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.

Two weeks passed.

The fallout from the Valenti investigation shook the entire East Coast underworld. The Valenti empire was dismantled completely, its assets seized or absorbed into the Moretti syndicate.

In Westchester, however, peace finally settled over the estate.

The heavy iron shutters were raised, allowing bright summer sunlight to flood the marble halls once again. The staff had been completely restructured, with Marcus persönlich vetting every new employee down to their family backgrounds.

I stood on the grand lawn, watching Lily and Ethan run around near the stone fountain, chasing a young golden retriever puppy that Dominic had bought for Ethan's birthday makeup present.

"Look, Mommy!" Lily shouted, her cheeks red from running. "Goldie caught the ball!"

"Good job, sweetie!" I laughed, waving at her.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Dominic leaned down, resting his chin on my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin.

"They look happy," he observed quietly.

"They're safe," I replied, leaning back against his broad chest. "That's all that matters."

"I spoke with my legal team this morning," Dominic said, turning me around in his arms so he could look into my eyes.

"About what?"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, dark velvet box.

My heart skipped a beat. "Dominic..."

He opened the box to reveal a stunning, flawless emerald ring surrounded by delicate diamonds, sparkling brilliantly under the afternoon sun.

"When you stood in front of my son on the ballroom floor, you risked everything for my family," Dominic said, his voice deep, emotional, and entirely sincere. "I spent six years looking for loyalty in men who wore five-thousand-dollar suits, never realizing that the most powerful person in this house was the woman who kept my home running."

He took my trembling left hand, slipping the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

"I don't want you to be my housekeeper, Maya," he whispered, looking into my eyes with pure devotion. "I want you to be my wife. I want to build a real family with you, Ethan, and Lily."