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

Liya stepped out from behind the staircase, her entire body trembling.

"He's going to kill me," she whispered, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "Your own uncle is going to kill me."

Adrian crossed the room in three massive strides, closing the distance between them. He didn't hesitate. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her. Liya gasped at the sudden contact, but the warmth of his body offered a terrifying kind of comfort.

"I will not let him touch you," Adrian murmured into her hair. "I swore I would protect you, and I meant it."

"He said you can't fight all five families," Liya sobbed against his expensive suit jacket. "You have to give me up, Adrian. If you don't, they'll kill you too."

Adrian pulled back, gripping her shoulders firmly. His gray eyes were burning with a fierce, uncompromising fire.

"I am not giving you up," he stated. "But Lorenzo is right about one thing. The Commission only respects blood and law. If you are just my mistress, you are expendable. If you are my wife, an attack on you is an act of war against the entire Moretti empire."

Liya stared at him, the air leaving her lungs.

"Your... wife?"

"We are getting married," Adrian commanded. It wasn't a proposal; it was a tactical maneuver. "Tomorrow. I will have my lawyers draft a contract. It will guarantee your mother's medical care for the rest of her life, and it will grant you the full, legal protection of my name."

"A fake marriage?" Liya asked, her mind reeling.

"A legal one," Adrian corrected softly. "To the rest of the world, we are madly in love. It is the only way to shield you from the five heiresses."