The cathedral shimmered beneath crystal chandeliers, its white roses arranged with flawless precision. Every seat was occupied by politicians, billionaires, and powerful families who had gathered to witness a marriage neither bride nor groom had chosen.

Then the grand doors opened.

Waytt Moretti stepped inside.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Conversations stopped. Heads lowered. Even the guards standing along the aisle straightened instinctively. His reputation arrived before he did. At twenty-eight, Waytt ruled the city's underworld with absolute authority. Cold, ruthless, and untouchable, he was a man whose name alone made enemies surrender.

Dressed in a tailored black suit, he walked to the altar without sparing a glance for the crowd.

His silver-gray eyes remained emotionless.

Weeks before the wedding, he had ordered a complete investigation into the woman he was about to marry.

Kate.

Daughter of one of the country's richest businessmen.

Independent. Intelligent. Honest.

She worked in her father's company despite never needing the money. She spoke seven languages fluently, learned new skills with remarkable speed, and had a reputation for solving problems calmly. She knew how to defend herself, avoided unnecessary attention, and was respected by everyone who knew her.

Only one detail from the report had stayed in Waytt's mind.

Insomnia.

Some nights she didn't sleep at all, depending on sleeping pills simply to rest.

He never understood why that small fact bothered him.

The music changed.

Every eye turned toward the entrance.

Kate walked down the aisle in an elegant ivory satin gown that flowed behind her like liquid moonlight. A delicate white feather stole rested on her shoulders, while soft brown curls framed her graceful figure. She looked breathtaking.

Yet her expression remained calm.

She wasn't nervous.

She wasn't smiling.

Most importantly...

She never looked at him.

Not once.

She kept her gaze fixed ahead until she reached the altar.

The priest began the ceremony.

"Do you, Waytt Moretti, take Kate as your lawful wife?"

"I do."

His answer was immediate.

Strong.

Certain.

Then the priest turned toward her.

"Do you, Kate, take Waytt Moretti as your lawful husband?"

A brief silence lingered.

"I do."

Her voice was soft, polite, and emotionless.

The ceremony ended.

Applause echoed throughout the cathedral, but neither of them celebrated.

They stood together as strangers.

During the photographs, the photographer smiled nervously.

"Sir... please stand a little closer."

Waytt quietly placed one hand around Kate's waist.

She stiffened slightly.

For the first time, she turned toward him—

Only to look at his shoulder.

Not his face.

Not his eyes.

Waytt said nothing, though something unfamiliar settled inside him. Every person he had ever met feared looking into his eyes.

His own wife refused to acknowledge them.

The reception was no different.

As they entered the grand ballroom, every guest stood in respect. Businessmen lowered their heads. Guards waited silently for orders.

A waitress accidentally dropped a crystal glass, shattering it across the marble floor. Terror spread across her face as she looked toward Waytt, expecting punishment.

Instead, he calmly glanced at one of his guards.

"Clean it."

"Yes, Boss."

Nothing more.

Kate noticed.

He was cold.

Not cruel.

Later, she accepted a glass of sparkling water instead of wine. Without a word, Waytt slid the basket of warm bread closer to her.

She hesitated before quietly saying, "Thank you."

The first words she had spoken directly to him all day.

"You're welcome," he replied with a simple nod.

When the reception ended, rain poured outside.

Waytt took the umbrella from a guard and instinctively held it over Kate instead of himself.

Cold rain soaked his shoulders.

"You'll get wet," she said quietly.

"It doesn't matter."

For a fleeting second, her eyes lifted toward him before drifting away again.

Neither of them realized it then.

Their marriage had begun without love, without trust, and without choice.

But beneath the silence, the first invisible thread between two guarded hearts had already begun to form.

The grand gates of the Moretti estate opened as a convoy of black luxury cars disappeared into the sprawling driveway. Rain drummed softly against the windows, while towering stone walls and armed guards reminded everyone that this was less a home and more a fortress.

Waytt Moretti stepped out first.

Ignoring the rain soaking his suit, he walked to the other side of the car and opened the door himself.

For a brief second, every guard froze.

No one had ever seen the feared mafia boss open a car door for anyone.

Kate stepped out gracefully, her wedding gown brushing against the wet stone.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Waytt gave a single nod.

"Come."

The massive front doors opened before them.

Inside, dozens of servants stood in two perfectly straight lines.

"Welcome home, Boss."

Then they turned toward Kate.

"Welcome home, Madam."

Kate offered a polite smile. "You don't have to be so formal."

The servants exchanged nervous glances but remained silent. Before anyone could respond, Waytt spoke in his usual calm, commanding tone.

"You'll address her with the same respect you show me."

The room instantly fell silent.

"Yes, Boss."

Kate looked at him, surprised. She had expected indifference from the man she had been forced to marry, not quiet respect.

Moments later, the elderly butler stepped forward.

"Boss, shall Madam's luggage be moved to the master suite?"

Kate answered before Waytt could.

"Is there another room available?"

The question hung in the air.

Several servants lowered their eyes. No woman had ever refused to share Waytt Moretti's room.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes."

The butler looked stunned.

"Prepare the room beside mine."

"Immediately, Boss."

Kate frowned slightly. "We're... not sharing a room?"

Waytt finally looked directly at her.

"I won't force you."

His voice remained steady, free of anger or disappointment.

"When you're comfortable making your own decision, that's different."

Kate blinked before giving a quiet nod.

"Thank you."

For the first time since the wedding, she felt she could breathe.

---

The mansion fell silent after midnight.

Kate changed into comfortable clothes and sat beside the bedroom window, staring at the bottle of sleeping pills resting in her hand.

Another sleepless night.

Nothing unusual.

She swallowed one tablet with a sip of water and waited for sleep that never seemed to arrive.

Across the hallway, Waytt stood inside his office surrounded by reports that no longer held his attention.

A guard knocked softly.

"Boss."

"What is it?"

"Madam is awake."

"I know."

"She left her room."

Waytt closed the file in front of him.

"Where?"

"The kitchen."

His response came without hesitation.

"Make sure no one disturbs her."

The guard nodded.

"And tell the others to stop following her."

"They're protecting Madam."

"I know."

Waytt's expression remained unreadable.

"But she values her independence."

---

The kitchen was warm and quiet.

Kate searched the cupboards until she found tea leaves.

Just as she reached for the kettle, a familiar deep voice broke the silence.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

She turned.

Waytt stood in the doorway, his suit jacket gone, the sleeves of his white shirt neatly rolled to his forearms. Without the formal attire, he looked slightly less intimidating, though the air around him remained commanding.

"I didn't mean to disturb anyone," she said.

"You didn't."

She reached for the kettle again, but he picked it up first.

"I'll do it."

"I can make tea."

"I know."

"Then why?"

He filled the kettle calmly.

"Because you're my guest tonight."

Kate looked at him in confusion.

"I'm your wife."

"You haven't accepted this place as your home yet."

His words carried no accusation—only quiet honesty.

Minutes later, he placed a steaming cup before her.

"No sugar."

She looked up in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"You don't take sugar."

"You investigated me that thoroughly?"

"I investigate everything."

Kate took a sip.

It was exactly how she liked it.

A faint smile escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Waytt noticed.

For the first time in years, he found himself wanting to smile back.

Instead, they sat together in comfortable silence, two strangers sharing tea in the middle of the night, unaware that the first fragile thread connecting their hearts had already begun to form.

Waytt's POV

Waytt Moretti had lived by discipline for years.

Every morning began the same way—reports, meetings, and decisions that shaped the city's underworld. Emotions had never been part of his routine.

Yet that morning, before opening the first file on his desk, one thought crossed his mind.

Did she sleep?

The question annoyed him.

He had never wondered whether anyone had slept well before.

A guard approached and bowed.

"Boss, Madam has left her room."

Waytt looked toward the staircase.

A moment later, Kate appeared.

She wore a simple cream blouse tucked into black trousers. There were no expensive jewels, no heavy makeup, only quiet elegance.

She looked...

Less exhausted.

The dark circles beneath her eyes hadn't disappeared, but they seemed lighter.

She slept.

Not enough.

But more than usual.

Without realizing it, the tension in his shoulders eased.

His attention returned to the meeting in front of him.

Several trusted men stood around the long dining table covered with maps, photographs, and confidential reports.

"We've located the warehouse," one man reported.

"Should we proceed tonight?"

Waytt read the file silently before answering.

"No."

The room became completely still.

One of the men hesitated.

"But Boss, if we delay—"

Waytt slowly lifted his eyes.

The man immediately lowered his head.

"...Understood."

No one questioned him again.

His decisions were absolute.

As they always had been.

Then he noticed Kate quietly observing from the staircase.

She wasn't frightened.

She was studying everything.

Analyzing.

Exactly as his investigation had described.

Intelligent.

---

Kate's POV

She had expected to wake after another restless night.

Instead, sunlight streamed through the curtains.

Her phone displayed 8:12 A.M.

Five hours.

She had actually slept for five uninterrupted hours.

It had been months since that had happened.

She couldn't explain why.

The mansion remained unfamiliar, yet for the first time in years, her mind had been quiet enough to rest.

As she reached the main hall, she found Waytt surrounded by serious-looking men discussing business.

Nobody interrupted him.

Nobody argued.

Even when one man tried to question his decision, a single look from Waytt ended the conversation.

He never raised his voice.

He didn't need to.

Authority surrounded him naturally.

Then his eyes shifted toward her.

"Breakfast."

The head chef nodded immediately.

"Right away, Boss."

Kate shook her head politely.

"I'm not hungry."

Waytt closed the report in front of him.

"You'll eat."

His voice remained calm.

It wasn't a command spoken in anger.

It sounded more like a simple fact.

Kate crossed her arms.

"I said I'm not hungry."

For a second, silence filled the room.

Several guards lowered their eyes, clearly uncomfortable.

Nobody refused Waytt Moretti.

Instead of insisting, he asked a question she hadn't expected.

"What do you usually eat?"

She blinked.

"...Vegetable soup... toast... and black coffee."

Waytt turned toward the chef.

"You heard her."

"Yes, Boss."

The meeting continued immediately.

Kate remained standing for a moment, surprised.

He hadn't forced her to eat whatever was available.

He had simply chosen to accommodate her.

It was a small gesture.

But somehow...

It felt important.

---

Waytt's POV

Breakfast was unusually quiet.

Kate sat at the opposite end of the long dining table while servants carefully placed her meal before her.

He continued reading reports while drinking black coffee.

The chef waited nervously.

Kate tasted the soup.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"This is really good."

The chef smiled.

"Boss asked us to prepare it exactly as you prefer."

Waytt didn't look up from the document in his hands.

"If you don't like something," he said evenly, "tell the staff. They'll change it."

A brief silence followed.

"...Thank you," Kate replied softly.

He acknowledged her with a small nod.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Just then, Adrian entered carrying another stack of files.

He glanced from Waytt to Kate, sensing the unusually peaceful atmosphere.

A mischievous smile appeared.

"So..."

Waytt sighed without lifting his eyes.

"Don't."

"I haven't even said anything."

"You were about to."

Adrian laughed quietly, surrendering before another word could leave his mouth.

Kate watched the exchange with growing curiosity.

For the first time, she realized the feared mafia boss wasn't surrounded only by people who feared him.

There was at least one person who knew him well enough to joke with him.

And for the first time since their forced marriage, Waytt Moretti seemed less like an untouchable legend...

...and a little more like a man.