Chapter 7 - The Proposal of Protection
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By 4:00 AM, the estate was secure.
Sophia was pacing the length of the penthouse living room when the heavy doors finally hissed open.
Alessandro walked in. His tactical gear was covered in dust and a concerning amount of blood, but he was standing tall. He looked exhausted, yet victorious.
Sophia didn't think. She sprinted across the room and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.
Alessandro froze for a fraction of a second, entirely unused to such pure, uncalculated affection. Then, his massive arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her off her feet, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.
“I told you I would come back,” he murmured into her dark hair.
He set her down gently, stepping back to remove his heavy tactical vest.
“Is it over?” Sophia asked, searching his face.
“No,” Alessandro said grimly, walking over to the bar to pour a stiff glass of whiskey. “We captured Vincent and the Viper lieutenant. But during the interrogation, Silas laughed in my face. He said cutting off the tail won't kill the snake.”
Alessandro downed the whiskey in one burning gulp.
“Mateo is the new boss of the Vipers,” Alessandro revealed, turning to face her. “Your ex-husband orchestrated this entire coup.”
Sophia’s blood turned to ice. She stumbled backward, her knees hitting the edge of the sofa.
“Mateo?” she gasped. “He was just a low-level enforcer when I left him. How could he take over the syndicate?”
“He’s ruthless, and he’s smart,” Alessandro said, walking toward her. “And now that he knows Vincent failed, he knows you are here. He knows you exposed his mole.”
“He’ll come for Emma,” Sophia panicked, tears instantly flooding her eyes. “He’s a monster, Alessandro. He’ll take her from me just to punish me for leaving.”
Alessandro dropped to one knee in front of her, taking both of her shaking hands in his. His gray eyes were intense, filled with an unyielding, terrifying devotion.
“I will burn this city to the bedrock before I let that man touch a single hair on your daughter's head,” Alessandro vowed fiercely.
“You can’t protect us forever,” Sophia cried. “We’re just the help. Your other capos will demand you hand us over to avoid an all-out war with the Vipers.”
“They won't demand anything,” Alessandro stated, his voice dropping to a smooth, dangerous whisper, “if you are my wife.”
Sophia stopped breathing. She stared at him, sure she had misheard.
May you like
“What?”
“Marry me, Sophia,” Alessandro said, his thumb gently tracing her knuckles. “Not as a fake arrangement. Marry me immediately. It elevates you to the Queen of this syndicate. It gives you absolute, legal, and criminal immunity. An attack on you becomes an attack on the entire Moretti family.”
