"The Billionaire Mafia Boss Fired His Maid Over One Shattered Glass, but the Twins Beneath Her Heart Exposed the Fiancée Who Had Already Chosen His Grave

Dr. Vance and Marcus had been treated by paramedics; both were stable and expected to make a full recovery.

Layla sat on the master bedroom bed, wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping warm tea while Dr. Vance ran a final ultrasound scan using a portable machine.

The monitor beeped softly, displaying two healthy, energetic heartbeats: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.

"The babies are perfectly fine, Miss Bennett," Dr. Vance said with a warm, relieved smile. "They are tough, just like their mother."

Layla let out a long breath of relief, resting her hand over the ultrasound screen, her eyes misting with gratitude.

Dominic walked into the room, having changed into a clean dark suit. He waved the doctor out, closing the door behind her.

He walked over to the bed and sat down beside Layla, taking her small hand into his large, calloused palm.

"What happened with Victoria's father?" Layla asked quietly. "You told Santo that Victoria was..."

Dominic shook his head softly. "When I presented the encrypted files and audio recordings to Julian Moretti at his estate two hours ago, Julian realized his daughter was planning to poison him. He called off his men instantly. Victoria tried to run to the airport with two million in cash, but her father's men intercepted her at the private hangar."

Layla held her breath. "Is she...?"

"Julian stripped her of her family name and sent her to an isolated estate in Sicily under permanent guard," Dominic said coldly. "She will spend the rest of her life behind high walls, stripped of her wealth, her power, and her status. The Moretti syndicate has dissolved their alliance with my family, but Julian signed a peace treaty. The war is over, Layla."

Layla looked at Dominic. The dark, terrifying mob boss who had ruled Chicago with fear seemed to vanish, replaced by the man who had held her in his arms while glass fell like snow around them.

"Dominic," Layla said softly, looking down at their joined hands. "Why did you come back for me like that? You could have been killed jumping out of a helicopter into a shattered window."

Dominic looked at her for a long time, his gray eyes softening into a warmth she had never seen before.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, exquisite item.

It was the gold Venetian mask she had worn six months ago at the masquerade gala—the mask she thought she had lost forever.

"I kept this," Dominic whispered gently, setting the mask in her lap. "The night you vanished from my library, I thought I had imagined you. I thought you were just a phantom created by too much liquor and too much loneliness. But when I found out you were carrying my children, I realized something else."

He slid off the edge of the bed and dropped down to one knee beside her.

Layla gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.

Dominic pulled a small black velvet box from his jacket, opening it to reveal a breath-taking diamond ring—a flawless, emerald-cut diamond flanked by two smaller blue sapphires representing their twin babies.

"I didn't fall in love with a gold mask, Layla," Dominic said, his voice deep, filled with an unshakeable sincerity. "I fell in love with the girl who wasn't afraid to tell me I was wrong. The girl who survived grief and debt with her dignity intact. The woman who carried my children through freezing rain while I sat in my arrogant tower."

Tears overflowed down Layla’s cheeks, but this time, they were tears of pure joy.

"Dominic..."

"I know I destroyed your trust when I fired you," Dominic continued, his eyes searching hers. "I know I have blood on my hands and a past I cannot erase. But I swear on my life, on my soul, and on the hearts of our unborn children, that I will spend every single day of my remaining life proving to you that you are my home. Marry me, Layla. Let me be a father to our children, and let me be the man who protects your heart."

Layla looked at the ring, then looked into the gray eyes of the man who had fought through hellfire to reach her.