The mafia boss’s dog had just attacked a professional handler so badly that the man fled through the estate gates bleeding when my maid’s three-year-old daughter walked directly toward him, clutching a small laundry cloth in her hand

Two years later.

The grand dining hall of the Moretti mansion was bathed in golden late-afternoon sunlight. The long mahogany table, once used for dark syndicate meetings and tense negotiations, was covered with platters of fresh pasta, warm bread, and colorful summer salads.

At the head of the table sat five-year-old Elsie, wearing a small paper crown, her face covered in chocolate frost from her birthday cake.

"Make a wish, Elsie!" Sienna called out, holding a camera as she stood beside me.

Elsie closed her eyes tightly, blew out the candles on her cake, and clapped her tiny hands together in joy. The room erupted into applause—not from terrifying guards or stoic lieutenants, but from a close-knit group of loyal staff and friends who had become our extended family.

"What did you wish for, sweetheart?" I asked, leaning down to scoop her up into my arms.

Elsie giggled, wrapping her small arms around my neck. "I wished for a bigger dog bed for Nero! He takes up the whole carpet in my room!"

Everyone in the room laughed.

On the floor beside my chair, Nero—now twelve years old, his muzzle dusted with gray fur—let out a soft, contented huff. He didn't care about dog beds. He had the entire house, a bed in every room, and two people who loved him unconditionally.

After the party shifted to the garden, Sienna and I walked out onto the stone veranda.

The warm summer breeze carried the scent of blooming roses from the newly finished garden. Down on the grass, Elsie was playing catch with Marco, who had turned out to be a surprisingly gentle, soft-hearted uncle figure to the little girl.

I pulled Sienna close to my side, slipping my arm around her waist. She looked up at me, smiling, slipping her hand into my suit pocket—where a small, velvet ring box had been sitting quietly all morning.

She looked at me, her eyes sparkling with realization and soft tears. "Alessio..."

"I was going to wait until tonight," I admitted, a genuine, rare smile breaking across my face as I pulled the box out. "But there’s no better time than now."

I opened the ring box, revealing a flawless diamond set in platinum, gleaming brightly in the summer sun.

"You gave this house a soul, Sienna," I said softly, my voice filled with emotion. "You and Elsie saved my dog, but more than that, you saved me. Will you marry me?"

Sienna didn't hesitate. She threw her arms around my neck, pressing her lips to mine in a long, sweet kiss that made the rest of the world fade away.

"Yes," she whispered against my cheek, tears of happiness spilling over her eyelashes. "Yes, thousands of times yes."

Down on the grass, Nero suddenly stopped chasing his ball. He looked up at the veranda, seeing us holding each other.

The great black dog let out a single, loud, joyful bark—a clear, ringing sound that echoed across the sunny estate. He didn't need a command. He didn't need a lead.