The Mafia Boss Who Hadn’t Smiled in 12 Years — Part 2
The Mafia Boss Who Hadn’t Smiled in 12 Years — Part 2
Dominic’s smile lasted less than three seconds.
But Lorenzo saw it.
And Lorenzo would remember those three seconds for the rest of his life.
The next morning, he stood in the kitchen doorway holding a stack of shipping manifests while Dominic sat at the breakfast counter.
There was coffee in front of him.
A cinnamon roll on a plate.
And Arthur was sitting beside him.
The seven-year-old boy was quietly working on a wooden puzzle.
Lorenzo stared.
Dominic looked up.
“What?”
Lorenzo immediately looked away.
“Nothing, boss.”
“You’ve been staring at me for ten seconds.”
“I was admiring the… coffee.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
“Leave.”
Lorenzo disappeared.
From the stove, Beatrice laughed.
Dominic turned toward her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been laughing at me.”
“I’m laughing because Lorenzo looks like he just saw a ghost.”
Dominic took another sip of coffee.
“He should be more concerned about the ghost than me.”
Beatrice smiled.
Arthur suddenly placed a puzzle piece on the table.
It didn’t fit.
He frowned.
Dominic watched him.
Then, slowly, he reached over.
“Try this one.”
Arthur looked at his uncle.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Arthur handed Dominic another piece.
Dominic took it.
He found the correct place.
Click.
The piece fit.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
And then something extraordinary happened.
The boy smiled.
It was tiny.
Barely there.
But it was real.
Dominic stared at him.
Beatrice quietly turned back toward the stove, pretending she hadn’t noticed the tears gathering in Dominic’s eyes.
That evening, Dominic canceled two meetings.
The following day, he canceled another.
Within three weeks, his entire routine had changed.
The man who once spent every morning discussing extortion schemes and shipments now found himself sitting at the kitchen table helping Arthur build model airplanes.
He still ran the Falcone Syndicate.
He was still feared.
Still dangerous.
Still capable of ordering violence with a single sentence.
But now he came home for dinner.
And sometimes…
He smiled.
Usually when Beatrice wasn’t looking.
But she noticed.
She noticed everything.
Especially the way Dominic watched her.
His gaze lingered when she walked across the kitchen.
It followed her when she bent over the oven.
And whenever she laughed, his expression softened before he could stop it.
One afternoon, Beatrice caught him staring.
“Can I help you?”
Dominic didn’t look away.
“No.”
“You’ve been staring at me for five minutes.”
“I know.”
Beatrice’s cheeks turned pink.
“Well, stop.”
“I don’t want to.”
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
For once, Beatrice Higgins had no clever answer.
Dominic almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the door to the study burst open.
Lorenzo entered.
His face was grim.
“Boss.”
Dominic’s expression immediately changed.
The warmth vanished.
“What happened?”
Lorenzo placed a small metallic device on the desk.
“We found this in the eastern corridor.”
Dominic stared at it.
“A listening device.”
“High-end.”
“When?”
“During the security sweep.”
Dominic’s eyes hardened.
“Who had access?”
Lorenzo hesitated.
Then said one word.
“Sullivan.”
Dominic’s right hand slowly closed into a fist.
Sullivan had worked for the Falcone family for nine years.
He had protected Dominic.
He had protected Arthur.
He had eaten at their table.
And now he had betrayed them.
“Where is he?”
“We caught him trying to leave.”
“Alive?”
“For now.”
Dominic stood.
“Bring him to me.”
Twenty minutes later, Sullivan was on his knees in the underground garage.
Two guards held him in place.
Dominic stood several feet away.
“Who sent you?”
Sullivan refused to answer.
Dominic nodded.
Lorenzo stepped forward.
The interrogation lasted less than ten minutes.
By the end, Dominic had his answer.
“The Romanos,” Sullivan whispered.
Dominic’s expression didn’t change.
“What do they want?”
“The boy.”
Silence.
“And the nanny.”
Dominic’s eyes became cold.
Sullivan swallowed.
“They know she’s your weakness.”
That sentence changed everything.
For twelve years, Dominic had been invincible because he had no weakness.
No wife.
No children.
No hope.
Nothing mattered enough to hurt him.
But now there was Arthur.
And Beatrice.
Two people he would burn the world to protect.
“Who’s coming?”
“Carmine Romano.”
“When?”
Sullivan looked up.
“Tomorrow night.”
Dominic turned away.
“Lorenzo.”
“Boss?”
“Lock down the estate.”
“And Sullivan?”
Dominic didn’t even look back.
“Deal with him.”
Then Dominic walked upstairs.
He found Beatrice in the kitchen.
She was making soup.
Arthur was sitting at the table drawing a picture.
Dominic stopped in the doorway.
The image was almost painfully normal.
For a moment, he simply watched them.
Then he walked toward Beatrice.
“We’re leaving.”
She frowned.
“What?”
“Pack a bag.”
“Why?”
“Ten minutes.”
Beatrice put down her spoon.
“Dominic.”
He rarely heard her use his first name.
It stopped him.
“What is going on?”
He reached for her arm.
His fingers closed around her thick upper arm, firm but careful.
“Don’t argue.”
Beatrice immediately pulled away.
“Excuse me?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
“Pack a bag.”
“You don’t get to order me around like one of your soldiers.”
“Beatrice.”
“You’re frightening Arthur.”
Dominic looked past her.
Arthur was clutching his stuffed bear.
His little body was trembling.
Dominic’s anger vanished instantly.
He lowered his voice.
“My enemies know about you.”
Beatrice went still.
“They know you’re important to me.”
Her eyes widened.
Dominic stepped closer.
“They know Arthur loves you.”
He swallowed.
“And they know I would do anything to protect you.”
Beatrice’s breath caught.
“If you stay here, you’ll die.”
She stared at him.
“I can protect you.”
“No.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Dominic’s voice cracked.
“I spent twelve years believing I had nothing left to lose.”
He looked at Arthur.
Then back at her.
“I was wrong.”
Beatrice’s expression softened.
Dominic’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“If anyone hurts you, I will burn this entire city to the ground.”
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she shook her head.
“You don’t get it.”
“What?”
“You keep talking about protecting me.”
She stepped closer.
“I’m not asking you to protect me.”
Dominic frowned.
“I’m asking you to trust me.”
Before he could answer, every light in the mansion went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then—
BOOM.
The eastern windows exploded inward.
Arthur screamed.
Dominic moved instantly.
He grabbed the boy and pulled him behind the kitchen island.
“Stay down!”
Another explosion shook the mansion.
Guards shouted from the hallways.
Gunfire erupted outside.
Beatrice dropped beside Arthur.
“Dominic!”
“I’m here.”
He drew his weapon.
His face had become terrifyingly calm.
“Lorenzo!”
A voice shouted from the hallway.
“Boss! They’re inside!”
Dominic looked toward the darkness.
Then at Beatrice.
Then at Arthur.
The decision was immediate.
He handed Beatrice his spare weapon.
She stared at it.
“I don’t know how to use this.”
“Then don’t.”
He stepped in front of her.
“Stay behind me.”
Beatrice grabbed his sleeve.
“Dominic.”
He looked back.
She whispered:
“Come back.”
Something inside his chest broke.
He nodded.
“I will.”
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
Beatrice held Arthur close.
Outside, the mansion became a battlefield.
And somewhere beyond the gates, Carmine Romano watched the flames rising into the Chicago night.
He smiled.
Because he knew something Dominic didn’t.
The attack was never about killing him.
It was about forcing Dominic to choose.
His empire…
Or the woman who had taught him how to smile again.
