The mafia boss had been rejected by beautiful women in penthouses, heiresses at charity galas, and one actress who had actually cried when he refused to buy her a house.

Three months after the grand reopening of Bennett’s Bakery, life seemed blissfully peaceful. Luca had completely severed his ties with the underworld, transitioning his assets into legitimate real estate and venture capital. He spent his mornings learning the art of espresso making from Marco and his evenings taking Sophie on quiet dates around Chicago without an armed convoy following them.

However, in the world Luca left behind, power vacuums never remained empty for long.

It was a rainy Tuesday night. The bakery had closed at eight, and Sophie was upstairs in their newly renovated loft apartment above the shop, reviewing the monthly financial ledgers. Downstairs, the kitchen was dark and quiet.

Suddenly, the silent security alarm on Sophie’s phone flashed red.

Sophie froze. The feed from the alleyway camera showed three shadowy figures dressed in black raincoats forcing open the back delivery door with a crowbar.

She didn't panic. She reached for her phone to call Luca, who was currently at a business dinner downtown with his legal team. But before she could press dial, the loft door was kicked open with a thunderous crash.

Three men strode into the apartment. Leading them was a man with a jagged scar running from his ear down to his jawline—Dante Moretti, Mateo’s former chief enforcer, who had vanished after the Drake Hotel gala.

"Good evening, Mrs. Bellini," Dante sneered, flicking open a heavy flick-blade. "Or should I say, Miss Bennett?"

Sophie slowly set her phone down on the table, keeping her spine straight. "Dante. I thought you were in Miami."

"Miami is hot," Dante smirked, stepping deeper into the warm apartment. "Chicago is where the money is. Or at least, where Luca buried it."

Dante leaned over the table, pressing the tip of the blade against the polished wood. "Mateo is going to prison for twenty years thanks to you two. But before he goes, he wants his share of the Bellini family accounts. Fifty million dollars. And you, my sweet little baker, are going to help us get it."

"I don't have access to Luca's accounts," Sophie said calmly, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "I run a bakery."

"You have something better," Dante chuckled darkly. "You have his heart. Luca would trade every dollar he owns to keep a hair on your head from being harmed."

Dante signaled to his two goons. "Tie her up. We’re moving her to the docks."

One of the men stepped forward, pulling out a coil of heavy zip-ties.

Sophie looked at the heavy copper mixing bowl sitting on the kitchen counter two feet away. She remembered what Luca had told her during their first week together: Never look terrified. Look for the leverage.

As the goon reached out to grab her arm, Sophie didn't scream. She grabbed the heavy copper bowl, swung it with every ounce of strength in her body, and slammed it directly into the man's face.

CRACK!

The man howled in pain, staggering backward with a broken nose.

Before Dante could react, Sophie threw a jar of crushed red pepper flakes straight into his eyes and bolted for the fire escape door at the back of the loft.

"Get her!" Dante screamed, clutching his burning eyes.

Sophie burst out onto the slippery metal fire escape, the freezing rain drenching her instantly. She scrambled down the iron stairs, her heart pounding in her ears, shouting at the top of her lungs: "MARCO!"

Marco, who lived in the small garden apartment across the courtyard, burst through his back door instantly, carrying a heavy iron pipe.

"Sophie!" Marco yelled, sprinting across the wet pavement as the two goons vaulted over the fire escape railing behind her.

A brutal, chaotic fight erupted in the alleyway. Marco swung the iron pipe with lethal precision, taking down the first goon in seconds. But Dante rushed out from the back door, holding a silenced pistol, and aimed it directly at Marco’s chest.

"Move an inch, old man, and I'll put a bullet through your heart," Dante spat.

Sophie stopped on the metal stairs, her breath ragged, cold rain streaming down her face. "Dante, stop! Don't shoot him!"

Dante turned the gun toward Sophie, a sick, victorious smile spreading across his scarred face. "End of the line, baker girl. Luca isn't here to save you."

A low, purring engine echoed from the end of the alley.

A sleek black Maybach suddenly accelerated around the corner, its headlights cutting through the dark rain like twin laser beams. Without slowing down, the heavy luxury vehicle slammed straight into the alley dumpster, sending heavy steel trash cans crashing into Dante's second goon.

The driver’s door opened before the car even came to a complete stop.

Luca stepped out into the pouring rain.

He wasn't wearing a tie. His dark hair was soaked, his white shirt clinging to his broad frame, and his eyes were burning with a dark, primordial fury that turned the alleyway ice-cold.

"Dante," Luca said softly. His voice was terrifyingly calm—the voice of the ghost everyone thought had retired.

Dante swung his gun toward Luca, his hands shaking slightly. "Stay back, Bellini! I swear to God I’ll put a hole in you!"

Luca didn't stop. He didn't flinch. He walked straight down the alley, stepping over the rain-puddles, stepping directly toward the barrel of the gun.

"You came into my home," Luca said, his voice dropping to a whisper that cut through the sound of falling rain. "You laid hands on my wife."

"I'll shoot!" Dante panicked, raising the weapon.

Luca moved like lightning. He dodged the weapon's trajectory, grabbed Dante’s gun hand, and smashed it against the brick alley wall with sickening force. The gun clattered harmlessly into the wet gutter.

In one fluid, terrifying motion, Luca grabbed Dante by the throat, lifted him two feet off the ground, and pinned him against the brick wall.

"Please..." Dante choked out, his eyes wide with blinding terror as he clawed helplessly at Luca’s iron grip. "Luca... mercy..."

Luca leaned in close, his face inches from Dante's. "I gave mercy to Mateo. I gave mercy to my mother. But for anyone who touches her?"