Alessandro sat motionless in the dim blue light of his office monitors. The video timestamp read 01:14 AM. On screen, the heavy oak door of the east wing nursery creaked open without a sound.

Before Alessandro could act on Elena’s past, the brewing storm with the Bellandi syndicate reached a boiling point.

It was a rainy Tuesday midnight when the estate’s outer perimeter alarms quietly tripped. Julian Bellandi had hired high-level mercenaries to bypass the main security grid, targeting the west wing where they believed Alessandro kept his financial ledgers—unaware that the wing was now occupied by Elena and Mia.

Gunfire shattered the silence of the night.

Elena woke up to the sound of breaking glass and shouting down the hallway. She threw herself out of bed, grabbing Mia and shoving her into a small closet in their room.

"Stay here, baby! Don't make a sound!" Elena cried, her heart racing with primal terror.

The door to her bedroom was kicked open. Two armed men in tactical gear burst inside, their flashlights sweeping the space.

"Where is Moretti?" one of the men barked, grabbing Elena by her arm and shoving her against the wall.

"I don't know! I’m just a housekeeper!" Elena screamed, fighting against his grip.

Before the mercenary could strike her, a heavy shadow appeared in the doorway. A suppressed gunshot echoed through the room, and the man holding Elena dropped to the floor instantly.

Alessandro stepped over the threshold, a silver pistol raised, his face a mask of absolute fury. The second intruder fired, but Alessandro dodged, returning fire with lethal precision.

Elena fell to her knees, hyperventilating as the second body hit the rug.