Mafia boss and His Dog Save a Wheelchair Bride — Unaware She’s a God-Sent Black Woman

Chapter 7

Marcus Washington showed up at Zora’s apartment on a Thursday evening, his timing immaculate. Doyun was three blocks away, reviewing security reports, when his phone buzzed. Zora’s voice was shaking.

“He’s here. Marcus is here.”

“I’m on my way.” Doyun was already moving. “Don’t let him in.”

“Too late. I already did.” Her voice broke. “I thought he just wanted to talk, Doyun. I thought—”

“Fifteen minutes. Don’t be alone with him.”

He made it in eleven.

Marcus was sitting in Zora’s living room like he belonged there. Handsome in a conventional way — tall, athletic, an expensive suit that had never known a subway. The kind of man who looked good on paper. He was looking at Zora the way men look at property they’ve temporarily misplaced.

“You must be the new boyfriend,” Marcus said, his tone sliding like oil. “Zora’s told me all about her generous employer.”

Doyun’s face stayed neutral while something hot and violent turned over behind his ribs. “And you must be Marcus Washington. Zora’s ex-fiancé.”

“Ex-fiancé,” Zora corrected sharply. “Who left me in the hospital and hasn’t spoken a word to me in six months.”

“A mistake I’m here to correct.” Marcus rose, moving toward her. “Baby, I was wrong. I was scared, and I was stupid, and I’ve regretted it every single day. But I’m here now. I want to make it right.”

“Make it right?” Zora’s voice climbed. “You think you can just show up and erase six months?”

“People make mistakes. I’m asking for forgiveness.”

“And I’m asking you to leave.”

Marcus’s expression hardened. “Not until we talk privately.” He glanced at Doyun. “Without your employer present.”

“Anything you have to say to me,” Zora said, “you can say in front of Doyun.”

“Fine.” Marcus pulled out his phone, swiped, and held up documents. “Then let’s talk about who your boyfriend really is. The criminal empire he runs. The illegal activities. The federal investigation that’s about to bring him down.”

Zora went pale. “How do you—”

“The FBI came to me.” Marcus’s voice turned pleading. “They told me everything. Showed me evidence. Baby, this man is dangerous. He’s using you. And when everything falls apart, you’ll be caught in the crossfire. Come back to me. Let me protect you the right way.”

Doyun had been preparing for this moment for weeks. Hearing it laid out so baldly still stung.

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” he said quietly.

“That’s not your decision.” Marcus turned to Zora. “Think about it. You were building a good life before the accident. I can help you get that back. Physical therapy. The best doctors. A real future. What can he offer you except danger and lies?”

For a moment — a single, terrible moment — uncertainty flickered across Zora’s face, and Doyun felt his world tilt on its axis.

Then she spoke, and her voice was clear and strong.

“He can offer me honesty. He can offer me presence. He’s been here, Marcus. When I was struggling, when I was scared, when I needed someone — where were you?”

“I was wrong—”

“You were gone.” She shook her head. “And now you show up with FBI files and accusations, expecting what? That I’ll forget everything and come running back?”

“I can give you a safe life—”

“I don’t need you to rescue me.” Her chin came up. “I need someone who sees me. Not the woman I was before. Not someone to fix or to save. Me, as I am right now.” She reached for Doyun’s hand. “And I found him.”

Marcus’s expression twisted ugly. “You’re making a mistake. When the FBI moves in, when his empire crumbles, you’ll wish you’d chosen differently.”

“Then that’s my mistake to make.” Her voice held steel. “Now get out of my apartment.”

“Zora—”

“Get out.”

Marcus looked between them, a general surveying a battle already lost. “When this goes bad — and it will — don’t come crying to me.”

“I won’t need to. I have someone who will actually be there.” She squeezed Doyun’s hand. “Goodbye, Marcus.”

The door closed behind him, and the silence that followed stretched like a held breath.

Doyun waited, giving her space.

“Is it true?” she finally asked. “The federal investigation?”

“Yes.”

“And they want to use me against you.”

“They want to use everyone I care about. Standard procedure.”

“Will they succeed?”

“Not if I can help it.” He turned to face her. “But Zora — Marcus wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“I know.”

“Being with me is dangerous. The FBI is the least of it. There are rivals. People who would hurt you to hurt me. I can protect you, but I can’t guarantee your safety completely.”

“I know.” She pulled him down and kissed him, fierce and determined. “And I’m still choosing this. Choosing us.”

“You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.”

“Probably both.” She smiled through tears. “But I meant what I said. You see me. Not the wheelchair. Not the struggling designer. Not someone to be pitied. You see me, and that’s worth fighting for.”

Doyun pulled her close. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.”

“Says the man who faces down criminals for a living.”

“That’s not courage. That’s necessity.” He pulled back to meet her eyes. “You’re choosing danger when you could choose safety. That’s real courage.”

Kaiser, sensing the emotion in the room, shoved his head between them and made them both laugh.

“What happens now?” Zora asked.

“Now I deal with the FBI. And with Marcus — he won’t stop trying to save you.”

“Let him try. I’ve made my choice.”

“Zora, you should know — if this goes bad, if the investigation leads to charges, I might not be able to protect you from the fallout. You could be called as a witness. Questioned. Possibly charged.”

“I understand.”

“Do you really?” He needed her to grasp the scale of it. “Your life could be turned upside down. Everything you’ve built could be destroyed.”

“Doyun.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m already in too deep. I fell for you the moment you carried me into your penthouse with such gentle care on the way to trying to look tough and untouchable. I’m not walking away because things got complicated. I’m staying because you’re worth it.”

Something inside him broke, and reformed around her.

“I love you,” he said, the words escaping before he could catch them. “I know it’s fast. I know it’s insane. But I love you, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy.”

“I love you, too.” She kissed him again, soft and sure. “Now — what’s our move?”

The fact that she’d said our instead of your settled something deep in his chest.

“We build a case against the case,” he said. “We find leverage. And we make sure everyone understands you’re off-limits.”

“All right.” She took his hand. “Together.”

Together.