The Mafia Boss Is The Man Of My Dreams

Chapter 5

Knight’s POV

I hadn’t planned on leaving the mansion today. Everything necessary was already in motion, and all that was left was to watch the pieces fall from afar. The name Knight Edge carried a weight in these circles that people never got tired of whispering, so I had fully assumed the final sale and handover of Saturn Finance would go off without a single hitch.

I had a legacy to uphold, and falling short was never an option in my line of work.

“Did our piece arrive on schedule?” I asked, letting my head fall back against the leather couch as I casually swirled the dark wine in my glass.

“I checked a few minutes ago, boss. Yes—he’s already at the acquisition site and has been introduced to the staff,” Rowan, my head of security, replied sharply.

“Watch him closely, Rowan,” I said, setting the glass down on the table with a soft click. “Conan wasn’t my first choice for a game this massive, but it’s entirely too late to swap him out now.”

“If I may ask, boss…” Rowan started, a rare trace of hesitation clearing on his face. “Why pick someone like him for a takeover this critical? Saturn Finance is a massive hub, and utilizing Conan as the front... it doesn’t seem like the most secure choice.”

A slow smirk found its way to my face. “Do you play chess, Rowan?”

He muttered a low, disciplined, “No, boss.”

“Then listen carefully,” I said, leaning forward. “In chess, there are pieces that are valuable—and pieces that are entirely disposable. If you pay attention to Conan’s specific background, what kind of piece do you think he represents?”

“His family is incredibly wealthy and politically connected, so he’s a valuable asset, right?”

I shook my head, letting out a deep, quiet chuckle. “His parents are the assets. Conan himself is entirely disposable—the moment it suits me. I placed him in that executive seat because he is the exact public front I need for this transition to work. A rich, spoiled heir whose doting parents helped him acquire a corporate giant. The media eats it up. It’s significantly less suspicious when the public story fits the stereotype.”

I stood up and walked over to the open floor-to-ceiling window as Rowan nodded slowly.

“We haven’t operated directly through a high-profile finance firm before,” I continued. “Their accounts are much harder to manipulate from the outside, so the last thing I want is a federal agency questioning the legitimacy of this takeover.”

Understanding finally flashed in Rowan's eyes.

“It should be an entertaining transition, though,” I added.

Rowan’s eyes widened slightly at my choice of words. “It’s been a very long time since you called anything entertaining, boss.”

I let out a low, rough laugh. “You know how monotonous it gets in our world, Rowan. So when I find something genuinely amusing, I learn to appreciate it.”

The cool wind licked my skin as I stared out at the skyline. Genuine smiles weren’t common in my line of work, but I always managed to wear a polite mask no matter what violent task I was executing. You’d be surprised how much a calm, charming smile completely unsettles people—especially when their entire lives are resting in the palm of your hand. It was a psychological trick my father had beaten into me, and it was one thing I would never regret mastering.

A flawless smile—even while orchestrating the vilest acts.

In our world, there was absolutely no room for soft-hearted niceness. Everyone was entirely ready to turn their blades on me the exact second their profits were threatened. I couldn’t afford to fail. I never had. My empire always delivered—just like I did.

“Boss!”

The heavy doors burst open, and one of our runners stumbled into the room, his hands visibly stained with fresh blood. Rowan stepped between us instantly, his hand moving to his holster as a dark frown creased my features.

“Did I not make it perfectly clear, Bob, that you wipe the blood off your skin before entering my personal space?” I asked calmly, my voice dropping into a dangerously low register.

The runner's eyes widened in sheer terror and before he could even blink, Rowan swept his legs out, forcing him hard onto his knees against the floor.

“I’m incredibly sorry, boss,” Bob pleaded, frantically trying to wipe his stained palms against his trousers. “I was just racing to get to you. Mr. Saturn finally broke under the interrogation—the main vault code is hidden somewhere inside the corporate headquarters.”

The tension in my jaw relaxed at his words, and a smirk spread across my face as I took a slow step forward. “That specific piece of information just saved your life, Bob,” I said, stepping right past his trembling form. “Next time, I won’t be anywhere near this generous.”

A breathless stream of gratitude followed me as I walked out. “Rowan, get the exact details from him and go prepare my suit. It seems I’ll be paying a personal visit to congratulate Conan on his takeover today. Oh—and don't inform him I’m coming over. I want to arrive later. It’s always much easier to catch a pawn off guard.”

Rowan nodded sharply, moving to execute the order.

Absorbing Saturn Finance into our portfolio was supposed to be a simple, mathematical process. But it would only be flawless once I personally laid my hands on the documents the former owner had hidden away.

When my car arrived at theSaturn building a short while later, I stepped out onto the driveway, raising a hand to signal Rowan. “No need to shadow me inside. I don’t want unnecessary curiosity stirred among the staff—and with your physical size, a scene is unavoidable. Just call our piece and tell him I’ve entered the building.”

He nodded, and I walked through the sliding glass doors without another word.

I knew the blueprints of this facility like the back of my hand; months of meticulous preparation for this takeover certainly hadn’t gone to waste.

As I approached the executive corridor leading to Conan’s suite, a woman suddenly walked out of his office, nearly colliding with me. The moment our paths crossed, her eyes widened in complete shock. She froze mid-step, staring up at me as if she’d just encountered a ghost.

I scanned her quickly. Clean-cut, professional, yet... hyper-alert. Her reaction was intense, far too raw for a standard employee. But I internally rolled my eyes anyway, assuming the worst.

I shot a lingering glance back at her frozen, stunned form before pushing open the doors to his private office. Conan instantly jolted upright, looking frantic the second I crossed the threshold.

“Welcome, boss!” he called out entirely too loudly, making me roll my eyes a second time.

“You might as well broadcast a message to the entire world that you’re a mere figurehead, Conan,” I said with a heavy frown. I approached his desk, reaching out to tap his cheek with a patronizing, light pat. “Do better, CEO.” I tapped his face one more time before pulling my hand back, my eyes narrowing. “I see you already had a female distraction over before the ink on the contract is even dry?”

He frantically began straightening his shirt, muttering a series of hurried denials. “It’s absolutely not like that, boss. I swear.”

I nearly chuckled watching him sweat. How a man could be so deeply sheltered yet entirely stupid was a miracle of nature. A genuinely dangerous combination.

“She’s just a regular employee ,” he added quickly, his voice tight. “I wouldn’t do something that reckless this early in the transition.”

“I’m glad your brain recognizes that it’s reckless,” I replied coldly. “Now, personally check the archives in Saturn’s old office for a encrypted folder labeled Vault. Bring it directly to my car downstairs the exact moment you find it. Move quickly.”

He nodded sharply.

“I’ll be waiting,” I called out over my shoulder as I turned and walked out.

I was nearing the lower floor, about to round the quiet corridor to head toward the main exit, when I spotted her again. I fully intended to walk right past her, but I came to a halt when her entire body locked up for a second time.

Was she physically ill? Or did my presence genuinely unsettle her to the point of paralysis? I wasn’t exactly terrifying to look at—at least, not at a first glance.

“You’re the girl from Conan’s office, aren’t you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I stepped closer, deciding to push her buttons just to get a measure of her character. “So, he already has his little playthings lining up around him on day one?” I pressed, testing her limits.

She snapped out of her trance after a beat, her posture stiffening. “I am not his plaything.”

A flash of genuine amusement flickered through me, but the sharp, defensive bite in her voice instantly confirmed what I had suspected. I scanned her appearance a second time—she was far too clean and composed to be one of Conan’s usual superficial distractions.

“Then cover yourself up properly before you try to argue that point,” I said smoothly, casting a pointed glance down at her exposed chest.

Her hands immediately flew to her shirt, her fingers fumbling with her buttons as a brilliant, flustered flush crept up her neck.

“Cute,” I muttered under my breath, a dark smirk tugging at the corners of my lips as I brushed right past her, leaving her flushed in the hallway without another word.