Five years after I called my wife broken and signed away our marriage because doctors said she could never give me a child, I walked into a sealed Manhattan restaurant and found a little girl coloring at table nine. Then she looked up with the same black-and-gold eyes that had marked every Valenti heir for generations—and the woman I had destroyed pulled her close and said, “She is mine.”

Time stopped as the crimson dot rested perfectly over Aria’s heart.

Without thinking, I threw myself forward, tackling the table and shielding the little girl with my own body.

A silenced bullet tore through the air, embedding itself into the marble pillar exactly where Aria’s head had been a second before.

Elena screamed, diving to the floor beside us.

"Marco, get them out of here!" I roared, drawing my weapon.

Marco stood frozen by the door, his hand still on his gun, but he did not draw it.

Julian pulled a matte-black pistol from his coat, returning fire blindly through the shattered window to buy us seconds.

"Valenti, your man is compromised!" Julian shouted over the deafening noise.

I looked at Marco, the man I had trusted with my life for over a decade.

Marco slowly raised his weapon, pointing it directly at my face.

"I am sorry, Boss," Marco whispered, though his eyes showed no remorse at all.

"Your uncle Vincenzo sends his regards."

The betrayal tasted like copper and ash in my mouth.

My uncle Vincenzo had always coveted the throne of the Valenti family.

He had orchestrated the lie about Elena’s fertility, and now he was finishing the job to ensure no true heir could challenge him.

"You are going to die for this, Marco," I said, shielding Aria tighter against my chest.

Marco pulled the hammer back with a sharp click.

"Goodbye, Dominic."

Before Marco could pull the trigger, Elena hurled a heavy silver wine bucket directly into his face.

The gun fired wildly, the bullet grazing my shoulder and burying itself in the ceiling.

Julian took the opening, firing two precise shots into Marco’s chest.

Marco collapsed in a pool of dark blood, gasping for air.

"We have to move now!" Julian yelled, grabbing Elena’s hand.

I scooped Aria into my arms, ignoring the burning pain in my shoulder.

We bolted through the kitchen doors, the sound of boots storming the front entrance echoing behind us.

The back alley was slick with rain, our only escape route blocked by a black SUV.

Two heavily armed men stepped out of the vehicle, raising automatic rifles in our direction.

The Clumsy Maid Bathed His Dog—Then The Mafia Boss Said She Wasn’t Leavi...

She found her husband with another woman and walked away so quietly that...

The Mafia Boss Asked a Disabled Widow If She Was Okay

I pulled Aria behind me, ready to take the bullets meant for my daughter.

Then, a massive explosion ripped through the front of the restaurant, throwing us all to the wet asphalt.

Chapter 2 - The Standoff