"THE MAFIA BOSS FOUND ME ON MY KNEES SCRUBBING THE FLOOR WITH A SWOLLEN, BRUISED LEG—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE FELL WHILE CLEANING,” BEFORE I COULD ANSWER HIM.

Working as Luca’s right hand was a masterclass in organized chaos. By day, we managed a billion-dollar legitimate real estate empire. By night, Luca orchestrated the defense of his territory against the Romano family’s escalating attacks.

I spent hours in the study, reviewing shipping manifests and supply chain ledgers for his construction sites. It was tedious work, but my sharp eye for detail—the same detail that made me a good cleaner—made me an excellent auditor.

Late one Thursday night, the estate was dead quiet. Luca was out handling a syndicate dispute, leaving me alone in the study with a mountain of paperwork.

I was cross-referencing a list of steel shipments intended for a new downtown high-rise when I noticed something strange. The routing numbers on three consecutive invoices didn't match our primary suppliers. The shipments had been diverted to a warehouse in the South Side—territory controlled exclusively by Don Romano.

My heart began to race. I dug deeper into the digital files. Whoever had authorized the diversion had used high-level executive clearance. Millions of dollars in raw materials were being quietly handed over to the enemy.

We had a mole.

Suddenly, the heavy oak door of the study clicked shut.

I spun around in my leather chair. Standing in the shadows was Marco, Luca’s head of security. He was a massive, scarred man who had always treated me with cold indifference.

"Working late, Mia?" Marco asked, his voice low and dangerous. He slowly locked the door behind him.

"Just finishing up some ledgers," I said, casually closing the laptop, my pulse pounding in my ears. "Mr. Moretti asked for the quarterly reports by morning."