Her Ex Brought His Mistress to Humiliate Her, but the Mafia Boss Kissed Her Before Everyone and Took Everything He Had

Iron gates crested with a stylized 'F' opened automatically as her car approached, Roman’s security detail having alerted him to her arrival.

She parked near the grand stone fountain and ran up the steps under a large black umbrella held by a guard. The heavy oak doors swung open, revealing a magnificent entry hall featuring marble floors, twin curved staircases, and a massive fireplace crackling with high flames.

Roman stood near the fireplace, wearing a dark turtleneck sweater and gray trousers. He held a glass of dark liquor, his face set in hard, angry lines.

"Harper," Roman said, stepping toward her instantly. He took her wet coat and handed it to a housekeeper, his hands lingering on her arms. "You shouldn't have driven out here in this storm. I heard about Dominic’s call."

Harper looked into his dark eyes. "How did you know?"

"I have eyes on my uncle’s house twenty-four hours a day," Roman said smoothly, leading her toward a leather sofa near the fire. "He contacted you fifteen minutes after he left a meeting with three rogue union directors. He’s afraid, Harper."

"Afraid of what?" Harper asked, sitting down. "He threatened my firm, Roman. He said he would destroy the riverfront deal."

Roman sat beside her, setting his glass on the coffee table. He reached out and took both of her hands in his, his grip warm, powerful, and entirely protective.

"Dominic belongs to an older, dumber time," Roman said, his voice dropping into a deep, deadly register. "He believes power comes from extortion, violence, and fear. He doesn't understand that true power in the modern world comes from legitimacy, ownership, and unassailable legal control. You gave me that legitimacy, Harper. You made Falco Holdings untouchable by the federal government."

"He thinks I’m making you soft," Harper whispered, looking at their joined hands. "He thinks you destroyed Connor out of sentimental foolishness."

Roman let out a low, dark chuckle. He leaned closer to her, his breath warm against her cheek.

"I didn't destroy Connor because I was soft, Harper," Roman murmured. "I destroyed him because he dared to touch something that belonged to me before he even realized what it was worth."

Harper’s breath hitched. She turned her head, her lips mere inches from his. "Belonged to you?"

"From the first moment I saw you in that courthouse corridor three years ago," Roman confessed, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that made her core tremble. "You were wearing a navy dress, arguing a motion before Judge Vance. You were brilliant, fierce, and entirely out of my reach because you were engaged to that pathetic boy. I respected your commitment. I stayed in the shadows. But the moment he betrayed you... the moment he made you bleed in front of that room... I knew my time had come."

Harper stared at him, her mind reeling from the revelation. "You've been watching me for three years?"

"Always," Roman whispered. "And now my uncle thinks he can threaten the woman I intend to make my wife."

Harper’s eyes widened. "Your... your wife?"

"Dominic wants a war," Roman said, ignoring her shock as he stood up, stepping toward a mahogany desk in the corner. He opened a small wooden box and pulled out a gold key along with a stack of signed transfer documents. "He called an emergency meeting of the Falco family council for eight o'clock tonight at the old riverfront terminal. He intends to challenge my leadership."

Harper stood up, her legal instincts flaring instantly. "He’s setting a trap, Roman. You can't go there alone."

"I won't be alone," Roman said, turning to look at her with a proud, ruthless smile. "I’m bringing my lead counsel."

He walked back to her, holding out the documents.

"What are these?" Harper asked.

"These are the complete asset transfer deeds for Dominic’s freight terminals—the ones he's been using for illegal smuggling for twenty years," Roman explained. "Ten minutes ago, I finalized the legal purchase of the land beneath those terminals through Falco Holdings. Dominic thinks he owns those docks. But legally, you and I own the dirt he stands on."

Harper looked at the documents, then up at Roman. A thrilling, electric surge of power ran through her veins.

"You want me to evict your own uncle from his criminal empire using municipal property law?" Harper asked, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her lips.

Roman leaned down, pressing his lips softly against hers—a brief, burning taste of the passion that was waiting for them once the war was over.

"I want you to show the Falco family what happens when they cross the woman who rules Chicago," Roman said softly. "Are you ready, partner?"