He had turned down daughters of kings. He had dismissed women who had tried everything. He simply didn't want one.

For years, his men had stopped suggesting it. Marriage was a weakness. A liability. A leash — and the most powerful mafia boss in the city didn't wear leashes.

Then the photo landed on his desk.

He almost didn't look.

He looked.

She wasn't posed. She wasn't trying to impress anyone. She was mid-laugh in the frame, head tilted back, completely unaware that a camera had caught her — let alone that the image would end up in front of him.

He didn't speak for a long time.

His second-in-command shifted uncomfortably across the table.

Then — slowly — the boss slid the photo back across the desk with one finger. Tapped it once. Looked up with eyes that had alr ...