For six months, I slipped out of the office of Chicago’s most feared Mafia boss at exactly 3:17 every afternoon, and Dante Calvetti never once demanded an explanation. But the day he secretly followed me into a condemned basement filled with six abandoned children, a five-year-old boy stared up at him and whispered, “Daddy?”—and suddenly, the most dangerous man in Chicago looked terrified.

The following morning, the estate was alive with activity. Despite the impending mob war hanging over our heads, the children were thriving. Marcus had finally dropped his guard after Dante spent two hours in the estate’s workshop showing him how to rebuild an engine, while Lily and the twins were exploring the vast gardens under the watchful eyes of security guards.

I stood in Dante’s private study on the second floor, looking over financial ledgers and surveillance logs. Old habits died hard; even here, I was still acting as his assistant.

Dante entered, fastening the gold cufflinks on his crisp charcoal suit. He looked every bit the formidable mafia kingpin preparing for battle.

“You don’t have to work today, Olivia,” he said, walking over to my desk. “You’re a guest here. Not my employee.”

“I need to keep my mind busy,” I replied, looking up at him. “If I stop moving, I start thinking about what happens if Rossi discovers the children are alive.”

Dante placed his hands flat on the desk, leaning down until his eyes were level with mine. “Rossi won’t touch them. The syndicate council meeting tonight is held on neutral ground at the Drake Hotel. Every family head in Chicago will be there. Rossi thinks he’s going to corner me about trespassing on his territory.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked, feeling a surge of anxiety for his safety.

“I’m going to let him talk,” Dante said coldly. “And then I’m going to expose what he did eighteen months ago. In our world, even monster syndicate bosses have a code. Attacking an orphan shelter run by a civilian woman like Ruth is considered an unpardonable atrocity. Rossi hid what he did because he knew the council would turn on him. Tonight, I strip him of his protection.”

I stood up, stepping closer to him without thinking. “Dante, be careful. Rossi is a snake. If he feels cornered, he won’t play by the rules.”

Dante looked down at me, his gaze lingering on my lips before meeting my eyes. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing across my cheekbone.

“For six months, I watched you walk out of my office at 3:17,” Dante murmured softly. “Every single day, I wondered where you were going. I wondered what kind of life you had outside those walls. I never asked because I thought keeping my distance was protecting you from my world.”

His fingers traced the line of my jaw, making my breath hitch in my throat.

“I was wrong,” Dante whispered. “You were already in the middle of the fire. And now that I have you here… I’m never letting you fall again.”

Before I could process the sudden, electric warmth blooming between us, the study door burst open.

Leo hurried inside, his face pale and holding a encrypted tablet.

“Boss,” Leo said, his voice laced with urgency. “Our insider at Rossi’s club just sent a ping. Rossi didn’t call the council meeting to complain about turf lines. He found out about the children’s existence an hour ago. He has a mole inside our logistical network.”