Half-de@d, bleeding, and clutching two newborn girls beneath a freezing New York overpass—that was how the most feared Mafia boss in the city found me. My husband had thrown us away because I failed to give him a son, but when Elias Vance carried all three of us into his armored SUV, he made one promise that would put powerful men against him: “You’ll live with me now.”

The ceremony was held forty-eight hours later in the private rooftop conservatory of the Vance estate.

There were no media cameras, no high-society guests, no flashing lights. The room was decorated simply with hundreds of white gardenias, delicate glass lanterns, and soft lace drapes that blew gently in the spring breeze overlooking the Hudson River.

Uncle Arthur Vance—Elias’s distant, respected uncle who served as a retired Supreme Court Justice—conducted the private ceremony. Standing beside us were Marko, Nurse Clara holding baby Lily, and my aunt Beatrice, whom Elias had quietly located and flown in from Vermont three days prior so I would have family by my side.

I wore a simple, breathtaking gown of white silk crepe, with a soft cowl neckline and a long, flowing skirt that pooled around my heels. In my hands, I held a bouquet of white lilies.

Elias stood before me in a dark navy tailored tuxedo, his grey eyes locked entirely on my face, completely ignoring the city lights gleaming behind us.

"Ava Miller," Justice Vance spoke, his deep voice echoing through the quiet glass conservatory. "Do you take Elias Vance to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

I looked into Elias’s eyes. I saw the man who had stood between me and the cold world, the man who had given my daughters a home, a name, and a future.

"I do," I said clearly, my voice unwavering and filled with absolute truth.

"And do you, Elias Vance," Justice Vance continued, "take Ava Miller to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Elias didn't wait for the Justice to finish the script.

"I do," Elias said, his voice deep, resonant, and vibrating with an iron certainty that made my knees feel weak. "I take her, I protect her, and I honor her for as long as I draw breath."

"By the authority vested in me by the State of New York," Justice Vance smiled warmly, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Elias, you may kiss your bride."

Elias stepped forward. He didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arm securely around my waist, pulling my body flush against his, and lowered his mouth to mine.

The kiss was long, deep, and desperate—a seal placed upon a bond that had been forged in ice and sealed in silk. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine, his chest heaving softly.

"You are my wife now, Ava Vance," he whispered against my lips. "No one in this world can touch you."

The peace of our wedding night, however, was broken at 2:00 AM.

A sharp knock sounded on the bedroom door. Elias was instantly awake, sliding out of the grand canopy bed and pulling on his silk robe in a single, fluid motion. He pulled a silver 9mm handgun from the lockbox beside the bed, stepping softly toward the door.

"Elias?" I whispered, pulling the duvet over my chest.

"Stay there," he instructed quietly.

He opened the door an inch. Marko was standing in the corridor, holding an encrypted tablet.

"Boss," Marko whispered urgently. "Victoria just made her move. She didn't wait for the Family Services hearing. She hired a team of ex-mercenaries from Europe. They've just breached the lower parking garage of the building."

My blood ran cold. "Elias!"

Elias didn't flinch. His face turned into an absolute mask of stone. He turned back to Marko.

"How many?" Elias asked flatly.

"Eight men," Marko reported. "They compromised the security grid on floor two. They're taking the express elevator straight to the penthouse right now."

Elias turned back to me. He walked to the bed, reached under the pillow, and pulled out a secondary keycard, pressing it into my palm.

"Ava," Elias said, his voice entirely devoid of panic. "Listen to me very carefully. Take the girls into the panic room behind the library bookshelf. Lock the steel door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except me or Marko. Do you understand?"

"Elias, no!" I cried out, grabbing his arm. "They're armed! Come with us!"

"This is my home, Ava," Elias said, leaning down to press a firm, fiery kiss against my forehead. "And these men came to hurt my family. I am going to remind them why people call me the King of the City."

He pulled away, racked the slide of his handgun with a sharp, terrifying CLACK, and stepped out into the hallway, slamming the heavy master door behind him.

I didn't waste a single second.

I leaped out of bed, ran into the nursery, and scooped both Lily and Maya into my arms. Holding my babies tight against my chest, I sprinted down the wood-paneled corridor toward the library.