The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Called Me a Clumsy Fat Maid and Raised Her Hand at His Mother—Then the Blow I Took Turned Their Alliance Into a Reckoning Bianca Moretti’s diamond-ringed hand struck my face instead of the elderly woman standing behind me.

By midnight, the news of Bianca Moretti’s arrest had shattered the New York underworld. The Moretti family’s reputation was in ruins, their allies deserting them by the hour.

I couldn't sleep. The adrenaline from the day’s events was still coursing through my veins.

I stepped out onto the quiet second-floor balcony, looking out at the illuminated rose garden below. The cool night air felt soothing against my healing cheek.

“You should be resting,” a deep voice murmured from behind me.

I turned to see Dominic leaning against the doorframe, holding two glasses of amber whiskey. He was wearing an unbuttoned silk shirt, looking breathtakingly handsome in the moonlight.

“I couldn't sleep,” I confessed, accepting a glass from him. “Everything happened so fast.”

Dominic walked over to the stone railing, standing close beside me. The scent of dark cedar and expensive cologne enveloped my senses.

“You were incredible today, Skyler,” he said quietly, looking down at me. “Most people would have broken down under that kind of pressure.”

“I’m used to people trying to throw me away,” I said, looking down at my shoes. “When you grow up without a family, you learn to stand your ground.”

Dominic set his glass on the ledge and took a step closer, closing the distance between us.

His large hand reached out, his thumb gently tracing the line of black stitches on my cheek. The heat of his touch made my breath catch in my throat.

“No one will ever throw you away again, Skyler,” Dominic promised, his dark eyes burning into mine with an intensity that made my heart hammer against my ribs. “Not while I’m breathing.”

“Dominic...” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I’m just a maid—”

“Don't ever say that again,” he interrupted, his hand sliding behind my neck, tilting my head up. “You are the strongest, most exquisite woman I have ever met.”

He leaned down.

His lips met mine in a slow, possessive kiss that tasted of sweet whiskey and raw, dangerous fire. Every fiber of my body melted into his chest as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me impossibly close.