Chapter 10 - THE KING AND THE MONGRELOne year to the day after porcelain exploded across the marble floor of the Manhattan penthouse, the city was draped in a breathtaking, golden autumn sunset.
There were no guards standing outside the double doors of our new home—a sprawling brownstone in Brooklyn with a massive private garden where Cerberus could run off-leash whenever he pleased. The underworld had settled into a quiet, structured peace under Enzo’s modernized syndicate, and the federal prosecutors had long since closed their files on the Dante family corruption scandal, satisfied with the clean sweep of municipal governance.
I stood on the second-floor balcony, wearing a simple silk sundress, watching the fading orange light paint the Manhattan skyline across the river.
Footsteps approached from behind, steady and familiar. Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and a warm chin rested softly on my shoulder.
"You're quiet tonight," Enzo murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my neck.
I leaned back against his chest, letting my hands rest over his arms. Down in the garden below, Cerberus was lying lazily on the green grass, chewing on a rubber bone, completely at peace with the world.
"I was just thinking about that night," I whispered, smiling softly. "The dinner tray. The red sauce on my shoes. The moment I saw him by the terrace."
Enzo chuckled, a low, rich sound that vibrated right through me. "If you hadn't dropped that tray, we probably never would have crossed paths."
"Or you would have had me thrown out the window," I countered playfully, turning around in his arms to face him.
Enzo’s dark eyes softened, the fierce, dangerous mafia boss melting away entirely, leaving only the man who had shared his darkness, his power, and his heart with me.
"I never would have thrown you out," Enzo said softly, his voice thick with absolute conviction. "I knew the moment you started singing to that beast that my life was never going to be the same again."
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box that caught the golden evening light.
My breath caught in my throat.
Enzo didn't drop to one knee—that wasn't his style. Instead, he held my gaze with an intensity that could move mountains, popping the lid open to reveal a stunning, vintage diamond ring surrounded by a delicate halo of platinum.
"No mob wars, no corrupt politicians, no secrets," Enzo said, his voice steady, deep, and entirely devoted. "Just a quiet house, a very spoiled pitbull, and a future that belongs entirely to us."
Tears welled in my eyes, but this time, there was no grief behind them—only an overwhelming wave of joy, love, and absolute completion.
May you like
I reached out, taking the ring from the velvet slot, and slipped it onto my finger myself, right before pulling him down into a deep, passionate kiss as the golden sun dipped below the New York skyline.
Down in the garden, Cerberus let out a happy, sharp bark into the evening air, as if giving his final approval to the pack he had helped create.
