A three-year-old housekeeper’s daughter painted all over my face while I pretended to sleep—an offense that could have terrified grown men inside my Chicago mansion. But when I opened my eyes and heard why she had done it, the feared mafia boss everyone called heartless nearly broke in front of them.

The next morning, while Lily played quietly in the conservatory, I summoned Marcus to my study.

"The men we caught last night," I began, pouring a cup of dark espresso without looking up. "Did they talk?"

"They talked, Boss," Marcus replied, his face grim. "Salvatore sent them. But that's not all. While digging into Salvatore's communications, we found something else. Something regarding Mrs. Morales."

My hand froze over the coffee pot. I looked up slowly. "Elena?"

"She didn't just stumble into working here, Adrian," Marcus said, laying a thick manila folder on the desk. "Her late husband was a low-level accountant for the Salvatore family. When he tried to skim accounts to pay off gambling debts, they killed him. Elena’s been running and hiding ever since, using an alias. Salvatore only recently found out where she was hiding—which is why he sent those men last night. He wasn't just testing us; he was hunting her."

A cold, apocalyptic rage surged through my veins. The air in the study felt heavy enough to crush bone.

"He sent assassins into my house to hunt a mother and her child," I whispered, my voice dropping into a register so quiet and deadly that Marcus instinctively took a step back.

"What are your orders, Boss?" Marcus asked.

"Gather the strike teams," I said, standing up and buttoning my suit jacket with deliberate, terrifying precision. "We are going to pay Salvatore a visit. But first... ensure Elena and Lily are moved to the secure safe-room suite on the fourth floor. Double the guard rotation. If a single hair on that child's head is harmed, I want every man responsible flayed alive."

"Understood," Marcus nodded, turning on his heel.

Before leaving the room, I walked over to the conservatory doors. Through the glass, I watched Elena smiling softly as Lily tied a ribbon around Buttons’ ear.