They didn't sell her because she was beautiful. They sold her because she was broken. In their world, a woman’s entire value was measured in the sons she could produce

Peace, however, was a fragile thing in the Chicago underworld.

In mid-April, as spring began to bloom across Hyde Park, Richard Hayes made his final, desperate move.

Having lost his shipping docks, facing total financial bankruptcy, and abandoned by Carmine Romano, Richard had gone completely mad with desperation. He blamed Nora for his downfall, convincing himself that if he couldn't have her wealth, he would ruin her life completely.

On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, while Dante was downtown attending a high-stakes union negotiation, Richard Hayes used a forged security clearance card—stolen from a corrupt former guard—to enter the outer gates of the Vane estate.

Nora was in the greenhouse near the edge of the gardens, cutting fresh hydrangeas for the dining table. The children were inside the main house with Marcus and two guards.

Suddenly, the heavy glass door of the greenhouse slammed shut.

Nora turned around, startled, dropping her gardening shears.

Standing near the exit was her father, Richard Hayes.

He looked unkempt, haggard, and wild-eyed. His expensive suit was crumpled and stained, his hair messy, and his hands trembled violently. In his right hand, he held a dark revolver pointed directly at Nora's chest.

"Hello, daughter," Richard sneered, his voice raspy and unhinged.

Nora froze, her heart leaping into her throat. She slowly raised her hands, trying to keep her voice perfectly calm. "Father... what are you doing here?"

"You ruined me!" Richard screamed, his eyes bloodshot. "You and that mobster husband of yours! The bank seized my house yesterday! Diane left me for a car dealership owner in Florida! I have nothing left!"

"You did this to yourself," Nora said firmly, stepping back slowly toward the rear flower workbench. "You sold your own daughter. You tried to trade me twice like a piece of livestock."

"You owed me!" Richard yelled, his finger tightening on the trigger. "I fed you! I clothed you! And you live in this palace while I sleep in a motel! Well, if I can't have Dante Vane's money, he's going to know what it feels like to lose everything!"

Inside the main house, Marcus noticed the open door of the greenhouse through the security monitors and saw the intruder. He instantly hit the silent alarm, sending an emergency priority signal directly to Dante's encrypted phone downtown.

Back in the greenhouse, Richard stepped closer to Nora, his weapon shaking. "On your knees, Nora! We're waiting here until Vane gets home, and then he's going to transfer ten million dollars to an offshore account, or I put a bullet through your head!"

Nora looked at her father—at the pathetic, broken man who had tormented her entire life. She realized she was no longer the frightened girl sitting on the cold examination table in Dr. Aerys's office. She was Nora Vane. She had a husband who loved her, four children who needed her, and a life worth fighting for.

"No," Nora said clearly.

Richard blinked, stunned. "What?"

"I said no," Nora repeated, her voice dripping with absolute contempt. "I am not getting on my knees for you ever again."

Before Richard could react, Nora grabbed a heavy glass vase full of water from the workbench behind her and smashed it directly across Richard's face!

CRASH!

Richard howled in pain as the heavy glass shattered against his jaw, blinding him with water and blood. His gun fired accidentally into the ceiling, shattering the glass roof of the greenhouse!

Nora scrambled forward, grabbing a heavy brass watering can and striking Richard's arm, knocking the revolver out of his hand!

Richard stumbled backward, falling hard onto the stone floor, groaning in pain.

Before he could reach for the fallen gun, the heavy doors of the greenhouse were kicked off their hinges!

Dante Vane burst into the room, flanked by six armed guards, his face a terrifying mask of primal rage. He had driven from downtown at 110 miles per hour after receiving the alarm.

Dante saw Nora standing unhurt near the workbench, and then he saw Richard Hayes grovelling on the wet floor.

Dante moved like a predator. He stepped over the broken glass, grabbed Richard by his coat collar with one hand, lifted the grown man off the floor, and slammed him hard against the brick wall of the greenhouse!

"Dante! Don't kill him!" Nora shouted out.

Dante halted, his fist pulled back, his knuckles white. He looked at Nora, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"Don't stain our home with his blood," Nora said softly, stepping closer to her husband. "He isn't worth a single day of your freedom."

Dante looked at Richard, who was whimpering in terror, weeping like a coward against the wall.

Dante let go of his collar, letting Richard slump into a pathetic pile on the floor.

"Marcus," Dante commanded coldly, without looking back. "Call the police chief. Have Richard Hayes arrested for armed trespassing, attempted murder, and extortion. Make sure he spends the rest of his miserable life in a maximum-security state prison."

"Yes, Don Vane," Marcus replied, dragging Richard away by his wrists.

Dante turned to Nora, pulling her tightly into his arms, burying his face in her neck, trembling slightly from the sheer adrenaline of almost losing her.