Chapter 8 - The Queen of the Underworld
Six months later, the sun rose over a sprawling, heavily guarded private estate overlooking the rugged cliffs of Maine.
The air was crisp, smelling of pine and salt water. In the expansive courtyard garden, a toddler with bouncy curls and a bright pink dress was chasing a golden retriever in circles, shrieking with delighted laughter.
On the veranda, seated at a wrought-iron table covered in fresh coffee, pastries, and international business reports, sat Vincent Rossi. His sharp suit jacket was draped over the back of his chair, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his powerful forearms.
Footsteps approached softly from behind.
A pair of slim, elegant arms wrapped around his neck, and a soft kiss was planted right on top of his black hair.
"You're working too hard again, Mr. Rossi," Sophie teased gently, sliding into the seat opposite him. She wore a breezy white summer dress, looking every bit the radiant, confident woman she had become—far removed from the terrified waitress cowering in a Boston kitchen.
Vincent caught her hand, pulling her fingers to his lips and pressing a warm kiss to her knuckles.
"Not working, my love. Just reviewing the merger documents for the Boston shipping ports," Vincent smiled, a genuine, completely softened smile that only Sophie and Sofia were ever privileged to see. "We officially own Vittorio's building now, by the way. I had the old kitchen torn down to build a private playground for our daughter."
Sophie laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "You bought my old restaurant just to build a playground? You're completely ruthless, Vincent."
"Only to my enemies," Vincent corrected smoothly, leaning across the table to capture her lips in a deep, lingering kiss that made her heart race just as fast as it had on the first night in the wine cellar.
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Down on the lawn, little Sofia stopped chasing the dog, looked up at them, and waved energetically with a loud, joyful giggle.
Sophie waved back, resting her hand over Vincent's. The dark shadows of her past—the poverty, the fear, the abandonment—were gone, washed away by the tide of an unexpected, dangerous, and fiercely loyal love. She had walked into work expecting to be fired, but instead, she had found the most feared mafia boss in the country—and in his arms, she had finally found home.
