**THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME GATHER THIRTY-SEVEN WOODEN BEADS FROM THE MARBLE FLOOR AFTER HIS TEN-YEAR-OLD SON'S FIANCÉE CUT THE BRACELET OFF HIS WRIST DURING THEIR ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN SHE SAID, “HE BROKE IT BECAUSE HE WANTS YOU TO FEEL GUILTY,” BEFORE HE EVEN ASKED WHY THE LITTLE BOY WAS COUNTING EVERY BEAD AND WHISPERING, “I WAS SAVING THE LAST ONE FOR DADDY.”**

The rain lashed against the kitchen windows, casting fractured shadows across the stainless-steel counters.

Luca stood blocking the doorway, his hand still resting on the weapon beneath his jacket. He didn't move. He didn't blink.

"Step inside, Sterling," Luca commanded.

The lawyer hurried out of the storm, dripping water onto the pristine tile floor. He looked terrified. Arthur Sterling had handled the Moretti family’s legitimate legal affairs for a decade, but he rarely showed up at the estate unannounced at midnight.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moretti," Sterling stammered, wiping his wet glasses. "I wouldn't have come like this, but I intercepted a file transfer from Vanessa Bellini’s father’s firm. They were running a deep background check."

"On me?" Luca asked coldly.

"No." Sterling pointed a trembling finger at me. "On her."

I shrank back against the kitchen island. "Me? Why would they care about me? Miss Vanessa already knew about my mother."

"They weren't looking at your mother's medical bills, Melissa," Sterling said, setting his wet briefcase on the counter. He popped the latches. "They were looking at your father."

The air left my lungs.

"My father died when I was six," I whispered. "He was a mechanic."

Sterling pulled out a thick, water-damaged manila folder and slid it across the marble counter.

"Your father, David Carter, was a mechanic, yes. But he didn't just fix regular cars. He was the head mechanic for the Rossi family garage."

Luca went completely still.

Even I knew the name Rossi. Everyone in Chicago knew the name. They were the rival faction, the family that had been locked in a cold war with the Morettis for twenty years.

"He was a civilian," I said, my voice shaking. "He just fixed engines."

"He fixed the engines of the cars they used for jobs," Luca said quietly, staring at the file. He looked up at me, his eyes searching my face. "Did you know this?"

"No! I swear to you, Mr. Moretti. My mother never spoke of his work. He died in a garage fire when I was little."

"It wasn't a random fire," Sterling said softly. "The Bellini family lawyers found the old police reports. The fire was arson. Covered up by the Rossis to tie up loose ends. But that's not why Vanessa's father is pulling these files."

"Then why?" Luca demanded.

Sterling pulled a second document from his briefcase. It was a photocopy of a heavily redacted contract.

"Because of this. Three years ago, a mechanic at that exact same Rossi-controlled garage was paid forty thousand dollars in cash by a shell company."

"For what?" I asked.

"To tamper with the brake lines of a 2021 Mercedes SUV," Sterling said.

The silence in the kitchen was absolute. The only sound was the rain beating against the glass.

Luca's face drained of color.

A 2021 Mercedes SUV.

The car Elena Moretti had died in.

"My God," I whispered, covering my mouth.

"Vanessa's family owns the shell company," Sterling explained rapidly, his eyes darting to Luca. "The Bellinis paid for the sabotage. They orchestrated Elena's death so Vanessa could slide in, marry you, and merge their family's wealth with your empire."

Luca didn't shout. He didn't move.

He just stared at the piece of paper. The paper that proved his wife hadn't died in an accident. She had been murdered by the woman he had almost married tonight.

"Why pull Melissa's file, then?" Luca asked, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.

"Because the mechanic who cut the brakes three years ago," Sterling said, looking at me with pity, "was your older brother, Michael Carter."

The floor seemed to tilt beneath me.

"No," I gasped, grabbing the edge of the counter to stay standing. "No, Michael hasn't lived in Chicago in years. He moved to Seattle. He sends me postcards."

"He lied to you, Melissa," Sterling said gently. "He never left Chicago. He took up your father's old mantle at the Rossi garage. The Bellinis found out. Vanessa realized that if you ever talked about your brother to Luca, the connection might be made. That's why she was so desperate to fire you tonight. You were a loose end she didn't know existed until this week."

I looked at Luca. I expected to see rage. I expected him to pull his gun and kill me right there in the kitchen. My blood was tied to the man who murdered his wife.

Instead, Luca looked at me with a strange, tragic understanding.

"You didn't know," he said softly.

"I didn't," I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. "I swear on my mother's life, Mr. Moretti. I haven't seen Michael in five years. I thought he was working in construction."

Luca walked around the counter. He didn't reach for his weapon. He reached out and placed a steady, grounding hand on my shoulder.

"Breathe, Melissa."

"I have to leave," I panicked, pulling off my apron. "I have to get out of your house. Your men—they'll think I'm a spy. They'll think I set you up."

"Nobody touches you," Luca said, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "You saved my son tonight. You stood between him and a weapon. You are under my protection."

He turned to the lawyer. "Sterling. How long until the Bellinis realize you intercepted this file?"

"By morning," the lawyer said, wiping his brow. "As soon as their IT department logs on, they'll see the bounce-back. Vanessa's father will know we have the proof of Elena's murder."

"Which means they will try to strike first," Luca said. His eyes darkened, the mafia boss fully awakening. "They will come for Mason. And they will come for Michael, to silence the only witness."

"Mr. Moretti, please," I begged. "My brother is a fool, but he's my blood. Don't kill him."

Luca looked at me. "I don't want to kill him, Melissa. I want him to testify to the Five Families. I want him to confess publicly that the Bellinis broke the truce."

Before I could answer, a small sound came from the hallway.

We all froze.

I turned around.

Mason was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was holding his favorite blue blanket, his eyes wide and terrified.

He had heard everything.

"Daddy?" Mason whispered, his voice trembling. "Did Vanessa kill Mommy?"

Luca closed his eyes in agony. He walked over to his son and dropped to his knees, pulling the boy into a fierce hug.

But as he held his son, Mason reached out a small hand toward me.

He uncurled his fingers.

Resting in his palm was a small, heavy silver key.

"I found this in the hallway just now," Mason whispered. "Vanessa dropped it when she ran away."

Luca took the key. It wasn't a car key. It wasn't a house key.