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.

For two hours, Elena held both Mia and Sophia in the dim light of the safe room, rocking them as the distant vibrations of the confrontation died down.

Outside, the battle was ruthless. Alessandro fought with the cold, calculated efficiency that had made the Moretti name feared throughout the Midwest. Julian Bellandi’s mercenaries were systematically eliminated or captured.

When the estate was finally secured, Alessandro personally tracked down the source of the breach. He discovered that Julian Bellandi had acquired the floor plans from the predatory loan sharks who had been hunting Elena—proving that her past and his enemies had crossed paths.

By morning, the Bellandi threat was permanently dismantled. The loan sharks who had terrorized Elena for years were quietly wiped out of Chicago's landscape, their records burnt to ash.

The heavy steel door of the safe room clicked open at 6:00 AM.

Alessandro stood in the light of the sunrise, his jacket gone, his dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, tired but victorious.