The Mafia boss secretly returned before dawn from London to test his fiancée, only to catch her terrorizing his widowed sister and plotting to steal his dead mother's trust

By noon, the news had swept through Newport like wildfire.

The wedding of the century had been cancelled. Not postponed. Cancelled outright.

Instead of an eighty-person luxury ceremony, the grand conservatory was filled with a very different kind of gathering. At twelve-thirty, Dominic stood near the center of the glass-domed room, flanked by Marco and Emma.

Seated at the tables were not political donors or socialites, but Natalie, Noah, and the core domestic staff of the estate—cooks, maids, gardeners, and groundskeepers who had served the Mercer family for decades.

Dominic cleared his throat, commanding the quiet room.

“I want to apologize to all of you,” Dominic began, his voice sincere and steady. “For months, an intruder was allowed into this house. A woman who treated the people who keep this estate alive with disrespect, cruelty, and arrogance.”

He looked directly at Natalie, who sat holding Noah’s hand, tears of shock and relief shining in her eyes.

“My mother left the east cottage to Natalie and Noah because this is their home,” Dominic continued. “Not mine to give away. Not anyone else’s to steal. Today, the deeds have been legally transferred into an irrevocable family trust that cannot be altered by anyone—including me.”

Natalie covered her mouth, a sob escaping her lips as Noah threw his arms around her neck, cheering softly.

Dominic then turned his gaze toward Emma, who stood near the back with a silver tray in her hands.

“Emma,” Dominic said, his voice softening.

Emma blinked, stepping forward slightly. “Yes, Mr. Mercer?”

“You stood up to someone who held all the cards, even when you had everything to lose,” Dominic said, stepping across the room until he stood right in front of her. “You protected my family when I was blind to what was happening under my own roof.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, embossed leather folder, handing it to her.

Emma opened it cautiously. Inside was a formal corporate appointment naming her Director of Estate Operations and Community Relations, complete with a salary increase that made her breath catch—and a separate, fully funded educational trust covering every remaining semester of her younger brother’s Ivy League tuition.

“I don't... I don't know what to say,” Emma whispered, looking up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

“Say you’ll stay,” Dominic said quietly, a faint, genuine smile touching the corners of his mouth. “This house needs someone with strength, loyalty, and a backbone of steel. And I’d like to think I do, too.”