A feared mafia boss is notorious for his ruthlessness and his refusal to listen to anyone—until a young woman offers him a piece of candy. That small act of kindness becomes the unlikely key to his guarded heart, and he decides to make her his wife. Now she must navigate a dangerous world of crime and power while figuring out whether the man who only listens to her can truly be trusted.
Don't cry, Mom. I'm happy to marry him. Mom cried harder. The next three days, the house was full of people. Stylists, protocol coaches, security briefers. They taught me how to behave in the household, what to say around associates, what never to say, complicated rules. rules. I stumbled through. The last woman stood before me a long time.
Wedding night? What makes it different from a regular night? The wedding was grand, when Dad walked me down the aisle. His arm was stiff under Mom in the front row, already crying before I'd taken a step. I figured it was parents did at weddings. I cried a little too. When Adriel took my hand at the end of
the aisle, I was still sniffling. Don't want to marry me? No, it's just, I'm hungry Get her something to eat Make it sweet
Nico disappeared Before long, a tray arrived Cake slices, macarons, little cups of chocolate mousse My eyes lit up
Adriel sat beside me and watched me eat through half the tray The bitterness drifted into my nose I wrinkled my brow I held chocolate cake to his mouth
You should eat some This one? This one's the best. Something flickered in his dark eyes.
He parted his lips and took a bite. After my third hiccup, Adriel stood. The women who'd briefed me said once I was in the household, my family's fate was tied to mine.
If I messed up, my parents paid. I clamped my hand over my mouth and didn't dare hiccup again. I ate a little too much. Walk with me.