Adrian’s question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken authority. Nia didn't blink.

"No," Nia said instantly, following him toward the door. "My priority is the boys."

Adrian didn't waste time arguing. He sprinted out of the study and up the grand staircase, Nia right on his heels.

The mansion was in lockdown. Heavy steel shutters were sliding down over the floor-to-ceiling windows, blocking out the gray afternoon light and plunging the hallways into a eerie twilight illuminated only by red emergency beacons.

When they reached the second floor, Marco and two other armed guards were already standing outside the library, weapons drawn.

"Report!" Adrian demanded.

"Two SUVs breached the main gate, boss!" Marco shouted over the wail of the alarm. "Looks like the Moretti faction! They cut the power lines and bypassed the thermal grid!"

Nia’s heart dropped into her stomach. Moretti. The rival syndicate she had read about in the Chicago news reports—a ruthless organization known for extreme violence and zero regard for collateral damage.

"They aren't here for a negotiation," Adrian growled, his face dark as a thunderhead. "They think I'm weak because of the recent shipping disputes."

Nia pushed past Marco and slammed open the library doors.

The four boys were huddled under the massive mahogany table. Evan had Noah pulled tightly against his side, his arm wrapped around his younger brother’s shoulders, while Caleb held a heavy brass candlestick like a club. Luke was crying quietly, his face buried in Evan's sleeve.

"Nia!" Evan yelled, his eyes wide with genuine terror as he saw her run into the room.

Nia dropped to her knees beside the table and slid underneath with them. She didn't offer empty platitudes. She grabbed Luke, pulling him into her lap, and wrapped her arms around Caleb and Noah.

"Listen to me," Nia said, her voice calm, steady, and utterly unshakable amidst the chaos. "Your father's men are going to handle this. We are going to move into the safe room right now."

"We don't have a safe room on this floor!" Caleb cried, his small body shaking. "The panic room is in the basement!"

"Then we make our own," Nia said. She looked around the library. The room had double-thick oak doors, heavy bookcases, and no exterior windows—only reinforced skylights.

She looked up as Adrian walked into the room. He looked at his four sons, then at Nia holding them.

"Adrian," Nia called him by his first name for the first time, her eyes burning into his. "Get your men to block the hallway entrance. Drive them toward the courtyard. Do not let them reach this floor."

Adrian nodded once—a silent exchange of complete, absolute trust between them. "Marco, establish a kill-zone at the top of the stairs. Nobody comes up."

"Understood, boss!"

As Adrian turned to leave, Evan shouted, "Dad!"

Adrian stopped, looking back at his oldest son.

"Don't die," Evan whispered.

Adrian’s jaw tightened. "I don't die, Evan. I have a family to take care of." He looked at Nia one last time. "Keep them safe."

"With my life," Nia promised.

Adrian vanished into the hallway, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind him. Seconds later, the sound of automatic gunfire echoed through the stone structure—a terrifying, deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the mansion.

Inside the library, Noah buried his face in Nia's neck, sobbing hysterically.

"It's okay, Noah," Nia soothed, rubbing his back in slow, rhythmic circles. "Focus on my voice. Look at me."

She pulled Evan and Caleb closer. "Evan, I need your help. We need to barricade these doors. Help me drag the leather sofa."

Evan wiped a tear from his cheek, his young face setting into a look of fierce determination. "Okay. Caleb, grab the chairs!"

For the next five minutes, while gunshots rattled the walls outside, Nia and the four boys worked as a seamless team. They dragged a heavy leather sofa, three solid oak armchairs, and two thick end tables against the double doors, creating a massive, immovable barrier.

When the barricade was complete, Nia gathered all four boys in the farthest corner of the room, behind a marble pillar, covering them with her own body.

"Are we going to die?" Luke whispered, shivering against her chest.

"No," Nia said fiercely, kissing the top of his head. "Nobody in this room is going to die. You have a very stubborn father, and you have a very stubborn nanny. Nobody gets past us."

Caleb looked up at her, his eyes shining with a strange, new light. "You didn't run."

"I told you, Caleb," Nia smiled softly through the dark. "I don't run."

Outside, the gunfire slowly began to taper off, replaced by the sound of shouting, heavy boots, and finally... silence.

Ten agonizing minutes passed.