THE MAFIA BOSS'S FIANCÉE CALLED HIS BLEEDING MAID INSANE, BUT WHEN LUCA DISCOVERED HER PLAN TO SEND LILY ABROAD, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

To understand how a twenty-five-year-old orphan maid ended up bleeding on the floor of a mob boss’s ballroom, you have to understand the nightmare that my life had become over the past eleven months.

My name is Hannah Collins. A year ago, I was just a girl trying to pay off my mother’s crushing medical bills after a disastrous hip surgery left her unable to walk. I took the job at the Moretti estate because the pay was triple what any standard domestic agency offered. I knew who Luca Moretti was. Everyone in Chicago knew. He was the head of the syndicate—a man whispered about in hushed tones over dinner tables, a man associated with mysterious disappearances and unyielding power.

But inside the grand walls of his gated estate, I discovered a very different reality.

Luca was a widow. His wife, Caroline, had died three years prior in a tragic car accident that had nearly taken little Lily’s life as well. Since that dark day, Luca had built an impenetrable wall around his daughter. He was a ruthless titan to the world outside, but to Lily, he was the daddy who read The Velveteen Rabbit three times a night and allowed her to put pink glitter barrettes in his dark hair during breakfast.

I loved caring for Lily. She was quiet, brilliant, and deeply scarred by the loss of her mother. While the other maids feared Luca’s cold demeanor, I simply did my work, kept my head down, and made sure Lily felt safe and cherished whenever her father was called away on business.

Then came Vanessa Bellini.

Vanessa was the daughter of Don Bellini, the aging head of the rival East Coast faction. Their engagement wasn't born out of love; it was a political alliance brokered to merge two vast criminal empires and end a decades-long turf war. Luca accepted the arrangement for the sake of his organization, but he maintained strict boundaries. Vanessa was permitted to stay at the mansion, but she was never allowed to discipline Lily.

Vanessa hated the child. To her, Lily was an obstacle—a constant, living memory of Luca’s dead wife, and an unbearable distraction for a man whose full attention she demanded.

The nightmare truly began three days before the birthday party.

It was mid-afternoon. The house was quiet, save for the faint sound of rain tapping against the tall bay windows of the west wing. I was inside the main kitchen pantry, organizing the silver serving platters for the upcoming banquet, when I heard the heavy double doors of the kitchen creak open.

I pulled back into the shadows behind the large shelving units, intending to step out once the room was empty. But then I heard the voices.

“Are you absolute sure the notary won't trace this back to us?”

It was Vanessa’s voice. Sharp, low, and urgent.

“The notary is already on a private jet to Belize,” another voice replied. I felt a cold chill run down my spine. It was Michael Moretti—Luca’s thirty-two-year-old younger brother. Michael had always played the part of the dutiful lieutenant, but behind his charming smile lurked an insatiable jealousy of his brother’s throne.

“The documents are ready,” Michael whispered, the sound of thick paper rustling through the air. “I managed to copy Luca’s signature from the land acquisition deeds he signed last week. It’s an exact match. No forensic expert will challenge it in court.”

Vanessa chuckled—a dry, cruel sound. “Good. After the birthday party, Lily leaves. Once she’s locked away in that Swiss facility, Luca will have no choice but to focus entirely on me and the merger. Without that little girl constantly pulling his heartstrings, he’ll sign the final territory transfer documents my father requested.”

My stomach churned into a tight knot. I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. They weren't just trying to get rid of a child; they were using her as leverage to strip Luca of his power from within.

“Does Luca know?” Michael asked, a hint of nervous hesitation in his tone.

Vanessa laughed again. “He’ll find out when everything is settled. The transport team will take her directly from the rear driveway during the fireworks display. By the time Luca realizes she’s missing, the plane will be over international waters. We’ll show him the fake transfer papers, tell him she was abducted by an outside gang, and conveniently ‘discover’ the papers signed by him, making it look like an official placement he forgot to execute during his grief.”

It was evil. A calculated, devastating trap designed to destroy Luca’s mind and steal his daughter forever.

“Where should I put the original envelope for the transport crew to pick up?” Michael asked.

I peeked through the crack between the wooden shelves. Michael was holding a thick yellow Manila envelope sealed with red wax.

Vanessa turned her gaze toward the hallway, where two art restorers had just left the giant, newly framed birthday photograph of Lily. The massive piece of art was resting against the wall, waiting to be moved into the ballroom the following morning.

Vanessa smiled, a slow, malicious grin curling her red lips.

“BEHIND THE FRAME. NOBODY WILL TOUCH HIS PRECIOUS DAUGHTER’S PORTRAIT.”

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I backed away slowly, trying to slip out through the secondary service door of the pantry. But my foot caught on a brass tray lying on the bottom shelf.

CLANG.

The sharp metallic sound echoed through the high-ceilinged room.

Silence fell instantly over the kitchen.

“Who’s in there?” Michael’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

Before I could move, the pantry door was yanked open. Vanessa stood there, her eyes widening in fury as she spotted me cowering behind the shelves.

“Hannah,” she spat, her voice venomous.

I froze, clutching a silver polishing cloth to my chest. “Miss Bellini… I… I was just cleaning—”

She stepped into the small room, blocking the doorway, while Michael slunk in behind her, shutting the door tightly.

“What did you hear?” Vanessa demanded, taking a step toward me.

“Nothing, ma'am! I swear! I was just polishing the platters!”

Vanessa’s arm shot out, her manicured fingers digging violently into my shoulder. She shoved me back against the heavy wooden shelving. “Don't lie to me, you worthless little trash. You heard everything.”

“Please,” I begged, tears filling my eyes. “I won't say a word, I swear!”

“We can’t risk it, Vanessa,” Michael muttered, his hand reaching inside his jacket. “If she talks to Luca, we’re dead before nightfall.”

“No,” Vanessa hissed. “If a maid disappears right before the party, Luca’s security team will lock down the entire estate and search every inch of the grounds. We can’t have extra guards snooping around.”

She turned her sharp eyes to the marble prep counter behind her. Lying beside a board of sliced pomegranates was an eight-inch stainless steel chef’s knife.

In one swift, terrifying motion, Vanessa grabbed the handle of the knife.

“No! Please!” I screamed, twisting my body away.

Vanessa lunged. I threw myself to the side to protect my chest, but the sharp tip of the blade ripped through my uniform and sliced deep into the meat of my right thigh.

A agonizing surge of pain tore through my body. I screamed as heat burst down my leg. I hit the floor hard, clutching my leg as blood began to soak through the fabric.

Vanessa stepped over me, pointing the bloody knife directly at my face. Her eyes were wide, unhinged, and terrifying.

“IF YOU TELL LUCA ANYTHING, YOUR MOTHER WILL LOSE THE MONEY YOU SEND HER.”

My blood ran cold. “What… what did you say?”

“Your mother,” Vanessa whispered, leaning down so close I could smell her expensive floral perfume. “Martha Collins. Room 402 at the Saint Anthony Rehabilitation Center. It would be such a pity if her life-support machine suddenly suffered a power outage, wouldn't it? Or if her physical therapy funding was abruptly canceled and she was thrown onto the street?”

My breath caught in my throat. My mother. She was everything I had left in this world.

“You keep your mouth shut,” Vanessa sneered, wiping the blade on a paper towel and tossing it into the sink. “You stay in your quarters. If you so much as look at Luca Moretti, I will make sure your mother dies in agony.”