AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

THE MOON’S BLESSING

The night settles over the city like a velvet shroud, wrapping the penthouse in quiet warmth. From the kitchen, I watch Aemelia move beside me, sleeves pushed up, flour dusting her fingertips as she follows my every instruction. Her hands are steady, her focus unwavering. Tonight, she isn’t a girl haunted by the blood on her hands. Tonight, she is just Aemelia, learning to make my mother’s pasta recipe as if she’s always belonged in this kitchen, in this life, with us

Alexis leans against the counter, swirling a glass of whiskey, grinning as he critiques our work. “You’re letting her knead it too much. The dough’s going to be tough.”

“Shut up, Alexis,” I murmur, adjusting Aemelia’s grip on the dough. She glances up at me, amusement flickering in her dark eyes, and I smirk. “You’re doing perfect, bella.”

She smiles, and it’s a real one. Not the forced, careful smiles she used to give us, but something deeper, something that touches the part of me that has only been awake since she came into our lives. Luca sits at the head of the table, his sharp gaze taking everything in. He doesn’t interfere. He doesn’t need to. He’s content, watching Aemelia fold into our world.

Music hums from the speakers, something low and warm, picked by Alexis, who, despite his antics, has a way of setting a mood. The scent of garlic and simmering tomatoes fills the air, wrapping around us like an embrace. For the first time in what feels like forever, there is no threat of violence, no desire for revenge, nothing clouding our thoughts—only the sound of laughter, the clinking of dishes, the quiet symphony of a home being built around a woman who was never meant to stay, but now, we hope will never leave.

She said she wants to be with us. I offered her our name, and she said yes. But it was done in front of her family, when Luca and Alexis were absent. Our beautiful kitten deserves prettier words and a ring she can be proud of. She deserves all the good we can extract from the world to lay at her feet.

When dinner is ready, we take it out onto the balcony. The night stretches above us, a sliver of moon hanging in the sky like a knowing smile. The city sprawls beneath us, lights blinking like fallen stars, and for a moment, it feels like we’re the only ones in the world.

Aemelia sits between me and Alexis, with Luca across from her, wine glass balanced in one hand and the other, her left resting on the table. I stare at her naked finger, the final part we need to claim, anticipation building. We eat, we talk, we breathe. It’s easy, effortless, and the ache in my chest that I’ve carried for so long eases with every glance she steals, every time her knee brushes mine beneath the table.

Then Luca’s patience seems to falter. His chair scrapes against the tile as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. He turns it over between his fingers thoughtfully before sliding it across the table to her.

Aemelia stares at it, fingers trembling slightly as she reaches for it. The box clicks open, revealing three interwoven rings, each set with a single diamond that nestles together to form one whole.noveldrama

Her breath catches. “Luca…”

He leans forward, forearms braced against the table, his gaze steady, unshakable. “Amore mio… I never thought I’d find someone like you. Never thought I deserved it. But you… you’re the piece of my heart I never hoped to have. The love I never thought was meant for me.” His voice is low, reverent. “I have so much respect for you, Aemelia. For your strength, for your fire. For the way you’ve taken a life that tried to break you and turned it into something beautiful.”

Her eyes glisten under the moonlight, but Luca isn’t finished.

“I want you to wear these rings, cara mia, because you don’t just belong to me. You belong to all of us. And if you’ll have us, we’ll spend our lives proving that you are, and always will be, ours.”

Aemelia parts her lips, breath unsteady, but before she can speak, I take her hand, bringing it to my lips, letting the softness of her skin settle something in me.

“He’s right,” I murmur. “From the moment you walked back into our lives, I knew you were special. I knew you were meant to be ours. I don’t care what the world thinks or what’s expected. I don’t care if everyone thinks we’re crazy for wanting one woman. I only care that you stay. That you let us love you the way you deserve. You’ll never want for anything again, Aemelia. Not safety. Not love. Not the sun on your face or peace in your heart. I’ll give you everything—even if I have to burn the world down to do it.”

Alexis, always one to break the tension, grins as he tucks a stray curl behind her ear, turning her gently. “I mean, how could you say no, princess? Three men to worship you at your feet. Three men to provide everything your heart desires. Offers like that don’t come around twice in a lifetime.”

She laughs, sounding a little choked, shaking her head, and when she turns back to Luca, her voice is barely a whisper. “You’re really asking me to marry all of you?”

Luca nods, and for the first time, I see uncertainty flicker in his expression like he’s bracing for something he can’t control. “Si, amore. I am. Of course, only one of us will be able to marry you in front of God and our families, but the others will be your husbands in all the ways that count.”

Aemelia inhales sharply, staring at the rings, at us, at this life she never imagined for herself. Then she exhales, slow and steady, her shoulders relaxing. “Yes.”

The word is barely out of her mouth before Alexis whoops, scooping her into his arms, tugging her to her feet, and embracing her so tightly she becomes breathless with laughter. I’m next, wrapping my arms around her from behind, my lips pressed to her neck, breathing her in. And then Luca, strong and sure, his hand at the back of her head as he kisses her, slow and deep, claiming her in a way that seals this moment forever.

She’s surrounded, touched by all of us, kissed between heated whispers and murmured promises.

The city fades. The world narrows. And under the sliver of a moon that watches like a silent witness, Aemelia Venturi commits to finally being irrevocably ours.