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

Chapter 7

Ruby almost refused. She told herself that a charity gala inside one of Luca’s hotels had nothing to do with her world of barking dogs, unpaid invoices, and sweaters covered in fur. Marcus disagreed.

“You spend every day telling frightened animals to be brave,” he said, checking Caesar’s shoulder. “Try listening to your own advice.”

She accepted — but she refused the stylist, the jewelry, and the designer gown Luca offered to send. Instead she borrowed a dark emerald dress from her cousin. It hugged her full chest, round stomach, and wide hips far more closely than anything she normally wore. When Luca arrived to collect her, Ruby opened the door and immediately looked down at herself.

“Say something before I assume this dress has stopped your heart.”

Luca stood motionless for several seconds. Without her oversized cardigans and loose scrubs, Ruby’s soft, heavy figure was impossible to ignore. The dress did not make her look thinner, and she had not chosen it to. It made her look confident, warm, striking.

“You look beautiful,” he finally said.

Ruby blinked. “That sounded suspiciously honest.”

He offered his arm. “Don’t become accustomed to it.”

The Marchetti Grand glittered above Baltimore Harbor — chandeliers, string music, and guests wearing enough diamonds to fund Harbor Light for a decade. Ruby felt people staring the moment she entered beside Luca. Most of the women in the ballroom were tall, slender, perfectly styled. Ruby was shorter, much heavier, and already regretting the heels squeezing her feet. Luca seemed to notice every uncomfortable step. He slowed his pace and kept one hand near the curve of her back, never touching her unless she leaned toward him.

“Everyone is looking at me,” Ruby whispered.

“They’re wondering who has enough courage to argue with me in public.”

“You mean they can tell?”

“You’ve been correcting me since we left the car.”

The evening went smoothly until a woman in a silver gown approached them. Her name was Victoria Ashford, daughter of a powerful investor, and gossip magazines had once described her as Luca’s most suitable future wife. She was elegant, beautiful, and immediately unpleasant.

“So,” Victoria said, looking Ruby over with a smile that never reached her eyes, “this is the woman from the dog center.”

Ruby returned the smile. “And you must be the woman who introduces herself by identifying other people’s jobs.”

Luca’s mouth almost moved, but he stayed silent. Victoria asked whether Ruby found the evening exciting after spending her days cleaning kennels. Ruby replied that frightened dogs were usually better company than wealthy strangers, because they were honest about wanting to bite. Several guests nearby failed to hide their laughter.

Victoria’s smile tightened. She lifted her champagne glass. “Luca has always been generous with his charities. I suppose his attention has helped your little business considerably.”

Ruby understood the insult. She also noticed Luca turning toward Victoria, ready to end the conversation — and she placed a hand lightly on his arm. She did not need rescuing.

“Harbor Light existed before I met Luca,” she said calmly. “I built it with secondhand equipment, bank loans, and years of work no one photographed. His foundation supports rescue dogs, but it doesn’t own my business, my staff, or me.”

Victoria glanced at Ruby’s body. “How admirable. Confidence is so important when a woman does not possess more traditional advantages.”

The room went quieter. Ruby’s cheeks warmed, but her voice stayed steady. “You mean being thin.” Victoria gave a delicate shrug. Ruby continued, “I’ve spent years being judged by people who believe a woman’s value becomes smaller when her dress size becomes larger. Fortunately, dogs don’t care about waistlines, and neither do the clients who trust me with animals everyone else abandoned. My body has carried injured dogs, worked sixteen-hour days, and stood between armed men and a frightened animal. I am not ashamed of the space I take up.”

No one laughed this time. Even Victoria seemed briefly unsure how to respond.

Luca stepped forward then — not because Ruby had failed, but because he wanted the entire room to understand what she had just said. He requested the microphone before the charity auction began. Standing beneath the chandeliers, he announced that Harbor Light would become the primary rehabilitation partner of the Marchetti Animal Foundation. He explained that Ruby had created one of the city’s most successful recovery programs without wealthy investors or powerful family connections. Then he looked directly toward Victoria and added, “Miss Hart is here because of what she accomplished long before I met her. Anyone who mistakes her for an accessory beside me has misunderstood which of us needed saving.”

Applause filled the ballroom. Ruby stared at him, touched despite being annoyed that he had made the announcement without warning her.

Later they escaped onto a quiet balcony overlooking the harbor. Ruby removed one painful shoe and leaned against the railing.

“You should have asked before announcing the partnership.”

Luca stood beside her. “You would have refused.”

“Correct. That’s why I didn’t ask.”

“You were improving,” Ruby said.

“I still have work to do.” He stepped closer. His hand settled carefully against her soft waist, and for a moment the noise from the ballroom disappeared. Ruby looked up at him. Luca lowered his head — and his phone vibrated.

He checked the message, and the warmth vanished from his face. Across the ballroom, two guards were already moving toward them. Luca placed Ruby’s shoe back into her hand.

“We’re leaving.”

She saw danger in his eyes, and she knew this was not another overprotective excuse. Someone had entered the hotel using a stolen invitation. Every photograph found on the man’s phone was of Ruby. Leaving Harbor Light. Buying coffee. Locking the center alone at night. Not one photograph focused on Luca.

Ruby stared at the screen he handed her, and the warmth of the gala disappeared.