LOGIN"She came for the $10,000 paycheck. She didn't expect to bargain for her life." Serenia Buenavista is having the absolute worst day of her life. She just got evicted from her apartment, her bank account is down to five dollars, and she just caught her boyfriend cheating on her—while his new girl is wearing Serenia's favorite hoodie. Desperate for quick cash, Serenia applies for a suspiciously high-paying anonymous job online: a nanny position for a "high-stress environment" paying $10,000 a month. But when she arrives at the heavily guarded mansion, she doesn't find a normal family. She finds Matteo Alcantara—a cold, ruthless, and terrifying underground boss who is currently losing a war against his orphaned four-year-old nephew. While other professional nannies run out of the house crying, Serenia sits on the floor and negotiates with the toddler like a tiny criminal, promising to teach him how to picklock doors if he eats his broccoli. Matteo is speechless. He needs her. But just as Serenia signs the deadly contract, gunshots shatter the mansion's windows. Now, locked in a world of danger, secrets, and a very grumpy, dangerously handsome boss, Serenia realizes she didn't just sign up for childcare... She signed up for the mafia.
View MoreSERENIA POV By dinner time, the house had settled into a quiet, heavy rhythm. Leo had completely passed out on the living room rug, his cheek pressed right against the orange plush dinosaur’s belly, with Nacho the tabby curled into a tight ball at his feet. I sat on the edge of the sofa, nursing a warm mug of chamomile tea. My mind kept drifting back to earlier this afternoon—specifically to that moment in the foyer when Matteo tossed me the plastic toy cat. He was looking at me differently, I thought, staring at the steam rising from my mug. Not like a problem he had to manage or a nanny he had to pay off. It was almost like he was trying to see right through me. It was a weird, intense look that made my stomach do a strange little flip, and honestly, it annoyed me how much it stayed with me. He was still the terrifying guy from the shooting, but seeing him pat Leo’s hair with those scarred hands... it messed with how I wanted to view him. The click of the heavy front doors broke
MATTEO POV The tinted glass of the rear window rolled down exactly three inches. I stood under the shadow of the concrete portico, my hands buried in my pockets as the black SUV idled near the main steps. Julian was a few paces behind me, his hand resting casually but firmly on the butt of his hidden firearm. After the breakfast conversation about pancakes and the brief, strange moment of quiet on the lawn, the weight of the city came rushing right back the second that vehicle cleared the iron gates. "Matteo," a voice spoke from the darkness inside the car. It was old, dry, and entirely devoid of warmth. Marcus Corvo didn't get out of his vehicle for anyone under the age of sixty. "I hear your house has a ventilation problem. Too many holes in the walls." "The holes have been patched, Marcus," I said, my voice flat and even. "And the men who made them are currently at the bottom of the river. Why are you here?" Corvo let out a dry, rattling cough that sounded like stones scr
SERENIA POV By two in the afternoon, the sun had finally broken through the heavy gray clouds, baking the damp stone of the courtyard until thin trails of steam rose from the ground. True to his word, Matteo had cleared the area. I stood by the large glass patio doors, watching three guards in dark suits walk the perimeter of the high stone wall. They weren't hiding their weapons anymore; heavy rifles were slung over their shoulders, their eyes constantly scanning the tree line just beyond the iron gates. "Shoes, Leo," I called out over my shoulder. "No shoes, no backyard." Leo came skidding out of the hallway, wearing a pair of bright red sneakers that looked slightly too big for him. He had the giant orange dinosaur from Clara tucked firmly under his left arm, its tail dragging along the floor. "I have shoes!" he announced, stamping his feet loudly against the marble to prove his point. "Alright, let's go," I said, sliding the heavy glass door open. The air outside was thick
SERENIA POV The sudden change in Julian’s posture made the hair on my arms stand up. I moved instinctively, stepping between the kitchen island and Leo, who was still entirely focused on shoving a oversized piece of pancake into his mouth. The three cats, sensing the sudden shift in gravity, bolted under the nearest low cabinet. "Stay here," Julian said, his voice dropping into a flat, professional whisper. He didn't draw his gun, but his hand stayed resting heavily against his belt as he slipped out into the main hallway. The heavy double doors of the foyer groaned open a moment later, followed by the low, indistinct murmur of male voices. I didn't stay behind the island. I grabbed a napkin, wiped a smear of chocolate syrup from Leo’s chin, and told him to keep eating before I slowly crept toward the edge of the kitchen doorway, peering out into the hall. Matteo was already there. He had emerged from his office down the hall, his black t-shirt tight across his shoulders, his arm
SERENIA POV The flour was exactly where Matteo said it would be, sitting in a huge, spotless glass jar behind a row of expensive, organic cooking oils. I dragged it out onto the marble island, along with a carton of eggs and a bottle of milk I found in the massive, double-doored refrigerator. Leo
MATTEO POV The wood of the study door didn't just split; it exploded inward, showering the marble floor with jagged splinters. My arm tightened instinctively around Serenia, pressing her down into the narrow, cramped space behind my desk. Leo was sandwiched between us, his small face buried so de
SERENIA POVMatteo flipped open the black leather folder, sliding a crisp, multi-page document across the smooth surface of the desk. A heavy, silver fountain pen followed right after it, rolling to a stop right by my coffee cup."That is your employment contract," Matteo said, his voice dropping i
SERENIA POVA maid arrived a few minutes later, quietly leaving a tray with a steaming porcelain pot of coffee and a fluffy white towel. She glanced at me with a look that was equal parts pity and curiosity before slipping out of the study as fast as her legs could carry her.I took the towel and b






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