the silent child called her mama. by midnight, the mafia boss learned which woman had truly stolen his daughter.

However, peace in the shadow of a crime empire is never easily kept.

A week later, Lev walked into Damian’s private study, holding an encrypted satellite phone. His face was unusually grim.

"Boss," Lev reported. "Our team in Boston found Dr. Adrian Keller."

Damian looked up from his desk, his eyes instantly turning to ice. "Bring him here."

"That’s the problem, Boss," Lev said nervously. "When my men surrounded Keller’s estate in Boston, he wasn't alone. He was backed by mercenaries hired by the Rossi family of New York."

Elena, who was setting a vase of fresh flowers on the side table, froze. "The Rossi family? My... my late fiancé's family?"

Damian stood up slowly. "Explain, Lev."

"Elena’s late fiancé, Julian Rossi, was the younger brother of Don Carmine Rossi—the boss of New York," Lev revealed. "Three years ago, when Julian died in that climbing accident, Don Carmine believed Elena was a gold-digger trying to claim Julian’s share of the Rossi estate. When Keller told Carmine that Elena’s baby had died in Zurich, Carmine paid Keller two million dollars to ensure Elena was cast out and left penniless so she couldn't file a paternity claim against the Rossi trust!"

Elena gasped, dropping the vase. It shattered on the floor, water and fresh lilies scattering across the rug.

"Julian’s family?" Elena whispered in horror, her hands trembling. "Julian’s brother helped Keller take my baby?!"

"Carmine Rossi just landed at O’Hare Airport," Lev added rapidly. "He brought thirty armed enforcers with him. He’s demanding a meeting with you at the docks tonight, Damian. He claims that if Leah carries Rossi blood, she belongs to New York, not Chicago."

Damian’s face darkened into an expression of apocalyptic rage. The air in the study felt as cold as a mountain blizzard.

He walked past his desk, stopping right in front of Elena. He took her trembling hands in his, holding them firmly.

"They took your child once, Elena," Damian said, his voice laced with absolute, lethal conviction. "They stole your grief, they stole three years of your life, and they tried to erase you."