For eleven nights, a Chicago crime boss’s eight-month-old son nearly died at exactly 12:03 a.m., while his private doctor insisted it was a rare disease—and mocked me when I said someone was doing it deliberately. Then I opened the baby’s bottle and found something hidden inside that proved the danger wasn’t coming from an illness… but from someone already inside the house.

Three weeks passed in a blur of intense preparation.

Under my strict orders, the third floor of the Bolaro mansion was transformed into a state-of-the-art, air-purified medical wing. I personally oversaw the installation of digital locksets, redundant power generators, and an independent water filtration system. Every drop of milk, every jar of baby food, and every piece of clothing that entered Nico’s room was tested, sealed, and handled exclusively by me.

For the first time in his life, Nico thrived.

His rosy cheeks returned, his appetite doubled, and his loud, joyful giggles echoed through the once-gloomy mansion. He learned to roll over on his plush play mat, his tiny hands constantly reaching for my stethoscope whenever I knelt down to check his lungs.

Lorenzo changed, too.

The dark, brooding crime boss who used to spend eighteen hours a day in his underground office began spending his mornings in the nursery. He sat on the floor in his tailored suits, letting Nico pull his silk ties while I recorded the baby’s vital signs.

"You're teaching him bad manners," I joked one morning, watching Lorenzo unsuccessfully try to retrieve his gold fountain pen from Nico’s slobbery grip.

"He's a Bolaro," Lorenzo replied, his dark eyes twinkling with rare humor. "He’s just taking what’s his."

"He’s eight months old, Lorenzo. He thinks your pen is a teething toy."

Lorenzo chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made my heart do a strange, unexpected flutter. I quickly turned my back, busying myself with Nico’s chart to hide the warm blush creeping up my neck.

Over the past three weeks, I had seen a side of Lorenzo Bolaro that the rest of Chicago didn't know existed. Behind the brutal reputation was a man burdened by immense responsibility, fiercely loyal to those he cared about, and completely devoted to his motherless child.

Suddenly, the nursery door clicked open.

Marco stepped inside, his expression grim. He held a high-frequency satellite radio in his gloved hand.

"Boss," Marco said quietly. "Don Carmine Moretti just called a emergency summit of the Five Families at the Palmer House Hotel downtown."

Lorenzo’s smile vanished instantly. He gently picked Nico up, laying him safely inside the crib before standing up straight. "When?"

"Tonight at eight," Marco reported. "Moretti is claiming that you broke the Chicago Peace Treaty by executing Dr. Crane and holding Elena captive. He’s going to ask the other bosses to authorize a total war against the Bolaro organization."

Lorenzo straightened his cuffs, his eyes turning cold as forged steel. "Crane and Elena were traitors who tried to murder my blood. The other families won't support Moretti if they know the truth."

"They won't care about the truth if Moretti buys them off first," Marco warned. "Don Carmine has offered twenty percent of his eastern shipping lines to anyone who votes with him tonight."

I stepped forward, my hands resting on the edge of the crib. "Lorenzo... it’s a trap. If you go to that hotel, Moretti will have dozens of armed men waiting for you."

Lorenzo looked at me, his gaze softening for a brief second. "If I don't go, Maya, the other families will brand me a coward and back Moretti’s war. A total war means bombs on our streets, snipers outside these gates, and constant danger for Nico."

He walked over to me, standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his broad shoulders.

"I have to end this tonight," Lorenzo murmured, reaching out to gently touch my shoulder. "I’m leaving Marco with thirty heavily armed guards to hold this wing. No one gets past the third floor."

"Lorenzo..." My voice trailed off, a sudden wave of tight anxiety gripping my chest. "Be careful."