1.The mansion doors closed behind Elena Vulkoff with a soft click, and for the third time that week, she thought no one had noticed she was leaving early.

The fire crackled softly in the grate, casting a warm, golden glow across the vast master bedroom.

Elena knelt on the floor beside the sofa, carefully cutting away Vincent's ruined white shirt with medical scissors. Her hands were surprisingly steady now, focused entirely on the task.

The bullet had swept past his lower left ribs, leaving a deep, jagged tear in the skin, but missing vital organs. It was bleeding heavily, but it was clean.

"You should have let the doctor handle this," Vincent said quietly, watching her work under the warm light. His bare chest rose and fell slowly, covered in old scars—reminders of a violent past he had survived.

"I worked as a nursing assistant for two years before I married Julian," Elena said, gently cleaning the wound with an antiseptic wipe.

Vincent winced slightly at the sting, but didn't make a sound. "You never told me that."

"You never asked," she replied softly, applying antibiotic ointment before unrolling a clean white bandage. "You only knew me as the girl who cleaned your floors."

"I knew you were more than that," Vincent whispered, his eyes fixed on her face. "From the first day you came here."

Elena paused, her hands resting near his ribs. She looked up, meeting his intense, dark gaze. The distance between them had completely evaporated over the past weeks. He was no longer just the cold, terrifying boss of Chicago, and she was no longer just his invisible maid.

"Is Moretti... gone?" she asked quietly.

"The threat to you and Leo is over," Vincent said, reaching out to gently touch her chin with his large thumb. "Permanently. The other families in the Commission have accepted my authority. No one will ever threaten your family again, Elena. I give you my word."

Tears welling in her eyes once more, but this time they were tears of total, overwhelming safety. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead gently against his broad shoulder, letting out a long, shuddering breath.

"Thank you," she sobbed softly. "Thank you for saving us."

Vincent lifted his hands, hesitation framing his gesture for a brief moment before he wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her close against his chest.