Chapter 13 - A Proposal of Iron
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The announcement reverberated through the underworld like a shockwave.
By midnight, every syndicate in New York knew that Nicholas Caruso had claimed Maria Santos as his fiancée, placing the full weight of the Caruso empire behind her protection.
Back at the mansion, Maria stood on the balcony of the master suite, wrapped in a black silk robe, looking out over the dark estate grounds.
Step quietly, Nicholas walked up behind her, gently wrapping a warm wool blanket around her shoulders.
“You shouldn't be out in the cold,” he murmured.
“Did you mean it?” Maria asked softly, without turning around. “What you told the bosses tonight?”
Nicholas rested his hands on the stone railing beside her. “I don't make statements I don't intend to keep, Maria.”
Maria turned to face him, searching his stoic, handsome features. “Nicholas, you don't have to marry me to protect us. You’ve already done more than anyone ever has.”
“I’m not doing it just to protect you, Maria,” Nicholas said, his eyes softening as he looked down at her. “I’m doing it because for eleven years, I thought my heart died with Elena. But when I look at you... when I see you laugh, when I watch you care for this home... I realize I want a future again.”
He reached out, cupping her cheek gently in his broad hand.
“I love you, Maria,” Nicholas confessed quietly. “And I love Lucy as if she were my own daughter. Let me give you my name. Let me give you a home where nobody can ever make you hide again.”
Tears spilled over Maria’s lashes, but this time they were tears of joy. She leaned into his touch, pressing her face into his palm.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “Yes, Nicholas. I love you.”
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He pulled her close, kissing her deeply under the starlit sky, sealing a promise made of iron and love.
Down in the gardens, however, a sniper’s infrared scope locked onto the balcony—hovering just inches from Nicholas’s chest.
