The Mafia Boss’s Dog Chose the Plus-Size Woman Everyone Ignored—Then Refused to Leave Her Side

Chapter 11

Luca chose a small Italian restaurant overlooking the harbor, far from his luxury hotels and the private clubs where every waiter knew his name. It was the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and candles in wine bottles, where the owner called everyone *cara* and the bread arrived warm. Ruby noticed immediately that there were no visible guards, although a black car had been following them from a distance for the past ten minutes. She decided not to mention it. She wore a simple navy dress that fitted around her full chest, round stomach, and wide hips. Luca had replaced his usual suit with a dark shirt and coat. When he pulled out her chair, Ruby examined it carefully before sitting.

“If this breaks, you’re not allowed to buy the restaurant.”

“I’ll only replace the chair.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “That was not permission.”

The dinner began awkwardly. Luca knew how to negotiate shipping contracts, silence hostile businessmen, and control a room without raising his voice. He had no idea how to conduct an ordinary date. He asked how many employees Harbor Light had, whether the building lease was stable, and what her five-year expansion plan looked like. Ruby placed her fork down.

“Are you trying to date me, or acquire my company?”

Luca considered the question seriously. “I am showing interest. Ask something my accountant cannot answer.”

He remained quiet for several seconds before asking why she had chosen to work with damaged animals. Ruby told him about the first dog she had rescued when she was sixteen — a frightened stray named Pepper who bit anyone who tried to touch him. Everyone said the dog was too aggressive and should be put down. Ruby spent months sitting near him without reaching out. One rainy afternoon, Pepper finally crossed the room and rested his head on her lap. Ruby had understood then that trust could not be ordered, purchased, or forced. It had to be offered freely.

Luca listened without interrupting, and she could see that he understood she was not speaking only about dogs.

When Ruby asked about his childhood, Luca’s expression became guarded. He eventually admitted that he had grown up in a house where affection was treated like weakness and every favor created a debt. His father taught him that the safest person in any room was the one controlling it. Affection, in that house, was a ledger — someone always owed someone else. Caesar had originally been given to him as a protection dog, a tool with a collar, the way his father had been given everything: to be used, not loved. But over time, the animal became the only living creature Luca trusted without calculation — the only thing that had ever wanted his company without first checking his worth.

Ruby reached across the table and placed her hand over his.

“That explains why both of you needed therapy.”

Luca looked down at their joined hands. “Caesar was the patient.”

“You drank the chamomile tea.”

After that dinner, Luca stopped using money as his first answer to every problem. When the heater at Harbor Light broke, he called and recommended a repair company instead of replacing the entire building. When he wanted to send a car for her, he asked. When she refused because she had work, he accepted the answer without sending three assistants to change her mind. Ruby praised him so enthusiastically for this basic improvement that Luca looked more satisfied than he had after signing a major business deal.

Caesar returned to Harbor Light and immediately reclaimed his place beside Ruby’s chair. He had become calmer during the weeks away, though he still carried the pink pig everywhere. One afternoon Ruby sat on the floor sorting toys when Caesar attempted to climb into her lap. Only half of him fitted, leaving his back legs stretched across the carpet while his full weight trapped her against the wall. Luca entered and found Ruby buried beneath the enormous dog.

“Help me,” she said.

Luca leaned against the doorway. “You told me not to interfere with your decisions.”

“I did not decide to become furniture.”

He lifted Caesar off her and pulled Ruby to her feet — but he did not release her hand afterward.

Their relationship became easier after that. Luca still disappeared into dangerous meetings and sometimes answered calls that turned his expression cold, but he no longer shut Ruby out completely. He told her when there was risk instead of surrounding her with guards without explanation. Ruby did not pretend to approve of everything he did. Yet she stopped assuming every protective gesture was an attempt to control her. They were learning each other slowly — with more arguments than most couples and considerably more dog hair.

One evening, Luca invited her to his mansion.