Chapter 10
The ride back to the mansion was an agonizing sprint through the dark city streets. The convoy of black SUVs tore down the highways, ignoring every traffic law as they raced back to defend their territory. Inside the lead vehicle, the atmosphere was thick with tension, though the warm golden glow of the dashboard lights offered a small, luminous comfort.
Elara sat in the plush leather seat, softly rocking Ivy. The infant had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep, exhausted from the trauma of the day. Elara’s sophisticated black maid dress was wrinkled, but her graceful posture had returned. She was no longer just a housemaid; she was the mother of the mafia boss's heir.
Dominic sat beside her, his hands resting on his knees. He stared out the tinted window, watching the city blur past, his mind executing complex tactical scenarios.
“Will they kill Selene when they find out what she did?” Elara asked quietly, breaking the silence in the car.
Dominic turned his head, his high-bridged nose catching the ambient light. “Do you think the Hart syndicate values the life of a single daughter over the collapse of their entire criminal enterprise?”
“She’s still his daughter, Dominic,” Elara whispered, looking down at Ivy. “A father will do terrible things for his child. You just did.”
“Is protecting the innocent comparable to shielding a kidnapper, Elara?” Dominic asked, his voice gentle but firm. “Did I not simply reclaim what was stolen from me?”
As the SUVs crested the final hill leading to the estate, the sky ahead was illuminated by the bright, chaotic flashing of gunfire. The battle had already begun. The heavy iron gates of the mansion were under siege by a fleet of Hart vehicles, but Dominic’s men were holding the line fiercely, raining suppressive fire down from the fortified balconies.
The driver slammed on the brakes, pulling the SUV off the main road and into a concealed, heavily wooded service entrance that bypassed the front gates.
“Will you take Elara and the child through the underground tunnels directly to the secure bunker beneath the east wing?” Dominic asked the driver, grabbing an assault rifle from the floorboards.
“Yes, Boss. I’ll guard them with my life,” the driver swore.
Elara grabbed Dominic’s arm as he prepared to open the door and step out into the warzone. Her fair, rosy skin was pale in the flashing lights of the distant gunfire.
“Are you coming back to us, Dominic?” Elara asked, her voice cracking with fear.
Dominic paused, his hand on the door handle. He looked back at her, his cold, unwavering gaze melting into a look of absolute, profound love. He leaned across the console, pressing a deep, lingering kiss to her forehead, and then gently touched the sleeping baby’s cheek.
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“Do you truly believe a war could keep me away from my family now that I have finally found you?” Dominic asked softly.
With that final question, Dominic threw the armored door open and stepped out into the chaotic, violent night, leaving Elara holding their sleeping daughter in the luminous darkness, wondering if the dawn would bring peace, or a kingdom built entirely on ash.
