CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 7
THE MAFIA BOSS FALLS IN LOVE
Victor Blackwood had spent his entire life learning one simple rule.
Never show weakness.
Weakness invited enemies.
Weakness gave people something to destroy.
That was how his father had raised him.
That was how the streets had shaped him.
That was how he had survived.
But now, standing in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with bullets flying around him, Victor realized something terrifying.
His weakness was no longer a thing.
It was a person.
Two people.
Ethan.
And Lily.
The gunfire finally stopped.
The silence afterward was almost worse.
Victor remained standing in front of them, his body blocking every possible direction an attack could come from.
Lily held Ethan tightly.
Her heart was racing.
Not because of the gunshots.
Because of him.
Victor Blackwood.
The man everyone feared.
The man who had built an empire from nothing.
The man who had just placed his own life between danger and a child who wasn't even his blood.
"Victor."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
He looked back.
"Are you hurt?"
The question surprised her.
She almost laughed.
"Are you seriously asking me that?"
His eyes moved over her.
Checking.
Making sure.
Only when he was certain she was safe did he relax.
"I asked you a question."
Lily stared at him.
"You were standing in front of bullets."
"So?"
"So you could have died."
Victor's expression remained calm.
"But you didn't."
"That's not an answer."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Victor said quietly:
"It was never a choice."
Those four words stayed with her.
Because she believed him.
After the attack, they returned to the mansion.
Security around Blackwood property doubled.
Nobody entered without Victor's approval.
Nobody left without being questioned.
The entire city knew something had changed.
The Blackwood family was no longer just powerful.
They were under attack.
But the strangest change happened inside the mansion.
Victor Blackwood was changing.
And everyone noticed.
The first person to notice was Marcus.
He had worked for Victor for twelve years.
He had seen Victor angry.
Ruthless.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
But he had never seen him like this.
"Boss."
Victor looked up from the documents on his desk.
"What?"
Marcus glanced toward the security monitor.
The screen showed Lily sitting in Ethan's room.
Reading a story.
Ethan was laughing.
Actually laughing.
Marcus smiled slightly.
"You know, the old Victor would have fired anyone who distracted him during work."
Victor looked at him.
"Are you suggesting Lily distracts me?"
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
A long silence.
Then Victor looked back at the screen.
"No."
Marcus waited.
Victor's voice softened.
"She reminds me why I'm doing all this."
That answer shocked him more than anything.
Because Victor Blackwood had never spoken about purpose.
Only survival.
Lily noticed the change too.
At first, she thought she imagined it.
But Victor was different.
He no longer disappeared for days without explanation.
He ate dinner with Ethan.
He read bedtime stories, even though he was terrible at it.
He learned which toys Ethan liked.
He learned what made him laugh.
And every night...
He asked Lily the same question.
"Did he sleep well?"
Not as a boss.
Not as an employer.
As a father.
One evening, Lily found Victor sitting on the floor of Ethan's room.
She stopped at the doorway.
The sight was strange.
The most feared man in Chicago was sitting among children's toys.
Ethan was asleep against his chest.
Victor looked peaceful.
Something she had never seen before.
"You know..."
Lily smiled.
"I never thought I would see this."
Victor looked up.
"See what?"
"You."
She pointed at the floor.
"Like this."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Neither did I."
She stepped closer.
"He loves you."
Victor looked down at Ethan.
"I wasn't sure he did before."
Lily frowned.
"What?"
"I thought providing everything was enough."
His voice became quiet.
"Money. Security. Protection."
A pause.
"But maybe I was wrong."
Lily sat beside him.
"You were scared."
Victor looked at her.
"Of what?"
"Of losing him."
Silence.
She understood him.
And somehow, that scared Victor more than anything.
Because Lily saw the parts of him nobody else saw.
The parts he had spent years hiding.
The next morning, something unexpected happened.
Ethan took his first steps.
Everyone in the mansion gathered.
The doctors had said he needed time.
But children had their own plans.
Lily sat on one side of the room.
Victor sat on the other.
Ethan looked between them.
Then he moved.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Straight toward Lily.
Everyone smiled.
Except Victor.
Because for a brief second...
Something hurt inside him.
Ethan reached Lily first.
Of course he did.
She had been the one beside him when he was afraid.
The one who stayed.
Victor looked away.
But Lily noticed.
She gently took Ethan's hand.
Then she walked him toward Victor.
"Try again."
Victor looked surprised.
"What?"
"Try again."
Ethan looked at his father.
Victor slowly opened his arms.
And this time...
Ethan walked toward him.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Then he fell into Victor's arms.
The entire room became silent.
Because nobody had ever seen Victor Blackwood cry.
But that day...
He did.
Only for a second.
Only one tear.
But Lily saw it.
That night, Lily found Victor outside.
The city lights reflected behind him.
"You were happy today."
Victor looked at her.
"Because of Ethan."
She smiled.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then:
"And because of you."
Victor became still.
"Lily..."
She looked away.
"I know I'm only his nanny."
"No."
His answer was immediate.
She looked at him.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
He stepped closer.
"You are not just someone who works here."
Lily's heartbeat increased.
"You are the person who saved my son."
She looked down.
"Anyone would have done the same."
Victor shook his head.
"No."
His voice was certain.
"Not anyone."
Silence.
A dangerous, beautiful silence.
For the first time, Lily saw something in Victor's eyes.
Not power.
Not control.
Not anger.
Something else.
Something warmer.
Something he didn't know how to express.
Then Victor's phone rang.
The moment he answered, his expression changed.
Lily immediately knew.
Something was wrong.
"Where?"
A pause.
"When?"
Another pause.
His eyes darkened.
"Send me everything."
He ended the call.
"What happened?"
Victor looked at her.
"The person who attacked us wasn't working alone."
"Who else?"
Victor hesitated.
Then:
"Serena."
Lily froze.
"But she's gone."
Victor looked toward the city.
"No."
His voice became cold again.
"She was waiting."
Across the city, Serena stood in front of a mirror.
Her appearance was perfect.
Her dress was elegant.
Her smile was beautiful.
Just like before.
Except now...
There was nothing left to hide.
She looked at a photograph of Victor and Lily.
Her fingers tightened around it.
"You really think you can replace me?"
She whispered.
"You think he can love someone like you?"
She smiled.
"Let's see how long that lasts."
Because Serena Montigue had lost Victor.
But she had not lost the war.
And inside the Blackwood mansion...
Victor stood awake all night.
Not because of the enemy.
Not because of the danger.
But because he finally understood something.
The woman who saved his son...
Had become the woman who saved him.
May you like
And that was the one thing he could not afford to lose.
END OF CHAPTER 7
