"I Served the Most Feared Mafia Boss a Forbidden Dish—Then He Asked a Question That Changed Everything"

The senior syndicate bosses immediately surrounded Moretti, their weapons drawn, dragging him toward a private back room for an emergency tribunal. Moretti’s reign was over; his own allies would ensure he never saw the light of day again.

Dominic led me away from the noise, ushering me into a quiet, dimly lit VIP lounge on the balcony level overlooking the city skyline.

"It's over," I breathed out, leaning against the glass railing, feeling a massive weight lift off my shoulders. "Moretti is finished."

"Yes," Dominic said, stepping up behind me, wrapping his broad arms around my waist, resting his chin gently on my shoulder. "You were incredible tonight, Evelyn. You held your head high in a room full of monsters."

"I wasn't afraid," I whispered, turning around in his arms to face him. "Because I knew you were beside me."

Dominic looked down at me, his dark eyes filled with a softness that no one else in the world was ever allowed to see. "I built an empire out of fear, Evelyn. I thought that power was the only thing that could keep me safe. But these past few weeks with you... eating your food, hearing your laugh, holding you... I realized I was living in a prison."

"Dominic..."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, exquisitely carved velvet box.

My heart skipped a beat. "What is that?"

"This belonged to my mother," Dominic said, opening the box to reveal a magnificent vintage emerald ring surrounded by brilliant diamonds. "She told me to give it to the woman who would bring life back into my heart. I thought that woman would never exist. Until you walked into my elevator holding a bowl of soup."

Tears sprang to my eyes. "Dominic, I..."

Click.

The sharp, terrifying sound of a gun being cocked shattered the romantic moment.

We both froze.

Standing in the doorway of the balcony, looking disheveled, bloody, and entirely insane, was Chef Antoine Mercer.

He was holding a snub-nosed revolver, his hand shaking violently, his eyes wild with unhinged fury.

"Antoine?" I gasped, stepping in front of Dominic instinctively. "What are you doing here?! You were in the hospital!"

"I dragged myself out of that bed for this!" Antoine spat, tears of rage leaking from his sunken eyes. "You ruined everything, Evelyn! You stupid, arrogant girl!"

Dominic immediately pushed me behind his back, placing himself between me and the gun. "Antoine. Lower the weapon. You were poisoned by Moretti's men. We saved your life."

"Poisoned?!" Antoine laughed hysterically, a sickening, broken sound. "I wasn't poisoned by Moretti! I poisoned myself!"

I gasped, gripping the back of Dominic’s suit jacket. "What?!"

"Moretti paid me three million dollars to kill you, Romano!" Antoine screamed, pointing the gun directly at Dominic’s chest. "I put the toxin in the clear broth! But when I heard you were coming downstairs forty-eight minutes early, I panicked! I knew if the salt was off, you’d execute me! So I took a micro-dose of the toxin to faint—to make it look like an attack so service would be canceled!"

The sick, twisted truth finally clicked into place. Chef Antoine hadn't been a victim. He was the mastermind inside the kitchen all along.

"I was supposed to recover, collect my money, and retire to Europe!" Antoine raved, stepping closer, his finger tightening on the trigger. "But then YOU," he glared at me, "YOU cooked that damn Sicilian soup! You saved him! You took my kitchen, my reputation, and my money!"

"Antoine, don't do this," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "It's over. Put the gun down."

"It ends now!" Antoine shrieked, raising the gun directly at my face.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed across the balcony.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact. But no pain came.

When I opened my eyes, Chef Antoine was staring down at his chest in shock. A single bullet hole pierced his jacket. He dropped the revolver, collapsed onto the marble floor, and went still.

Standing behind him in the doorway was Marcus, holding a suppressed pistol, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"Are you alright, boss?" Marcus asked, stepping over Antoine’s body.

Dominic didn't answer. He turned around instantly, pulling me violently into his arms, crushing me against his chest as if he would never let me go. I could feel his heart hammering wildly against his ribs.

"I'm fine, Dominic," I sobbed into his shoulder, holding him tight. "I'm okay."