Chapter 5
The private west wing of the mansion was a stark contrast to the opulent, echoing dining hall. The corridors here were lined with plush carpets and warm, muted lighting, designed specifically to be a sanctuary. Evren walked silently down the hall, his broad shoulders casting long shadows in the dim light. Lenna walked beside him, supporting Edward’s frail weight as the elderly man leaned heavily on his walking cane. Heavy, armed guards nodded respectfully as they passed, their eyes widening slightly as they registered the housemaid walking so closely with the boss.
They reached a set of heavy oak double doors. Evren pushed them open, stepping into a massive, luxurious guest suite bathed in the soft glow of bedside lamps.
"Will you help him into the bed, Lenna?" Evren asked softly, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne," Lenna said, moving quickly to assist the tired seventy-two-year-old.
Evren remained near the door. He removed his tailored suit jacket, draping it over a chair, then unbuttoned his crisp white shirt at the collar, revealing the artistic neck tattoo. He watched Lenna interact with Edward, observing the gentle, maternal care she offered the man who had suffered so profoundly.
Once Edward was tucked securely beneath thick comforters, asleep almost instantly from the sheer exhaustion of the evening, Lenna stood near the bed, her hands folded neatly over her white apron. She watched the mafia boss—a man feared across the entire eastern seaboard—observe the sleeping man with a strange, respectful quietness.
Evren stood up slowly, the tension returning to his powerful shoulders. He turned and walked over to Lenna, stopping just a few feet away. His cold, perceptive eyes searched her softly oval face.
"How did you find him in that care home?" Evren asked, his deep voice a low rumble in the quiet suite.
"I was cleaning her private study, sir," Lenna answered, her voice barely a whisper. "I found a hidden ledger. She was making monthly payments to a remote facility under a false name. I recognized the name from a letter she had thrown away. I drove out there on my day off and found him."
"Did you consider the danger you were putting yourself in by crossing her in front of the entire commission?" Evren asked, the extremely short stubble on his jaw catching the lamplight.
"I only considered that you were about to marry a woman who tried to murder her husband," Lenna said, her expressive brows drawing together. "I couldn't walk away from that."
"Do you realize you are the only reason I am not bound to a killer right now?" Evren asked, his gaze intensifying, a dark, terrifying warmth bleeding into his cold eyes.
"I just did what anyone should have done," Lenna breathed, her heart fluttering wildly at his proximity.
"Have you met many people in my world who do what they should, Lenna?" Evren inquired. He reached out, his refined, tattooed hand hovering for a fraction of a second before he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The touch sent a jolt of electricity straight to her core. Lenna swallowed hard, looking up at his angular face. The danger surrounding them was absolute, but the safety she felt in his presence was undeniable.
Before Evren could offer another question, the heavy, encrypted radio clipped to his belt crackled to life with sudden, violent static.
"Boss?" Marcus's gruff voice called out over the comms. "We have a major situation at the front gates."
Evren did not flinch. He slowly pulled his hand away from Lenna’s face, his posture instantly shifting back into that of a wartime commander.
"Are the Vaughn convoys already here, Marcus?" Evren asked into the radio.
"Yes, sir," Marcus reported, his voice tight with tension. "It's Victor Vaughn himself. He has thirty heavily armed men with him. He is demanding you hand over his daughter immediately, or they breach the walls."
Lenna gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The war had arrived faster than anyone anticipated.
"Will you wait here and lock the door behind me?" Evren asked, looking back at Lenna.
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"You can't go down there!" Lenna pleaded in a harsh whisper. "They will kill you!"
"Do you think an army of cowards can break a fortress built by kings?" Evren asked softly.
