Mag-log inElena’s POV The boat cut through the black water of Lake Michigan like a jagged blade. Behind us, the Valenti estate was a dying ember on the horizon, the orange glow of the fire reflecting off the waves. I didn't look back. I couldn't. My hands were locked on the steering wheel, my knuckles white, my eyes searching the dark shoreline for the small, rotted pier Maria had told me about years ago—the entrance to the "Old Hunter’s Cabin." "Mama? He’s stopped moving," Leo’s voice was a trembling whisper. I glanced down. Dante was sprawled on the deck, his head resting against a life vest. He looked like a fallen king, his skin the color of ash. The blood was no longer pumping; it was pooling, soaking into the wood of the boat. "He’s just resting, Leo. Keep pressure on that cloth. Don't let go." I slammed the boat into neutral as the silhouette of the pier appeared. We hit the wood with a jarring thud. I didn't wait to tie the ropes. I killed the engine and lunged for Dante.
Elena’s POV "Dante, come with us!" I screamed, the sound lost in the screech of metal as the elevator doors groaned under the Morettis' assault from above. "I can’t," Dante rasped, his face a ghostly pale under the smears of blood. He didn't look at me; his eyes were fixed on my father, who was cowering in the corner. "Someone has to hold the line. Someone has to make sure they don't follow you into that tunnel." "Mama, please! We have to help him!" Leo sobbed, his small hands pulling at my dress. I looked at the weapon locker. The biometric pad was still red. I looked at the tunnel door—my only path to safety. And then I looked at Dante. He was dying on his feet, yet he was standing taller than any man I had ever known. "The keys, Elena! Move!" Dante roared, his voice cracking as he coughed up a spray of crimson. I lunged for the desk, grabbing a heavy ring of keys. I scrambled to the back of the locker and found the hidden latch. With a heavy click, the steel panel slid
Elena’s POV The heavy brass lamp felt pathetic in my hand, a toy against the predator standing in the doorway. My father, Lorenzo, didn't look like a man who had just survived a massacre. He looked like a man who had just won the lottery. "Put that down, Elena. You’re embarrassing yourself," he said, his voice as smooth as the silk tie around his neck. "You brought them here," I whispered, the realization cutting deeper than any blade. "The Morettis. You gave them the schematics to Dante’s perimeter. You sold us out." "I saved our legacy!" he snapped, his eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp greed. "Dante Valenti was going to bleed us dry. He was going to keep you as a trophy and leave me with nothing. But the Morettis? They understand business. They want the boy as a bargaining chip to end the war, and they’re willing to wipe our debt to get him." He looked past me, his gaze landing on Leo, who was trembling behind the heavy oak desk. "Come here, Leo. Come to Grandpa." "
Elena’s POV The elevator didn't just descend; it dropped like a stone into the belly of the earth. The smooth, mechanical hum was the only sound in the darkness, a haunting contrast to the screams and gunfire we had just left behind. Leo was shaking so hard I could feel his teeth chattering against my shoulder. I pulled him into my lap, wrapping my arms around him as if I could physically shield him from the memory of Dante sinking to his knees. "Mama," Leo whispered, his voice small and hollow. "That man... he stayed. Why did he stay?" I closed my eyes, a single hot tear tracing a path through the dust and gunpowder on my cheek. "Because he’s a Valenti, Leo. And Valentis don't run from a fight." The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss. We weren't in a basement; we were in a bunker. The walls were reinforced steel, and the air smelled of ozone and filtered oxygen. Rows of monitors lined one wall, flickering with grainy black-and-white feeds of the estate above. I sc
Elena’s POV The explosion didn't just shake the room; it ripped the air right out of my lungs. In a heartbeat, the "Gilded Fortress" was transformed into a war zone. Glass from the hallway windows rained down like diamonds, and the high-pitched scream of the security alarms sliced through the silence. Dante didn’t hesitate. Before I could even scream, he had lunged across the bed, his heavy frame shielding both me and Leo. He felt like a wall of solid granite, his heart thundering against my back. "Stay down!" he roared over the sirens. Leo woke with a jolt, his small face twisting in confusion and pure terror. "Mama? What’s happening? Is it thunder?. "It’s okay, Leo! Just stay under the covers!" I cried, my voice shaking as I tucked him into the space between my body and the headboard. Dante reached into the waistband of his trousers, pulling a sleek, matte-black handgun from a hidden holster. He checked the chamber with a lethal, metallic click that made my stomach tu
Elena’s POV The foyer of the Valenti estate felt less like a grand entrance and more like a courtroom. Leo was still tucked against my side, his small hand gripping my silk dress so hard his knuckles were white. Dante remained on one knee, his eyes locked on Leo with an intensity that bordered on worship. The ruthless Don who had threatened me with a whip only minutes ago had vanished, replaced by a man looking at a miracle he didn't think he deserved. "Is he... is he really mine?" Dante’s voice was barely a whisper, directed at me but never breaking eye contact with the boy. "He has your temper," I said, my voice finally steadying. "And your stubbornness. His name is Leo." "Leo," Dante repeated, the name tasting like a prayer on his tongue. He finally reached out, his large, scarred hand gently ruffling Leo's dark curls. Leo didn't flinch. He looked at Dante with a curiosity that made my heart ache. "Why do you have a scar on your face, Mr. Valenti? Did you get in a figh







