The Mafia Boss Brought His Secretary as His Fake Date—Then Got Jealous When Every Man Wanted Her
Chapter 12
Three days later, Elena’s father came home.
He was older than she remembered.
His hair was nearly gray.
His face carried years of exhaustion.
But when he saw Elena, he cried.
She ran into his arms.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
“I thought you were dead,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“I hated you.”
“I know.”
“I missed you.”
He held her tighter.
“I missed you every day.”
Later that evening, Elena sat with both parents.
There were still questions.
So many.
Her mother explained the final secret.
Damien had been lying about one thing.
Elena’s father had not been betrayed by Adrian’s father alone.
There had been someone else.
A member of the family who had ordered the final attack.
Someone who had remained hidden for years.
But the evidence in the ledger had finally exposed that person too.
By morning, federal investigators had enough evidence to begin dismantling the organization.
Adrian voluntarily handed over records.
He refused to run.
He refused to protect criminals simply because they shared his name.
It was the decision Elena’s father had hoped he would make.
One week later, Adrian came to the family home.
He stood outside the gate.
He didn’t enter.
Elena walked toward him.
“You came.”
“Yes.”
She looked at him.
“How are you?”
“Busy.”
“Still running everything?”
“No.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve handed over most of the operation.”
“To whom?”
“A legal management board.”
She smiled.
“That sounds very unlike you.”
“I’m changing.”
She studied him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m trying to build something that doesn’t need fear to survive.”
Her heart softened.
He reached into his pocket.
A small velvet box.
He didn’t open it.
“I brought this to return.”
Inside was the necklace.
Her pendant.
The key.
“You kept it?”
“After the cemetery.”
“Why?”
“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.”
She looked into his eyes.
“Are you asking me to?”
“Yes.”
She smiled faintly.
“On what terms?”
“Your terms.”
That surprised her.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“No more secrets.”
“Yes.”
“No controlling where I go.”
“Yes.”
“No bodyguards following me everywhere.”
He hesitated.
“Reasonable protection.”
She laughed.
“Fine.”
He finally opened the box.
“Then there is one more thing.”
“What?”
He took out a small ring.
Not a diamond.
A simple gold band.
“I don’t want to pretend anymore.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Adrian…”
“I loved you before I knew how to say it.”
She looked at the ring.
“Is this a proposal?”
“Yes.”
“You’re terrible at romance.”
“I know.”
She laughed through her tears.
“But I’m still waiting for you to ask properly.”
Adrian smiled.
He dropped to one knee.
“Elena Brooks, will you marry me?”
She looked at him.
Then at the man who had once frightened her.
The man who had lied to protect her.
The man who had finally learned that love could not be built from control.
“Yes.”
He stood.
She kissed him.
But neither of them noticed the dark car parked across the street.
Inside, someone watched them.
Someone who had one final secret.
