The Maid’s Toddler Whispered There’s Something Inside, and the Mafia Boss Turned Pale When He Opened the Teddy Bear

"Don't move, Vivian," Thomas warned, clearing leather with practiced speed. A black steel barrel leveled itself at the center of the housekeeper's chest before she could pull her hand free.

Vivian froze. The pleasant, helpful facade had completely vanished, replaced by a cold, glittering hatred that twisted her features.

"You always were entirely too paranoid, Roman," Vivian hissed, her voice losing its polite cadence. "You built a fortress around yourself, but you never looked at the people holding the keys."

"Take your hand out of your pocket," Roman said. He hadn't raised his voice, but the dead calm in his tone made Hannah gasp and pull Emma tighter against her skirt.

Vivian slowly withdrew her hand, holding up a small electronic key fob—the master remote for the estate's perimeter security gates.

"You think you're untouchable because you control the docks and the supply lines in this city," Vivian laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "But you were blind in your own home. Claire thought she was so clever, digging through my office files, finding out how I was skimming the estate accounts. She threatened to tell you. She thought a warning on a little teddy bear would save her."

"You killed her," Lily whispered, standing up from the rug, her small fists clenched at her sides. "You made Mommy crash."

"I made sure she couldn't ruin everything I built here," Vivian replied without a shred of remorse, locking eyes with the child. "I wanted this life, Lily. I wanted this family. I was supposed to be the mistress of this estate, not some outsider who inherited your father's name because of a summer romance."

Roman closed the distance between them in two long strides. He didn't use a weapon. He didn't need to. He caught Vivian by the collar of her cardigan, lifting her slightly off her feet until her toes barely brushed the Persian rug. The sheer terrifying force of his grip drained the defiance from her face instantly.

"You touch her again in your thoughts, and you won't live long enough to see a courtroom," Roman whispered, his face inches from hers.

Thomas stepped forward, his badge—a legitimate federal task force shield he carried as part of Roman's deeper network—flashing in the lamplight.

"Vivian Sloan, you're under arrest for the premeditated murder of Claire Hale, corporate espionage, and financial fraud. Anything you say can and will be used against you."

As Thomas slapped cuffs onto Vivian's wrists and hauled her toward the hallway, Margaret Sloan—the head housekeeper and Vivian's mother—appeared in the doorway, staring in horror at her daughter in handcuffs.