Half-dead, bleeding, and clutching two newborn girls beneath a freezing New York overpass—that was how the most feared Mafia boss in the city found me

The night dragged on like a slow, painful fever. Rain pounded relentlessly against the reinforced glass windows of the penthouse, mirroring the storm rage inside my chest.

I couldn't sleep. I walked continuously between the nursery and the living room, checking on Hope and Grace every ten minutes, then staring out over the dark expanse of New York City.

It was 3:00 AM when the penthouse emergency alarm suddenly cut through the quiet night.

Red lights flashed across the corridors, and the heavy blast doors automatically slammed shut, locking down the interior hallways.

I ran to the nursery, pulling both babies out of their cribs and wrapping them securely in a warm blanket. My heart beat wildly against my ribs.

The heavy doors of the private elevator chimed.

Security breach.

I backed into the corner of the nursery, holding my daughters close to my chest, my eyes glued to the door. I pulled a small, sleek pistol from the side drawer—a weapon Elias had taught me how to handle during my months of recovery.

"Ava!"

The door swung open, and Viktor stumbled inside. His sleeve was torn, covered in dark blood, but his gun was raised, eyes scanning the room.

"Viktor!" I cried out. "What's happening?"

"It was a setup," Viktor grunted, pressing a hand against his bleeding shoulder. "The summit... it was a trap orchestrated by Marcus and Moretti. They feigned peace, but brought heavy weaponry."

"Where is Elias?" I screamed over the blare of the security siren. "Where is he?!"

"He’s outside," Viktor said, his voice strained. "He sent us back to secure the building, but Marcus’s men breached the underground garage. They’re coming up the private elevator right now!"

Before Viktor could say another word, gunfire shattered the glass doors of the outer hallway. Viktor whirled around, firing three precise shots into the hallway, forcing the attackers back.

"Take the children into the safe room!" Viktor ordered, gesturing toward a hidden panel behind the nursery bookshelf. "Now!"

I didn't hesitate. I rushed to the hidden panel, hit the emergency button, and stepped into the small, reinforced steel room. Just as the heavy steel door began to slide shut, I saw Marcus step into the nursery hallway.

He looked unkempt, his eyes bloodshot and crazy with desperation.

"Ava!" Marcus shouted, his voice ringing through the closing gap. "I know you're in there! You think my brother can protect you? He’s bleeding out in an alley down on 4th Street! You belong to me, and those curses die tonight!"

The heavy steel door sealed shut with a deep metallic thud, cutting off his voice entirely.

Inside the safe room, darkness enveloped us, lit only by the faint blue glow of the security monitors.

My breathing came in short, panicked gasps. Elias is bleeding out. The words repeated in my mind, tearing through my sanity.

I looked down at the tiny screen showing the security cameras. The outer hall was filled with smoke and gunfire. Viktor was holding his ground, but he was outnumbered. On another screen, monitoring the street level below the tower, I saw three dark SUVs parked near the rear entrance.

And then, on the main entrance monitor, I saw him.

Elias.

His suit coat was gone, his white shirt stained deep red around his waist, but he walked into the building like an unstoppable force. Behind him were dozens of heavily armed Vance enforcers, moving with tactical precision.

Elias was not dead. He had broken through their ambush and returned home.

On the monitor, I watched Elias enter the private elevator, his face cold, lethal, and furious.

Minutes felt like agonizing seconds. I held Hope and Grace tightly against my chest, praying for the nightmare to end.

Suddenly, the security screen in the safe room chimed. The camera outside the nursery showed Marcus backing away from the hall door, his gun shaking violently.

The elevator doors opened.

Elias stepped out.

He didn't say a word. The sheer aura of death surrounding him made Marcus drop to his knees in terror. Marcus raised his weapon with trembling hands, shouting something incoherent, but Elias moved faster than thought.

A single shot rang out on the silent video monitor.

Marcus fell to the floor, disarmed and broken. Elias didn't execute him immediately; instead, he stood over his half-brother, pointing his weapon down with absolute finality.

I hit the control panel inside the safe room, forcing the heavy steel door to slide open.

I stepped out into the nursery hallway, carrying my daughters.

Elias turned as the door opened. His eyes, cold and lethal a second ago, instantly softened as he saw me standing there, safe and unhurt.

"Ava," he breathed out, taking a step toward me, unmindful of the blood dripping from his side.

"Elias!" I dropped the gun in my hand and ran toward him, wrapping one arm around his neck while holding our daughters close with the other.

He wrapped his arms around us, pulling us tightly into his chest. The warmth of his body, the heavy rhythm of his heart beat reassuringly against my cheek.

"I told you," Elias whispered into my hair, his voice rough with emotion. "I will always come back to you."

On the floor nearby, Marcus groaned, clutching his shattered wrist. Elias looked down at him, his expression turning to stone.

"Take him away," Elias ordered Viktor, who was leaning against the wall, wrapping a bandage around his shoulder. "Lock him in the lower cellars. He will face the full council tomorrow for treason against the family."

As the guards dragged Marcus out, begging for mercy, I looked up at Elias.