She Spilled Coffee on the Most Feared Man in Chicago and Expected to Die, but the Reason He Took Her Home Was Buried in Her Mother’s Last Lie

Emma took a step back, her back hitting the bedroom wall. “What do you mean 'no'? You just read the journal! It says Helen took Catherine’s daughter!”

Damian slammed the journal shut, the loud noise echoing like a gunshot through the small room.

“My mother had a daughter, yes,” Damian said, taking long, predatory strides toward her until he trapped her against the wall, his hands resting on either side of her head. “She was born six months before the fire. But my mother gave birth in a private hospital in Switzerland. That baby died three days after birth due to lung failure. I was twelve years old, Emma. I held that dead baby girl in my arms. I watched my mother weep over her tiny casket.”

Emma’s breath hitched. “Then… who am I?”

Damian reached out, his long fingers gently grasping her chin, forcing her to look up into his fierce gray eyes.

“Look at the dates in the journal, Emma,” Damian murmured, his voice dropping into an intense whisper. “The baby girl Catherine gave Helen wasn’t my sister. Catherine took in a child born from her best friend—Helen Vance—and the man Helen was secretly sleeping with behind my father’s back.”

Emma stared at him, her heart beating wildly against her ribs. “Who?”

“Arthur Vance,” Damian revealed, his eyes darkening with lethal hatred. “My uncle. The man who ordered the hit on my family. The man who sent those shooters to your coffee shop today.”

The truth hit Emma like a tidal wave.

She wasn’t an innocent barista caught in the crossfire. She wasn’t Damian’s sister.

She was the secret, illegitimate daughter of the darkest mob boss in Chicago—the very villain Damian had spent the last decade trying to destroy!

“My mother… lied about everything,” Emma sobbed, the weight of the revelation crushing her chest. “She made me believe I was nobody… just a girl from Ohio…”

“She lied to protect you from Arthur,” Damian said, his thumb softly wiping away a stray tear from her cheek. His touch was unexpectedly hot against her icy skin. “Arthur Vance slaughters anyone who threatens his power—including his own blood if they pose a threat to his estate. If he knew Helen had his child, he would have used you as a weapon or put a bullet through your head years ago.”

Emma closed her eyes, trembling as the horrifying reality settled in. “And now… now he knows I exist. That’s why his men attacked the café. He wasn’t trying to kill you today, Damian… he was trying to kill me!”

“Yes,” Damian gritted out, his face inches from hers. She could feel his warm breath, smell the lethal temptation of his cologne mixed with rain. “He wants to erase his past. He wants to destroy the last piece of proof that could destroy his empire.”

Suddenly, the night outside erupted into screams!

BOOM!

A heavy explosion shook the foundations of the cottage! The glass windows in the bedroom shattered inward in a shower of sharp ice!

“BOSS!” a guard yelled from the hallway before a volley of heavy machine-gun fire cut him down!

“Damian!” Emma screamed, covering her head as wood splinters flew everywhere.

Damian moved with terrifying speed. He grabbed Emma by her waist, slamming her down onto the floor beneath the heavy oak bed frame just as high-caliber rounds shredded through the bedroom walls like paper!

“Stay down!” Damian roared. He drew his twin pistols from his shoulder holsters, his gray eyes flashing with raw, murderous instinct.

Footsteps rushed down the narrow hallway—heavy, tactical boots.

“Clear the rooms!” a rough voice barked outside. “Vance wants the girl’s body identified! Leave no survivors!”

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, her hands clutching Damian’s tactical vest. “Damian… they’re going to kill us!”

Damian looked down at her. In the dim, smoke-filled light of the burning cottage, his expression wasn't one of fear. It was pure, unadulterated madness and fierce protectiveness.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear, sending an electric shock straight to her heart.