Five Powerful Women Wanted Him—But the Mafia Boss Chose the Waitress

Liya stared at her mother in complete shock.

"How do you know about the black lion tattoo?" Liya asked, her voice trembling. "Mom, what aren't you telling me?"

Eleanor sighed heavily, looking down at her frail, pale hands.

"Twenty-five years ago, before you were born, I worked as a bookkeeper," Eleanor confessed quietly. "I didn't work for a normal accounting firm, Liya. I worked for the Falcone family. Isabella Falcone's father."

The room spun. The Falcones. One of the five families currently hunting her.

"I saw things I shouldn't have seen," Eleanor continued, tears welling in her eyes. "I saw the money laundering, the bribes. When I tried to leave, they threatened me. I changed my name, ran away, and had you. I thought we were safe. But when Adrian brought us here... I recognized the crest on the gates."

"Mom, why didn't you tell me?!" Liya cried out.

"Because I wanted to protect you from this life!" Eleanor wept. "But now, you are right in the middle of it. If Isabella Falcone finds out you are my daughter, she won't just want you dead because of Adrian. She'll want you dead to tie up her father's loose ends."

Liya stood up, her mind racing. This changed everything. She wasn't just a random waitress caught in a love triangle. She was a ghost from the syndicate's past.

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open.

One of Adrian’s security guards, a man named Marcus, stood in the doorway. His gun was drawn, but he didn't look like he was protecting them. He looked terrified.

"Miss Hart," Marcus said, his voice shaking. "You need to come with me right now. Adrian’s been compromised."