Chapter 6 - The Mafia Boss Chose Me Over His Entire Empire
Matteo recovered faster than his doctors expected.
He was walking within days.
But he was different.
More cautious.
Less ruthless.
He ordered every legitimate company audited.
He dismantled the smuggling operations.
He turned over evidence against the Vitalis organization.
His own men began questioning him.
“Are you protecting the family?”
He answered:
“No.”
“Then why?”
“I'm protecting my future.”
His future was me.
I wasn't sure when it happened.
Somewhere between the first coat and the first time he asked permission to touch me, the fear had become trust.
The attraction had become love.
The danger had become a shared fight.
But the final battle required us to return to the Grand Balario.
The place where everything started.
Enzo had taken control of the hotel.
Dozens of guards surrounded it.
We entered through the kitchens.
Luca led the team.
I carried Eva's diary.
Matteo carried a gun.
We reached the private dining room.
Table 12.
The same marble floor.
The same chandelier.
The same window.
I stood in the center.
“I thought you hated this place,” Matteo said.
“I did.”
“And now?”
“It proves something.”
“What?”
“That humiliation doesn't get the final word.”
We found Enzo upstairs.
He had a gun to Emily's head.
Alisandre stood beside him.
She looked terrified.
Not powerful.
Terrified.
“Let her go.”
Enzo smiled.
“You always choose her.”
Matteo stepped forward.
“I always will.”
“You'll give up the empire?”
“Yes.”
“The money?”
“Yes.”
“The family?”
“Yes.”
Enzo stared.
“All for a maid?”
Matteo's expression hardened.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“For the woman I love.”
Alisandre looked at me.
“You really believe he'll stay?”
I answered:
“I don't need him to stay because he's afraid to leave.”
Matteo reached for my hand.
“He stays because he chooses.”
Enzo fired.
Luca returned fire.
The room erupted.
I grabbed Emily.
Matteo tackled Enzo.
Alisandre screamed.
The police arrived.
The attorney general was arrested.
Gabriel turned state's evidence.
Enzo was captured.
Alisandre was taken into custody.
But before being led away, she stopped beside me.
“I hated you.”
I looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because he looked at you differently.”
I said nothing.
She continued.
“He never looked at me like that.”
I answered:
“Because you never wanted him. You wanted what he represented.”
Her eyes filled.
Maybe she understood.
Maybe she didn't.
Either way, it was over.
The empire collapsed.
Matteo surrendered the criminal businesses.
He kept only the hotel.
And the hospitals.
He transformed them into legitimate operations.
The Grand Balario became a center for medical research and scholarships.
The same room where I had once knelt in spilled wine became a private dining room for charity events.
A plaque stood outside.
In memory of those who refused to disappear.
I cried when I saw it.
Matteo stood behind me.
“You like it?”
“I love it.”
He touched my shoulder.
“You deserve it.”
I turned.
“Not just me.”
May you like
He smiled.
“Us.”
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