The Mafia Boss Secretly Returned Before Dawn to Test His Fiancée, Then Heard Her Threaten His Widowed Sister and Steal From His Dead Mother’s Trust…

Two weeks after the storm, the Mercer estate looked more radiant than it had in a decade.

The east cottage had been completely renovated. Its stone fireplace was scrubbed clean, the white cedar shingles gleamed in the autumn sun, and the front porch looked directly over the sparkling blue waters of the bay. Catherine Mercer’s beloved hydrangeas had been replanted along the stone path, blooming in deep shades of violet and blue.

Natalie stood on the porch, watching Noah throw a ball for a golden retriever puppy Dominic had bought him for his birthday.

For the first time since her husband’s passing, Natalie felt a deep, abiding peace. The constant knot of grief and anxiety in her chest had finally unraveled. She looked out at the ocean and felt her mother’s presence in the gentle salt wind.

Dominic walked down the stone path from the main house, dressed casually in an open-collared navy shirt and dark trousers.

"How does the cottage feel?" he asked, leaning against the porch railing next to his sister.

"It feels like home," Natalie said, smiling at him. "Mom would be proud of you, Dominic."

"Mom would have told me I was an idiot for letting Brooke through the front door in the first place," Dominic chuckled softly.

"Maybe," Natalie admitted with a laugh. "But she would have loved the way you handled it."

Dominic watched Noah run across the grass, the puppy nipping playfully at his sneakers. "Silas has restructured our entire security division. The port operations are completely clean now. No syndicate ties, no gray-market shipping. Mercer Atlantic is officially a private maritime logistics firm."

Natalie looked at her brother with surprise and pride. "You walked away from the underworld?"

"I promised Catherine I would protect this family," Dominic said, looking out at the horizon. "You don't protect a family by keeping them in the crosshairs of violent men. The past is buried. We build something new from here."

Emma walked down the path carrying a basket of warm apple pastries she had baked that morning. "Good morning, Natalie. Morning, Dominic."

"Morning, Emma," Dominic greeted her warmly. "Are the guests arriving for lunch?"

"They're already gathering on the grand lawn," Emma replied with a bright smile. "The foundation board members and the local harbor families are thrilled."

Dominic turned to his sister, offering his arm. "Shall we join them?"