A Mafia Heiress Poured Ice Water Over the Waitress—Then Her Brother Asked for the Waitress’s Employment File

Leandro didn't take me to the servant's quarters. He led me up the grand staircase, past the guest wing, and straight into the master suite—his bedroom.

The room was massive, decorated in dark woods and deep greys, smelling intensely of him.

He locked the heavy oak door behind us and tossed his gun onto the nightstand.

"Go to the bathroom. Take a hot shower before you catch pneumonia," he ordered, loosening his tie.

I didn't move. I stood in the center of the room, still wrapped in his jacket, the adrenaline finally crashing out of my system. My legs gave out.

I collapsed onto the edge of his king-sized bed, burying my face in my hands. The image of Russo’s gun pointed at me flashed behind my eyelids. A choked sob escaped my throat.

Suddenly, the bed dipped. Leandro knelt on the floor in front of me.

His large, calloused hands gently pulled my wrists away from my face.

"Look at me, Maya," he said softly.

I opened my eyes. He was staring at me with an intensity that made the air in the room feel incredibly thin.

"You're safe," he murmured, his thumbs wiping away the tears I hadn't realized were falling. "Russo will never breathe free air again. And my father won't touch you. I swear it on my life."

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "I'm just a maid. I was just a waitress. I'm nothing to you."

Leandro’s eyes darkened. He moved closer, sliding his hands up my arms to cup my face.

"You stood up to my sister when everyone else bowed. You walked into a crossfire armed with a rusty pipe to save a girl who treated you like garbage." He leaned in, his lips hovering inches from mine. "You are the only real thing in this entire fake world, Maya. And you are far from nothing to me."

He didn't ask for permission. He closed the distance, pressing his lips against mine.

The kiss was desperate, bruising, and tasted like whiskey and danger. My hands tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer as the world outside the locked door completely disappeared.