528 I secretly brought my baby to work, knowing one complaint could get me fired, only to discover she had vanished during the dinner rush. Then I opened the forbidden downstairs office—and found the city’s most feared mafia boss asleep with my daughter curled against his chest.

Chaos erupted instantly.

Guests screamed and scattered in every direction as heavily armed masked gunmen burst through the ballroom's glass doors, opening fire indiscriminately into the ceiling. The sound of shattered crystal, screaming women, and deafening gunshots filled the air.

"Get down!" Victor roared, tearing off his tuxedo jacket and pulling me into his arms as he dragged us behind a heavy marble pillar.

Marcus slammed his body in front of us, his gun raised, shielding Ellie with his massive frame. Ellie was screaming, terrified by the deafening noise.

"They broke the syndicate peace laws!" Marcus yelled over the gunfire. "Moretti staged an attack inside the gala!"

"Moretti didn't act alone," Victor said, his eyes burning with a dangerous fury. "He needed someone inside to bypass the security perimeter at the hotel!"

Victor pulled a sleek silver pistol from his shoulder holster. He looked at me, grabbing my face gently with his free hand.

"Lena, listen to me," Victor commanded, his voice piercing through the chaos. "Marcus is going to take you and Ellie through the kitchen exit to the armored vehicle. Do not stop for anything. Do you understand?"

"What about you?!" I cried out, gripping his wrist. "Victor, you can't fight them all alone!"

"I am not alone, and I am not leaving until I end this," Victor said fiercely. "Go!"

Before I could argue, Marcus grabbed my hand, pulling me into a run through the panicked crowd. Behind us, Victor stepped out from behind the pillar, firing with terrifying precision, taking down three gunmen before they could even aim at us.

Marcus led me through the roaring kitchen, pushing past screaming chefs and waiters. We burst out into the dark alleyway behind the hotel, where our armored SUV was waiting, its engine idling.

"Get in! Quick!" Marcus yelled, opening the rear door.

I threw myself into the back seat, holding Ellie close, panting for breath. Marcus slammed the door shut, jumped into the driver’s seat, and hit the gas pedal, tearing out of the alleyway at top speed.

"Is Victor going to be okay?" I sobbed, frantically checking Ellie for any injuries. She was crying hysterically, her tiny body shaking.

"The boss can handle himself, ma'am," Marcus said, his eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror. "Our priority is getting you and the baby back to the estate’s panic room."

We sped through the rain-drenched city streets. But as we approached the quiet suburban roads leading to the Vance estate, I noticed Marcus taking a sharp right turn onto an abandoned, unlit mountain road.

I frowned, looking out the window into the pitch-black woods. "Marcus... this isn't the way to the estate."

Marcus didn't answer.

"Marcus?" I repeated, my pulse beginning to race. "Where are we going?"

The SUV slowly came to a stop in the middle of a deserted clearing surrounded by dark, towering trees. Marcus turned off the headlights, plunging us into total darkness.

The silence inside the car was terrifying.

Marcus slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around in his seat to face me. The warm, loyal bodyguard who had protected us for weeks was gone. In his eyes was a cold, calculating emptiness.

He pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it directly at my chest.

"I'm sorry, Lena," Marcus said calmly. "It’s nothing personal."

My breath caught in my throat. My blood ran cold as the horror hit me like a physical blow.

"It was you..." I whispered, clutching Ellie tightly to my chest as tears streamed down my face. "You were the traitor. You were the one who moved Ellie to the basement stairs... you were the one who leaked our location to Moretti!"

"Victor got soft," Marcus spat, his voice filled with venom. "He spent seven months mourning his dead brother instead of expanding our territory. Moretti offered me five million dollars and a seat at the high table to hand over Julian’s heir and kill Victor tonight."

"Julian was your friend!" I cried, shaking uncontrollably. "Victor trusted you with his life!"

"Trust is a weakness in this business," Marcus replied coldly, cocking the hammer of his gun. "Now, hand the baby over to me. Moretti wants her alive as leverage. You, however... are unnecessary."

"No!" I screamed, backing up against the door, shielding Ellie with my entire body. "Please! Don't do this!"

"Goodbye, Lena."

Marcus raised the gun to my forehead. I pulled Ellie close, squeezed my eyes shut, and waited for the shot that would end my life.

BANG!

A deafening shot echoed through the car.

Shattered glass rained down upon my shoulders. But I felt no pain.

I opened my eyes. The rear window behind Marcus had been shattered. A bloody hole had appeared in the side of Marcus’s neck. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed over the steering wheel, lifeless.