kid."

A cold spike of pure terror pierced my stomach.

But the threat didn't make Luca surrender. It did the exact opposite.

The change in Luca Moretti was terrifying to witness. The calm, calculating businessman vanished. The civilized veneer he had worn all evening burned away, leaving nothing but the ruthless, predatory ghost of the Chicago underworld.

"Daniel," Luca said, his voice dropping into a ragged, demonic whisper. "If you point that weapon at her or my nephew again, I will not just kill you. I will skin you alive and mail the pieces to your mother."

The sheer, unadulterated violence in his voice made Daniel flinch. The gun wavered.

It was a microscopic mistake. But it was all Luca needed.

The reversal happened so fast my eyes could barely track it.

Luca didn't step back; he lunged forward. He swept his left arm up, catching Daniel’s wrist and driving it upward just as the gun went off.

BANG.

The gunshot was deafening in the small room. The bullet tore through the plaster ceiling, raining white dust down on the cheap carpet.

Before Daniel could pull the trigger again, Luca twisted his wrist with a sickening crunch. Daniel screamed, dropping the gun. Luca drove his knee viciously into Daniel's stomach, folding the larger man in half, then grabbed him by the throat and slammed him backward into the hallway wall.

The drywall buckled under the impact. Daniel slid to the floor, gasping for air, completely neutralized in less than three seconds.

Vanessa screamed in horror and spun around to run.

"Don't move," Luca roared, turning his attention to her.

Vanessa froze in the doorway, trembling violently.

Luca didn't go to her. He immediately turned his back on the traitors and rushed across the room to me.

He didn't care about the blood on his knuckles. He reached out, his massive hands gently framing my face, his thumbs brushing over my cheeks, checking for injuries.

"Are you hurt, Sophie?" he asked, his voice entirely different now—thick with a fierce, frantic protectiveness. "Did he hit you?"

"I'm okay," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. "I'm okay."

Luca looked down at the little boy in my arms. Matteo was staring at his uncle with wide eyes, processing the violence he had just witnessed.

Slowly, Luca reached out and gently laid his hand on Matteo’s dark hair.

"You're safe now, piccolo," Luca murmured softly. "I swear on my life, you are safe."

Matteo didn't pull away this time. He just blinked, burying his face back into my neck.

From the hallway, a heavy pair of boots came running.

Arthur, Luca’s massive second-in-command, skidded to a halt in the doorway, his own weapon drawn. He looked at Daniel gasping on the floor, Vanessa shivering against the wall, and the hole in the ceiling.

"Boss," Arthur grunted. "We heard the shot. The guests are panicking downstairs."

"Lock down the ballroom," Luca commanded, stepping away from me, his face hardening back into granite. "Tell the guests there was an accidental discharge by security. Keep them calm."

"And these two?" Arthur asked, gesturing to the traitors.

Luca looked at Daniel, then at Vanessa.

"Bring them downstairs," Luca said quietly.

Vanessa’s head snapped up, pure panic in her eyes. "Downstairs? Luca, no. Please. Call the police, do whatever you want, but don't take me down there. My parents are down there. The press is outside."

Luca stepped toward her, his presence utterly suffocating.

"You wanted an engagement dinner, Vanessa," Luca said, his voice devoid of all mercy. "You wanted the city to see you as the future Queen of this family."