"I Went To The Clinic To End My Pregnancy—Then The Mafia Raided It To Save His Triplets."(

Rain poured from the night sky as a convoy of three unmarked black vehicles pulled up to the dark estate gates.

Inside the main hall, Julian Ashford stood near the grand fireplace, holding a glass of scotch, surrounded by twelve heavily armed mercenary guards he had hired with stolen family money.

"She’s in the lead vehicle," Julian’s head mercenary reported, checking his tactical tablet. "Dominic brought only a four-man escort. He was desperate to get her out of Boston."

Julian let out a bitter, victorious laugh. "My arrogant brother thinks with his heart now. That girl ruined him. Secure the perimeter! Bring her to me alive—I want Dominic to watch me erase his legacy before I put a bullet in his head!"

The heavy oak doors of the grand estate were kicked open with a thunderous bang.

The mercenaries moved forward, weapons raised, opening fire on the shadowy figures entering the hallway. But they weren't met with helpless guards.

Marcus Webb and twenty elite Ashford operators flooded the hall, wearing night-vision gear, returning devastatingly precise fire. Flashbang grenades exploded, blinding Julian’s men in disorienting bursts of white light and thunderous sound.

Julian panicked, dropping his scotch glass, sprinting up the grand spiral staircase toward the upper balcony.

As he reached the top landing, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking his path.

Dominic Ashford stood in the dim light, holding a heavy tactical blade in his hand, his eyes black with lethal fury.

"Dominic!" Julian gasped, pulling a revolver from his coat.

Before Julian could raise his arm, Dominic moved like lightning. He stepped inside Julian’s guard, grabbing his wrist, twisting it until the bones cracked loudly. The revolver clattered onto the marble floor.

Dominic grabbed Julian by the throat, slamming him hard against the stone wall, his hand choking off the air in Julian's windpipe.

"You tried to poison my unborn children," Dominic growled, his voice a demonic rasp that echoed off the high rafters of the estate.

"Dominic... please..." Julian wheezed, his eyes bulging with terror, his legs kicking uselessly in the air. "We're... we're brothers..."

"You ceased being my brother the second you targeted my family," Dominic said coldly.

From the bottom of the staircase, Vivien stepped into the hall, escorted safely by Marcus. She looked up at the balcony, her eyes locking onto Dominic’s silhouette.

Dominic saw her. He looked down at Julian, his jaw tightening.

He didn't execute his brother in front of her. Instead, with a effortless flick of his powerful wrist, Dominic threw Julian sideways over the balcony railing. Julian crashed violently onto the lower marble landing twenty feet below, breaking his legs and spine, groaning in agony as Marcus instantly stepped forward to bind his wrists in heavy steel cuffs.

The battle was over. The traitors were broken.

Dominic walked down the spiral staircase slowly, stepping over the debris, his eyes fixed entirely on Vivien.

He stopped in front of her, dropping the tactical blade onto the floor, wiping a smear of rain and sweat from his face.

Vivien stepped forward, reaching up, her hands cupping his face gently.

"Is it over?" she whispered.

"It's over," Dominic affirmed softly, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. "Julian will spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security federal facility. The syndicate is being dissolved and restructured into a legitimate global corporation tomorrow morning."

He looked down into her dark eyes, his expression softer than it had ever been.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Vivien," he said, his voice trembling with rare, profound emotion. "You are free."