The Mafia Boss Demanded She Lose Weight — Her Savage Reply Made Him Obsessed

By Wednesday, the tension inside the Moretti estate had reached a boiling point. The mole inside the organization had realized an audit was underway. Two server nodes had been remotely wiped, but Dakota had already mirrored the files to an off-site location Gabriel didn't even know existed.

At four p.m., Gabriel walked into the library carrying a garment bag.

"Put this on," he said, tossing the bag onto the sofa. "We're going out."

Dakota raised an eyebrow. "I don't do field trips, Mr. Moretti. I do spreadsheets."

"Tonight is the annual charity gala for the Children’s Hospital at The Drake Hotel," Gabriel said, his tone leaving no room for debate. "Every major family in the Midwest will be there. Including the man who is trying to buy my dock terminals."

"And what do I have to do with that?"

"The man buying those terminals is receiving financial reports from inside my network," Gabriel said, leaning against the edge of her desk. "I need you there to identify the person delivering the hard-copy ledger tonight. My men know weapons; they don't know financial documents."

Dakota opened the garment bag. Inside was a custom-tailored emerald green velvet gown. It had a deep V-neck, structured shoulders, and a flared A-line skirt designed specifically to complement her heavy hips and full bust.

"Who picked this out?" Dakota asked, running her fingers over the rich fabric.

"I did," Gabriel said simply. "I told the designer your exact measurements. She said green would look good with your hair."

Dakota looked at him, surprised despite herself. "I'm not a size two, Gabriel. Your society friends will stare."

Gabriel walked closer to her, stopping until he was standing right in front of her chair. He leaned down, placing his hands on the armrests, trapping her within his space.

"Let them stare," Gabriel whispered, his dark voice brushing against her skin. "I don't care about size twos, Dakota. I care about power. And tonight, you are the most dangerous thing in that room."

Two hours later, Dakota stood before the full-length mirror in the estate's dressing room. The emerald velvet hugged her waist, poured over her curves, and exposed the smooth expanse of her neck and chest. She looked rich, formidable, and undeniable.

When she descended the grand staircase into the foyer, Gabriel was waiting at the bottom in a black tux.

He stopped breathing for three seconds.

His eyes traveled slowly down her neck, over the swell of her chest, down to her wide, hips, and back up to her face. There was no disgust in his expression now. There was something far worse: a dark, possessive hunger that made Dakota’s pulse jump against her ribs.

"You look..." Gabriel started, his voice rough.

"Fat?" Dakota supplied smoothly.