"THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME SERVE HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER WITH MY HAIR COVERING ONE EYE—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE HIT HER FACE ON THE PANTRY DOOR,” BEFORE HE HAD EVEN ASKED WHAT HAPPENED.

Six months later.

The summer sun burned hot and golden over downtown Chicago.

From the seventy-second floor of the newly completed Moretti Tower on Michigan Avenue, the city looked like a vast grid of glass, steel, and blue water stretching out toward the horizon of Lake Michigan.

I stood behind a massive glass desk in the corner executive office, wearing a tailored navy blue suit and high heels. My hair was styled in soft waves over my shoulders. The bruise on my cheek was completely gone, leaving not even a scar behind—only the memory of a night that had rewritten my destiny.

A quiet knock sounded on my office door.

"Come in," I said, turning away from the window.

Daniel stepped inside, carrying a leather portfolio. Over the last six months, Daniel had become one of my closest allies in the company, handling executive security for all our commercial sites.

"Morning, Miss Hayes," Daniel smiled, setting the folder on my desk. "The quarterly audit for the Montreal port logistics came through. Profits are up thirty-two percent since we restructured the shipping routes."

"And the Bellini family?" I asked, opening the report.

"Don Vito retired to Sicily last month," Daniel reported smoothly. "Marco is running their local operations now, and he's been exceptionally polite. He sent a crate of vintage wine to the estate yesterday with his compliments."

"And Vanessa?"

"Still at the family estate in Toronto," Daniel said, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Word is she's supervising their agricultural greenhouses. No phone, no internet, no visitors."

I nodded, feeling a quiet sense of closure settle over me. Vanessa had tried to destroy my life for seventy-four dollars and a bad shift. Now, I was managing a multi-million-dollar corporate portfolio while she watered tomatoes under security supervision.

"Is Luca still in his board meeting?" I asked, closing the folder.

"Just finished," Daniel said, stepping aside as the double doors opened.

Luca walked into my office.

He wore a custom-fitted navy suit that matched mine perfectly. He looked powerful, rested, and impossibly handsome. The heavy, dark stress that had shadowed his face during his engagement to Vanessa was completely gone, replaced by an aura of calm, absolute authority.

"Thank you, Daniel," Luca nodded.

Daniel bowed his head slightly and stepped out, shutting the heavy door behind him.

Luca walked across the carpet toward my desk. As soon as he reached me, he pulled me into his arms, lifting me slightly off my feet and pressing a deep, passionate kiss to my lips that left me breathless.

"You look stunning today, Chief Operating Officer," he murmured against my mouth, his hands resting warm and possessive on my waist.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Don Moretti," I laughed softly, wrapping my arms around his neck. "How was the board meeting?"

"Boring," Luca smirked gently, kissing my forehead. "They spent two hours arguing over zoning permits in West Loop until I reminded them that we already own the city council zoning chair."

He took my hand, guiding me over to the leather sofa near the window. We sat together, my head resting comfortably against his chest while his fingers played lazily with my hair.

"I received a letter from Boston today," Luca mentioned casually.

I looked up. "From Elena?"

"Yes," Luca nodded. "She sold her estate in Massachusetts and moved to France. She sent a note wishing us well. She said... she was glad the ledgers ended up in the hands of someone who actually cared about protecting people."

I smiled softly, pressing a kiss to his collarbone through his silk shirt. "She was right to keep them hidden for so long. They were dangerous."

"They were," Luca agreed softly. "Which is why I burned them three weeks ago in the fireplace at the mansion."

I pulled back slightly, looking at him in surprise. "You burned the Moretti ledgers?"

"I don't need blackmail to rule my empire, Olivia," Luca said, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an absolute, unshakeable devotion that made my heart swell. "I have my wealth, I have my men, and most importantly... I have you. Everything else is just noise."

He reached into his inner suit pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

My breath hitched in my throat.

Luca slid off the couch, dropping down onto one knee on the hardwood floor before me. He opened the box.

Inside sat a flawless, cushion-cut emerald ring surrounded by a halo of micro-pave diamonds—a stone the exact shade of the velvet dress I had worn the night we broke Vanessa's trap.

"Olivia Hayes," Luca said, his deep voice trembling with a rare, beautiful emotion. "Nine months ago, you walked into my study with a bruised face and a folded photograph, risking everything to save a man you barely knew. You brought truth into a house built on shadows. You gave me back my life."

He looked up into my eyes, his own shining with unshed tears.

"Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Not for trade corridors. Not for family politics. But because I love you with every beat of my heart."