Page 73 of His Ruthless Claim

"I haven't seen you here before." It's not a question. Enzo's eyes track Kendra's movements as she organizes the dresses.

She shrugs, but I see the way Kendra is eyeing him. "I come and go. Maybe you have."

"No, I'd remember you." The words come out like a growl, low and promising.

The air in the boutique feels charged, heavy with possibility. I recognize that look in Enzo's eyes – it's the same way Luca looks at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention. Like he's found something unexpected and fascinating, something he wants to claim.

Well, that is going to be interesting.

Jazz and Kendrawave Maria and Mikayla over to us in the VIP section of The Vault. The club pulses with energy, but Luca's men keep a careful perimeter, ensuring our privacy. Maria loops her arm through mine, leading me to a velvet booth where bottles of champagne wait in crystal buckets.

"To the woman who's managed to do the impossible." Jazz raises her glass. "Not only did you tame the most dangerous man in Chicago, but you've got every family eating out of your hand with this wedding planning."

"I wouldn't say tamed." I take a sip, the bubbles dancing on my tongue. The truth is more complicated – Luca isn't something to be tamed. He's like a force of nature, controlled but deadly. And somehow, I've learned to dance in the storm.

"Please." Kendra snorts. "That man would burn down half the city if you asked him to. Though he'd probably do it in the most efficient way possible."

Maria laughs, but there's understanding in her eyes. She's known Luca longer than any of us, seen the emptiness that used to define him. "You've changed him, you know. Not completely – God knows that's impossible – but enough that he actually shows up to family dinners now."

"Speaking of family." Mikayla leans in, her eyes sparkling from champagne. "Did you ever think you'd end up here? Running your boutique, planning mafia weddings, engaged to?—"

"The scariest motherfucker in Chicago?" Kendra finishes with a grin.

I trace the rim of my glass, thinking of the way Luca looked at me this morning before leaving for business. That intensity that used to unnerve me now feels like home. "I always knew I wanted more than just a normal life. But this?" I gesture to the club, to the guards, to my friends. "This is better than anything I could have imagined."

"Because you built it yourself," Kendra says firmly. "Every connection, every alliance, every decision – that was all you."

She's right. In Luca's world of power and control, I've carved out my own space. Not as his shadow, but as his equal. Different, but just as formidable in my own way.

"To building our own empires," Maria raises her glass again, and I catch the gleam in her eye that reminds me she's every bit a Mantione, despite her gentle nature.

"To making them remember our names," Jazz adds.

The music thrums through my bones as I clink my glass against theirs, surrounded by women who understand both the darkness and the light of the life we've chosen. Tomorrow I'll marry a man who terrifies most of Chicago, but tonight, I celebrate the power I've built for myself.

36

LUCA

Istand in front of the full-length mirror at my boutique, watching Maria adjust the train of my wedding dress. The ivory silk drapes like liquid metal against my skin, the intricate beading catching the light with each movement. I chose this space over the Mantione mansion – here, I'm in control.

"Hold still." Jazz circles me, her critical eye catching every detail. She reaches up to adjust a crystal pin in my sleek waves. "Can't have Chicago's most dangerous bride looking anything less than perfect."

"Please, the dress alone could kill." Kendra runs her fingers over the daring cutouts that trace my sides, revealing hints of skin through delicate lace. "Though I'm pretty sure Luca's going to short-circuit when he sees you."

I smile, remembering how he'd tried to discover every detail about the dress. For a man who knows everything happening in Chicago, my silence drove him crazy. "Some secrets are worth keeping."

Maria steps back, admiring her handiwork. The dress is a masterpiece of contradictions – traditional enough to satisfy the old guard, but with modern elements that make it uniquelymine. The high neckline gives way to a barely-there back, while strategic beading creates the illusion of armor.

"Your something borrowed." Mikayla hands me a delicate anklet, her eyes bright. "It's been in my family for generations."

"And something blue." Jazz produces a garter with a small blue stone sewn into the lace. Her grin turns wicked. "Though knowing Luca, he might just tear it off with his teeth."

"Jazz!" Mikayla's scandalized tone makes us all laugh.

I lift my dress slightly, allowing Maria to secure the garter. The weight of it against my thigh feels like a promise. "He can try. But today, I make the rules."

"Queen energy." Kendra nods approvingly. "You ready to make every family in this city bow?"

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