“Sylvie left Teddy outside, darling.”

Grant stood perfectly still for a long moment. The tension slowly bled out of his powerful shoulders. He turned his head, his thick, slightly wavy hair catching the light of the crystal chandeliers, and looked across the room to where Sylvie was standing. She was still cradling the shivering puppy, and Nora was clutching the crisp white fabric of her apron.

Sylvie was shaking. Her sophisticated black maid dress felt incredibly thin in the aftermath of the violence. She had just witnessed the destruction of a massive mafia alliance, all because she had opened a freezer door and saved a tiny animal. She looked at the mafia boss, terrified of the unpredictable storm that was surely about to consume the estate.

Grant walked slowly back across the polished marble floor. He dropped to one knee, completely ignoring the crease it put in his expensive trousers, bringing himself down to his daughter's eye level.

"Are you harmed anywhere, Nora?" Grant asked, his deep voice softening just a fraction, losing the lethal edge it had carried moments before. He gently reached out, his tattooed hand hovering over the girl's cheek before he softly brushed a stray hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Nora whispered, burying her face against Grant's dark tailored suit, her small hands clutching the fine wool. "I didn't mean to be bad. I just did what Camilla told me to do."

"Would I ever punish you for trusting an adult who lied to you?" Grant asked, pulling his daughter gently against his chest, holding the fragile girl in a fierce, bone-crushing embrace. He closed his eyes, fighting back a wave of agonizing guilt that threatened to drown him. How had he slept under this roof while his child was manipulated by a monster?

Grant stood up straight, lifting Nora effortlessly into his arms, keeping the girl tucked securely against his broad shoulders. He turned his attention back to Sylvie and the bundle in her arms.

"Is the puppy warming up at all?" Grant asked quietly, his perceptive eyes searching her delicate, softly oval face.

"He is doing a little better, sir," Sylvie answered, her voice trembling slightly as she gently rubbed the thick towel over Teddy's small, freezing body. "But... I know what just happened. I know the Reed family will come for you because we spoke against her."

"Do you believe I would allow a woman who tortures my family to remain in my home out of fear of her father?" Grant asked, a flicker of profound, protective warmth entering his cold eyes as he looked at her.

"I didn't know what to expect, Mr. Whitestone," Sylvie whispered, her expressive eyes wide with residual fear. "I just knew Nora was crying for him. When I heard the scratches on the heavy metal door... it broke my heart."

"Did you think a monster would punish the only person with the courage to save a life in this house?" Grant asked gently.

He didn't walk away. He stood there, his towering masculine frame casting a long shadow in the golden light. The rigid boundaries of class, wealth, and danger had been completely obliterated in the span of a single evening.

"Will you accompany us upstairs, Sylvie?" Grant asked, his gaze lingering on her beautiful face. "Do you think I trust anyone else in this house to tend to them tonight?"