THE MAFIA BOSS DISCOVERED HIS FIANCÉE’S SICK SECRET—NOW HE’S MAKING HER PAY AND TURNING THE MAID INTO HIS QUEEN

The revelation hung in the warm air of the study like a suffocating cloud of smoke.

My hand froze on Bruno’s golden coat. "Poisoned...?"

"Arsenic trioxide," Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Small, undetectable micro-doses administered over ninety days. It mimics congestive heart failure. By the time the coroner would have looked at my heart, Vanessa would have been the sole executor of the Moretti maritime trust."

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. "She was going to kill you in your own home."

"She was going to try," Luca corrected, a ruthless edge to his voice. "Getting rid of Bruno was just the preliminary test. She wanted to see if she could eliminate something I loved under my own roof without me noticing or fighting back. If I had accepted her lie about Bruno going to a countryside spa, she would have started putting the drops in my morning espresso next week."

He looked at me with an intensity that made it difficult to breathe.

"You didn't just save my dog today, Emma. You dismantled an assassination plot before the first dose was poured."

Before I could process the magnitude of what he was saying, the heavy study door clicked open. Daniel stepped inside, holding a thick manila folder and a secure encrypted tablet.

"Boss," Daniel said, glancing at me before looking at Luca. "We just intercepted a communication from Vanessa’s personal burner phone. She’s currently at the Bellini penthouse on Lake Shore Drive."

"Who did she call?" Luca asked.

"Marco Varga."

Luca’s posture shifted instantly. The relaxed demeanor vanished, replaced by the lethal predator who ruled the city’s shadows. Marco Varga was the ruthless enforcer for the rival Varga syndicate—a man known for violent extortion and untraceable hits.

"What did she tell him?" Luca demanded.

Daniel tapped the tablet screen. "She told him the engagement is off, that the Moretti shipping contracts are canceled, and that Salvatore’s debts will default by tomorrow afternoon. She offered Varga the security passcodes to our southern rail terminal in exchange for fifty percent of the seized cargo."

"She’s trying to trigger a gang war on our docks to cover her family's bankruptcy," Luca muttered, standing up and pacing toward the window overlooking the rain-soaked gardens.

"There's more," Daniel added, his jaw tightening. "Varga asked how Luca found out about the surrender clinic in Indiana. Vanessa gave him Emma’s full legal name, her home address in Bridgeport, and her mother’s medical records."

A bolt of pure, primal panic shot through my chest. I scrambled to my feet, nearly tripping over Bruno’s blanket.

"My mother...!" I gasped, my vision tunneling. "They know where my apartment is—all our things—"

In a fraction of a second, Luca crossed the room. His hands gripped my shoulders firmly, grounding me. "Emma. Look at me."

"Luca, please! They're going to kill her—"

"Listen to me," Luca ordered, his voice cutting through my hysteria like a beacon in a storm. "I have six armed guards stationed outside your mother’s hospital room right now. Not even a nurse enters without Daniel’s clearance. Your apartment in Bridgeport is already being packed up by my men. Everything you own is being moved to the estate guest cottage tonight."

I stared at him, my chest heaving, tears spilling over my lashes. "You... you already did that?"

"I don't leave my people exposed," Luca said softly, his thumbs gently wiping the tears from my cheeks. "You and your mother are under Moretti protection now. Anyone who approaches either of you will have to go through fifty armed men and me."

The sheer gravity of his words washed over me. For years, my life had been an endless struggle of unpaid bills, double shifts, eviction notices, and fear. I had spent my entire adult life protecting my sick mother all by myself.

And now, this powerful, dangerous man was standing between us and the entire underworld.

"Thank you," I whispered brokenly.

"You don't need to thank me," Luca murmured, his dark eyes searching mine with a tenderness that made my heart race for an entirely different reason. "Now, go upstairs. Mrs. Carter has prepared the guest suite on the third floor for you. Bruno will sleep in your room tonight."