THE MAFIA'S BLOOD STAIN

Federal marshals had formally arrived at the front gates, taking custody of Silvio Morelli and Vivian Sterling under heavy armed escort.

Assistant United States Attorney Marcus Vance—Dominic’s trusted contact in the Department of Justice—had unsealed eighty-four counts of vehicular homicide, interstate racketeering, and corporate fraud against both families.

In the private courtyard behind the estate, Dante laid the ruined ninety-five-thousand-dollar silk gown across the stone hearth, touching the flame of Leo’s gold lighter to the hem.

The Italian silk caught instantly, burning with a sharp, hissing crackle as the nylon monofilament melted into tiny black beads, sending a plume of dark gray smoke into the freezing salt wind of the harbor.

The blood stain of Maine was gone forever.

In the private master sitting room on the second floor, a gentle fire of split cedar crackled in the limestone hearth, throwing warm golden light across the room.

I sat on the velvet sofa beside the fire, wearing an ivory cashmere sweater and dark tailored trousers, holding a warm cup of chamomile tea.

My hands, which had stitched boat sails for twelve dollars an hour twenty-four hours earlier, rested comfortably on my lap, free of fear, free of debt.

The double mahogany doors opened softly.

Dominic walked into the room.

He had showered and changed into an open-collared navy cashmere sweater and dark slacks, looking relaxed, powerful, and remarkably whole.

He walked straight to where I sat, sinking onto the leather ottoman opposite the sofa.

He reached into his pocket and produced an antique velvet jeweler’s box lined with white silk.

“How are your hands feeling, Maya?” he asked softly, his dark eyes searching mine with profound, protective tenderness.

“They feel light, Dominic,” I whispered, a faint, radiant smile touching my lips. “For six months, I was an anonymous stewardess in the shadows of this house, terrified that the medical bills would swallow my mother’s memory. Tonight, the shadows are gone.”

Dominic leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his large, warm hand gently taking my fingers into his own.

“Your mother’s memory is sacred in this house, Maya,” he murmured, his deep baritone rumbling with emotion. “The new pediatric oncology wing at Massachusetts General Hospital has been named in her honor tonight, fully endowed with twenty million dollars from the recovered Sterling reserves.”

Tears of pure happiness welled in my eyes, spilling hot and fast down my cheeks.

“Dominic... you didn't have to do that.”

“I do for the woman who guarded my brother’s justice, Maya,” he whispered, leaning closer until his breath stirred the hair at my temple. “In this house, courage is paid in gold, and truth is answered with an empire.”

He opened the velvet box.

Resting inside was not an ordinary commercial stone bought from a retail catalog.

Inside sat an exquisite, hand-crafted ring of solid platinum, featuring a flawless, seven-carat cushion-cut royal blue sapphire cradled by two delicate anchors carved from white gold—the historic sovereign ring of his mother, Donna Maria Morelli, which had been locked in the family vault for twenty-five years, waiting for the woman who would bring honor back to their name.

“Maya Brooks,” Dominic began, his deep baritone carrying an emotional tremor that shook my entire being.

“Eight months ago, you mended a broken seam in the dark with four-pound fishing line, fighting through exhaustion without ever losing your dignity. You were surrounded by wealth, arrogance, and ruthless deceit, yet you never let this world tarnish the pure gold of your spirit.”

He lifted the sapphire ring, holding it poised before my trembling finger.

“Maya Brooks, will you marry me? Will you be my wife, my partner, and the true Donna of my life, my home, and my fleet?”

Tears of pure, unadulterated happiness spilled over my lashes, hot against my cheeks.

“Yes,” I choked out through my laughter, throwing my arms around his neck as he rose from the ottoman. “Yes, Dominic! A thousand times yes!”

Dominic swept me up into his arms, lifting me off the sofa, spinning me beneath the warm firelight before bringing his lips down onto mine in a fierce, breathless, deeply tender kiss that sealed our destiny forever.