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Blurb: Luca Moretti is a ruthless mafia boss, feared across St Louis. On the day his father was murdered, Luca narrowly escaped death and believes he was saved by an angel he saw in a moment of near-death. Since then, he's believed he was given a second chance at life for a purpose. He didn't believe in love until he finally met her. Sophie Turner is a desperate young woman willing to do anything to save her dying mother. When Luca's men bring her to his estate, he offers her a dangerous deal: live with him for six months, fall in love with him, and he'll pay for her mother's life-saving surgery. With no other option, Sophie steps into a world ruled by power, pain, and twisted desire. But Sophie is nothing like the submissive women Luca is used to, she's defiant, spirited, and determined not to fall. Yet every day, she begins to stir something in him; something human, something real. Blinded by love, Luca fails to see the enemy within. His own uncle, the man who killed his father, is still after him. And this time, he may succeed. When Sophie walks in on Luca with another woman, his ex-girlfriend, she flees in heartbreak, only to find herself drunk and vulnerable in the arms of Ben, the only man who shows her comfort. Later, Sophie learns the truth: the man she saw wasn't Luca; it was his look-alike cousin. But it's too late. She's pregnant. And she doesn't know who the father is. What happens when Luca finds out? What if the baby isn't his?
Chapter 1 THE DEVIL'S PROPOSAL
"Let go of me! Where are you taking me? Someone, please help me!" Sophie screamed, struggling against the men who had stormed into the café and dragged her out without warning.
"The boss just wants to have a chat with you, so relax," Marco said calmly, signalling the guards to shove her into the backseat of the SUV.
"Who the hell is your boss that he had to send his dogs to kidnap me?" Sophie didn't stop fighting. She kicked, screamed, and thrashed even inside the moving vehicle, her voice echoing with desperation.
Sophie Turner had always been a quiet girl. She kept to herself, avoided trouble, and never caused scenes. Her soft smile could brighten even the dullest customer's day at the café; some were so taken by her charm they tipped more than they paid.
For the past two months, she had been pulling extra shifts, trying to scrape together money for her mother's surgery. She hadn't been home in weeks, sleeping instead at the hospital to stay close to her mother.
Her mother...
The thought suddenly tightened her chest with panic. Fear began to override her anger, softening her voice.
"Please, let me go. I have a sick mother in the hospital. I'm the only one she has," Sophie pleaded, her voice breaking.
"Miss Turner, relax. You will see your mom again. My boss doesn't bite... at least not right away," Marco replied with a smirk that barely masked his amusement.
Marco was Luca Moretti's right-hand man, the most feared mafia boss in all of St. Louis. He knew every detail of Luca's operations, sometimes even before Luca made a move. They had been together long before Luca inherited the empire from his father. To strangers, they could almost pass as brothers.
Moretti's Estate
"We are here," Marco said, stepping out of the car. "You can come out now, Miss."
"Where are we?" Sophie asked as she stepped down, her eyes darting around the massive property.
The Moretti estate was expansive, more like a kingdom than a home. A collection of mansions surrounded by high gates and silence. Luca had inherited it, along with a vast network of power and blood, after his father was assassinated by a rival mafia boss.
At least that was what they thought at the time.
"Boss, we are back," Marco announced as he ushered Sophie into the office.
Luca looked up from his desk. For a long moment, he just stared, unable to believe she was finally standing in front of him.
"Sit," he commanded.
Luca Moretti was a man of shadows, ruthless, possessive, and cold. The loss of his father, shot right in front of him, had hardened what was left of his heart. The same bullet that killed his father had struck him too.
But what he remembered most about that day wasn't the pain.
It was her.
He had been watching a woman on the beach through binoculars when his father came up behind him to discuss a business deal. The shot had come out of nowhere, piercing through his father before hitting him.
Six years had passed, but he never forgot the face of the angel who had appeared in his scope that day. A week ago, driving past a café, he had seen her again, alive, real. Sophie Turner.
He stopped the car that instant.
"I'm not one of your dogs. You can't order me around," Sophie snapped, her voice trembling but laced with defiance.
Luca let out a soft chuckle, his eyes still fixed on her.
"Please, sit," he repeated in a calmer tone.
Sophie sat reluctantly, her fists clenched in her lap, pulse hammering in her ears.
"Miss Turner. Twenty-one. No siblings. No boyfriend. Mother is in a coma. Works at a café." Luca listed her facts as if reading from a dossier. "I would like to make you an offer."
Her heart raced. "How do you know all that? Have you been following me? Who are you?"
Sophie's voice shook, but she kept her eyes on him. That's when she noticed the tattoo on the back of his hand, a burning snake. Her blood ran cold.
"You are... a mafia boss?" she whispered. "What do you want from me?"
"Are you afraid of me?" Luca asked, stepping around the desk. "Don't be. I won't hurt you."
But Sophie could see something dark behind his calm expression. Something dangerous. He had waited years for this moment; people had called him insane and obsessed, even his ex-girlfriend Anna.
They had dated for two years before he broke it off. Anna could never understand his fixation with a woman he only saw once. The angel he claims saved his life. He even drew Sophie's face and hung the sketch in his living room. The day Anna threatened to destroy it was the day he ended things.
"Here. Read this," Luca said, handing her a file as he leaned against the edge of the desk.
Sophie took it hesitantly, not opening it right away.
Inside was a contract.
A six-month deal.
Luca knew everything; her mother's medical bills, her café wages, and the extra shifts. He had used that knowledge to craft an offer that would be hard to refuse.
"Move in with me for six months. Be mine. If we don't fall in love, I will let you go."
His eyes bored into hers as he folded his arms, waiting.
"You want me to be your mistress for six months?" Sophie asked in disbelief, standing up. "What do you take me for, Mr. Moretti? I'm not some cheap prostitute you can just pick off the street!"
"Sit down, Miss Turner," he snapped, voice cold, eyes narrowing.
And suddenly, Sophie realised this wasn't a choice.
It was the beginning of a cage.
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