The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Hid Him Upstairs After He Was Paralyzed and Poured Champagne for His Enemy — Everyone Treated Him Like a Corpse Until the Maid Rolled Him Back Into Power

The heavy oak door to Matteo’s bedroom opened without a knock.

Matteo didn't turn his head. He kept his eyes fixed on the dark windowpane, a scowl etched deep into his handsome, hardened features. He expected the usual routine: a terrified nurse tiptoeing into the room, apologizing for her very existence, leaving his pills, and fleeing before he could snap at her.

Since the shooting, four highly paid private nurses had quit. They couldn't handle his explosive anger or the terrifying aura of a wounded crime lord.

But the footsteps that entered the room were not hesitant. They were sharp, steady, and purposeful.

Elena Marlowe stepped into the dim light. She was twenty-four, wearing the crisp, understated uniform of the estate's domestic staff, carrying a silver tray with a plastic cup of medication and a glass of ice water.

She did not tremble when she looked at him. She did not speak to him like he was a fragile piece of glass about to shatter. She had the kind of tired, observant eyes that had absolutely no patience left for self-pity.

Elena set the tray down on the side table with a firm clatter.

“Medication time, Mr. Rinaldi,” she said, her voice perfectly level.

“Get out,” Matteo growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that usually sent his staff running for their lives.

Elena didn't move an inch. She picked up the small plastic cup and held it out toward him.

“The doctor said twice a day. I’m not leaving until you take them,” she replied calmly.

Matteo finally spun his wheelchair around, his dark, furious eyes locking onto her. He expected her to flinch away from his gaze. Men twice her size had broken out in a cold sweat under that look.

Elena just stared back, holding the cup steady.

“Do you know who I am?” Matteo asked, his voice dripping with venom.

“I know you’re a man who needs his painkillers,” Elena said plainly. “And I know your fiancée is currently throwing a party downstairs with your worst enemies.”