A three-year-old girl destroyed the birthday cake of one of New York’s most feared mafia boss’s sons—and for several terrifying seconds, everyone thought my daughter had just made the worst mistake of her life. Then Lily pointed toward the kitchen and whispered, “A man touched Ethan’s cake,” and Dominic Moretti’s fury turned into something far more frightening.

Three days passed. The atmosphere inside the estate remained tense, but a new routine began to form within the master wing.

Every morning, I prepared breakfast for Ethan and Lily in the private kitchen. Dominic joined us every day—a habit Ethan said his father had never maintained before. The cold, distant mafia boss who ruled New York's underworld sat at the granite counter, reading the financial news while Lily happily tried to feed him bits of her blueberry pancakes.

"Eat it, Mr. Dominic," Lily insisted, pushing a small fork toward his mouth. "It makes you big and strong!"

Dominic, a man who commanded hundreds of armed soldiers, actually leaned down and accepted the pancake slice from a three-year-old.

"Thank you, Lily," he said, chewing with a straight face while Ethan giggled behind his orange juice glass.

I caught Dominic looking at me over the counter, a subtle, warm glint in his dark eyes that made my face flush hot.

"You're very patient with her," I said softly as I cleared the dishes.

"She saved my legacy," Dominic said simply, leaning back against the leather stool. "She can do whatever she wants in this house."

Suddenly, Marcus entered the kitchen, holding an encrypted satellite phone.

"Boss," Marcus said, his tone urgent. "Valenti just called a meeting of the Five Families at the neutral site in Midtown. He's demanding a territorial renegotiation."

Dominic's relaxed posture vanished instantly. He stood up, buttoning his suit jacket with fluid, practiced ease. "When?"

"Two hours."

"Prepare the motorcade," Dominic commanded.

As Marcus hurried away, I stepped toward Dominic, sudden fear gripping my chest. "Is it a trap?"

Dominic stopped and turned to face me. He looked at my worried expression, then reached out, gently holding my jaw in his large, warm hand.

"Valenti thinks he crippled me by scaring my son," Dominic said, his voice dropping into that dark, velvety tone that sent shivers straight to my core. "He thinks I'm defensive. He doesn't realize that attacking my family only removes my restraints."

"Dominic, please be careful," I whispered, resting my hand over his on my jaw.