My 4-Year-Old Daughter Ordered The Feared Mafia Boss To Smile—Until His Underboss Saw The ""Destroyed"" Camera Around Her Neck And Went Pale

Within an hour, the Romano estate was transformed into a fortress. Heavy steel storm shutters rolled down over the panoramic lakefront windows, and armed sentries were posted every ten yards along the stone perimeter walls. The gala downstairs had been quietly and efficiently cleared out under the guise of an electrical malfunction. Only Aleandro’s most trusted inner circle remained: his chief strategist, Marco, and two veteran caporegimes who had served his father before him.

Marco, a sharp-featured man with silver-streaked hair, examined the downloaded files on the primary monitor. ""The Rossi syndicate is already moving on the southern railyard, Don Aleandro. They believe Victor is still meeting them to deliver the entry codes. If they realize Victor has been compromised, they will retreat underground and wage a guerrilla war across the city.""

""Then we don't let them realize it,"" Aleandro said calmly. He had changed into a tailored charcoal suit, his presence imposing and absolute. ""We feed them the codes. We lead them directly into the bottleneck at warehouse four. When they step inside expecting Victor, they will find an army.""

Marco nodded grimly and stepped out to coordinate the tactical squads.

Aleandro turned his attention toward the leather sofa where Ivy had finally succumbed to exhaustion, curled up beneath a cashmere throw blanket, her thumb resting peacefully near her mouth. I sat beside her, my fingers gently stroking her hair, unable to calm the racing thoughts in my head.

""You and Ivy are no longer safe in the carriage house,"" Aleandro said, stepping over to the sofa and looking down at us. ""Victor had associates outside this compound. Even with him neutralized, the Rossi family will look for any leverage they can find if they suspect the leak came from outside.""

""I have some savings,"" I said quickly, fear tightening my throat again. ""I can take Ivy, get on a train to Ohio, change our names—""

""No,"" Aleandro cut in firmly, sitting on the armchair across from me. ""Running will only make you a target. Out there, you are vulnerable. Here, you have the protection of the Romano family. No one touches anyone under my roof.""

I looked at him, searching the hard lines of his face. ""We are housekeepers, Mr. Romano. We clean your silver and dust your books. You don't owe us an army.""

""Your husband gave his life to expose the men who tore my family apart,"" Aleandro said, his voice dropping to a raw, deeply sincere tone. ""Noah was a hero, Grace. If he had looked the other way, he would still be alive, and I would still be breaking bread with the devil who murdered my wife. I owe Noah Ellis a debt that all the money in this city could never repay. But I can pay it to his daughter. And to you.""

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his dark eyes searching mine with a warmth that felt intoxicatingly dangerous. ""Starting tonight, you are not staff. You are under my personal protection. You will stay in the master suite. My personal detail will guard Ivy whenever she moves.""

""People will talk,"" I whispered, acutely aware of how close he was sitting, how intensely he was looking at me.

""Let them talk,"" Aleandro replied, a faint, defiant smirk touching the corners of his lips. ""Let them wonder why the Don of Chicago walks hand-in-hand with the woman whose husband saved his empire. Tomorrow morning, this city will belong entirely to us. But tonight, I have to finish what Noah started.""