“You brought my dinner yesterday.”

The following morning, the Rourke estate was a hive of chaotic activity. Construction crews and heavily armed guards worked side-by-side to clear the debris from the grand foyer and repair the shattered windows. The scent of smoke still hung in the air, a grim reminder of the war that had raged only hours before.

Annelise stood on the sweeping marble staircase, watching the cleanup. She was no longer wearing the sophisticated black maid dress. Instead, she wore a beautifully tailored, long-sleeved silk blouse and dark trousers, clothes Blaine had arranged for a high-end boutique to deliver at dawn. Her dark hair was pinned up elegantly, and she felt like an entirely different person—no longer a servant, but a woman under the permanent protection of the city's most powerful man.

Blaine walked through the front doors, flanked by his capos. He had changed into a fresh, immaculate charcoal three-piece suit, looking every inch the untouched movie-star handsome mafia boss. His cold, watchful eyes scanned the room, landing on Annelise immediately. He dismissed his men with a subtle wave of his tattooed hand and walked toward the stairs.

"Did you sleep at all, Annelise?" Blaine asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her with a gentle expression that was reserved entirely for her.

"A little," Annelise answered softly, descending the remaining steps to stand before him. "It feels strange not to be helping the staff clean up."

"Do you believe the savior of the Rourke family should be sweeping broken glass?" Blaine inquired, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching his lips.

Annelise shook her head, returning his smile. "No. I suppose not."

"Have you considered what you wish to do now that you are free of the shadows?" Blaine asked, his deep voice carrying a quiet, profound respect.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Annelise admitted, her expressive brows drawing together. "But... I want to be here. With Cody. And with you."

"Are you prepared for the darkness that comes with this name?" Blaine asked, his jaw settling into a firm line. "Do you understand that the violence of last night is not an anomaly in our world?"

"I understand," Annelise said, her voice steady and resolute. "I am not afraid. Not as long as I am with you."

Blaine’s cold eyes softened completely, filled with a deep, profound devotion that he had not felt in years. He reached out, his hand resting gently on her shoulder, a heavy anchor in the uncertain world they were about to navigate together.

"Shall we begin your education in the family business, then?" Blaine asked.

Annelise looked up at him, ready to embrace the legacy she had inadvertently married into. She was a Rourke now, and she would learn to rule alongside the king.

"Yes," Annelise whispered.

Before Blaine could offer another question, Marcus walked briskly toward them, his scarred face tight with fresh tension. He held an encrypted mobile phone in his hand.

"Boss, I apologize for interrupting," Marcus said gruffly, handing the phone to Blaine. "But we have a situation. The commission just called an emergency meeting. They are demanding you answer for the execution of the Vale alliance."

Blaine took the phone, his posture instantly shifting back into the cold, calculating mafia boss. The war with the Vale family might be over, but the political fallout in the criminal underworld had only just begun.

"Do they truly believe they can hold me accountable for defending my blood?" Blaine asked, his voice dropping to a terrifying, deadly whisper as he looked at the phone.