Load the vans. I want the guns cleaned twice no excuses," Valerie barked, her voice slicing through the safehouse like a whip.
"Yes, Boss!" the men chorused, scattering like shadows.
The room reeked of oil and gunmetal. Order. Precision. Discipline. That was Valerie's world, and she thrived in it.
Her single eye swept the room, cold and sharp, until
"Boss." Rossi jogged forward, a cream-colored envelope in his hand. Plain. No stamps. Just her name scrawled in elegant handwriting.
Valerie's brow arched. "From where?"
"No idea. Kid at the gate said someone dropped it off. Cash delivery. Clean."
Her jaw tightened. "And you let them walk?"
"We checked. No threat. Just… a message."
With a flick of her knife, she slit the envelope open.
Something slipped out fluttering.
A photograph.
Valerie caught it midair. Her body stilled. Her men waited, watching her expression harden… and then falter.
An ultrasound.
The grainy image burned into her vision. A child.
Her throat tightened. For the first time in years, her hands shook.
Tucked inside was a letter. She unfolded it slowly.
***Letter***
Valerie,
We may never meet. I know you don't want to hear from Dominic—and maybe not from me either. But this isn't about him. It's about you.
You once stepped into fire to save a life you could have let burn. That choice lives on.
This is the child you saved. Your blood. Your fire. Your stubbornness. A piece of you will live in them, whether you want it or not.
One day, I'll tell them the truth—that they had an aunt who walked through hell so they could breathe in peace. And they will carry your name with pride.
Thank you… for giving my baby a chance.
Elena Roman
Valerie stared until the ink blurred.
The safehouse had gone silent.
Her men shifted uneasily, exchanging glances. They had seen her tear apart enemies without blinking. They had seen her bleed and keep moving. But this? This was different.
"…Boss?" Rossi asked softly.
Her eye snapped up. "Do I look like a woman who needs her face explained to her?"
The room stilled. No one dared push further. But they had seen it,the tiny curve of her lips before she crushed it away.
With deliberate care, Valerie slipped the letter and photo into her jacket pocket like a weapon too dangerous to leave behind.
"Back to work," she barked. Her voice was steady, but it carried a new weight. "Unless you'd like me to show you what happens when you stare too long."
The men obeyed. But the air had changed. Their boss , untouchable, unshakable,had just been given something no blade, no bullet, no blood could touch.
And for the first time in a very long time… Valerie Rossetti looked human.
Elena stirred, the ring still snug on her finger, glinting every time she shifted her hand.
Her body ached from last night's celebrations, but in the sweetest way.
Laughter. Dancing. Too many toasts.
Exhausted… yet lighthearted.
Dominic was already awake beside her, one arm lazily draped over her waist, his eyes half-closed as though he'd been watching her even before she opened her eyes.
She turned toward him. Instinctively, he leaned in, lips brushing dangerously close.
Elena pressed her hand to his chest, laughing softly.
"Don't even think about it."
Dominic arched a brow, feigning offense.
"What, my fiancée doesn't want a good-morning kiss? Should I start questioning your commitment already?"
She wrinkled her nose, groaning.
"Not unless you want me bolting for the bathroom. You know mornings make me queasy."
He leaned back against the headboard, smirk tugging at his mouth.
"So basically, I'm being rejected because of morning breath?"
"Because of my morning stomach," she corrected, burying her face in the pillow.
"And don't act like you don't know the rules by now."
Dominic chuckled, tugging her closer anyway, pressing a kiss into her hair.
"Fine. But for the record, I was willing to take the risk."
She peeked at him with a smile.
"You're ridiculous."
"And you're mine," he said simply.
The truth in his voice made her chest ache in the best way.
They lay there in silence.
No gunshots. No threats.
Just them ,a couple who had somehow carved out a moment of peace in a life that was anything but normal.
But Dominic wasn't Dominic if he didn't notice everything.
"Elena," he said at last, deceptively casual, "what were you doing sneaking around last night while I was finishing up with Jay and Tobias?"
Her heart skipped.
She tried to play dumb.
"Sneaking? I was just… adjusting some things."
He turned his head slowly, his piercing gaze locking on her.
"Adjusting? Or writing?"
She froze.
The pen. The folded note. The envelope she had given Tobias.
"You saw?" she whispered.
"I see everything," he said smoothly, his hand stroking her arm in reassurance.
"You sent something… to Valerie."
Her chest tightened. She sat up, fingers worrying at the sheets.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd probably stop me. But she deserves to know, Dominic. About the baby. She's your sister, whether she wants to be or not."
His jaw flexed, but he didn't interrupt.
"I know she hates you," Elena continued softly.
"I know she blames you for things you'll never forgive yourself for.
But she fought for you once.
She's lost so much.
I just thought maybe… even if she pretends not to care, knowing there's going to be new life in this family might mean something to her.
So I asked Tobias to find her address.
And I sent her the ultrasound photo with a note."
Dominic stared at her for a long moment, then finally sighed.
"You're impossible, Elena moretti ."
She braced for anger.
Instead, he caught her hand, lifting it to his lips.
"And I love you for it."
Her eyes widened.
"You're not mad?"
"Oh, I'm furious," he teased, kissing her knuckles gently.
"Furious that my fiancée is always two steps ahead of me when it comes to people's hearts.
Furious that I can't even argue with you because you're right.
And furious because…"
He pressed his forehead to hers, voice low.
"…because I can't protect you from that hope you carry. Valerie… she's a storm, Elena. And storms don't soften easily."
Elena smiled faintly, her thumb brushing his jaw.
"Maybe. But sometimes even storms need a reason to pass. Maybe our child will be that reason."
Dominic let out a low laugh, though his voice was thick.
"You're going to be the death of me, you know that?"
"And yet, here you are, proposing anyway." She grinned.
"Because I'd rather die with you than live without you," he said.
No hesitation.