I Found My Five-Year-Old Daughter Locked in a Freezing Basement After Being Starved for Hours, and the Birthday Cake Slipped from My Hands. Instead of showing fear, they mocked and humiliated me—never realizing I was the most feared mafia boss in America, powerful enough to destroy everything they had.

"You were never supposed to find that," Elena said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"I was never supposed to be an 'unemployed watchmaker' for five years either," I retorted. "But I played the part because I wanted to see how far the rot went. I wanted to see if there was anyone in my life I could actually trust."

Elena walked toward me, her hips swaying with a feline grace. "Trust? You’re a crime lord, Vance. You’ve built your life on fear and betrayal. Don't act like you’re the moral authority here."

"I never claimed to be," I said. "But I have a code. Family is the foundation. You used our daughter as leverage. You sold my secrets to the highest bidder. You aren't just an enemy, Elena. You’re a liability."

"And what are you going to do?" she challenged. "Kill me? The world will know by morning. My associates will burn this city to the ground to finish what I started."

I laughed. It was a dry, hollow sound. "You think you have associates? Elena, everyone you call an associate works for me. Every bank you think you’ve siphoned from, every contact you think you’ve cultivated—they all report to the Black House. You weren't a mastermind. You were a field agent I hadn't yet deactivated."

I signaled to Kael. Two of my men grabbed Elena by the arms. She didn't struggle; she knew the game was over.

"Take her to the secondary facility," I commanded. "I want every single encrypted file she has on that phone retrieved. And Kael? Make sure she understands that she’s never seeing Mia again."

"No!" Elena screamed, the composure finally snapping. "Vance, listen to me! I did it for us! We were going to be untouchable!"

"We were untouchable," I said, turning my back on her. "Until you decided that your greed was worth more than our life."

As they dragged her out, the house felt lighter, yet emptier. I walked over to the living room where Rachel and her friends were still huddled. They looked at me with a primal, animal terror.

"You have two choices," I said to them. "You can leave this house, and you can disappear. If I ever hear your names in the same sentence as mine again, you won't be around to hear the ending."