"Snow had buried Chicago for three straight days, but the cold wasn’t what terrified me most that afternoon. With only $11.70 in my bank account and my eight-month-old daughter hidden beneath my coat, I was about to sneak a baby into the back of the most dangerous mafia restaurant in the city—and pray Reed Callaway never found out.

“Hello, Marcus,” I said, my voice ice-cold as I stepped out from behind Reed’s protective shoulder. The fear I had felt days ago was entirely gone, replaced by a fierce, burning empowerment.

Marcus looked between me and Reed, his arrogant facade crumbling into frantic desperation. “Reed Callaway? Look, man, whatever she told you, it’s a lie! She’s unstable, she’s just bitter because—!”

Before Marcus could finish his sentence, Reed stepped forward with terrifying speed, grabbing Marcus by the lapels of his expensive coat and slamming him hard against the side of the town car. The metal echoed loudly in the empty service bay.

“Never speak about her that way again,” Reed whispered, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with suppressed fury. “You stole from the wrong people, Marcus. And you abandoned your own child.”

“I’ll give it back!” Marcus gasped, choking for air as Reed’s grip tightened. “All of it! Just don't hurt me!”

“You’re going to transfer every single cent back to the rightful accounts right now,” Reed commanded, releasing him with a shove that sent Marcus stumbling into the snow. “And then, you are going to get on the next flight out of Chicago and never, ever show your face in this city again. Because if you do, I won't just take your money—I’ll take everything else.”

Marcus didn't hesitate. Shaking violently, he whipped out his phone, hurriedly executing the digital transfers under the watchful eyes of Reed’s men. Within minutes, confirmation chimes pinged on Reed’s encrypted tablet.

“It’s done,” Marcus whimpered, holding his hands up defensively. “It’s all transferred.”

“Get out of my sight,” Reed ordered coldly.

Without looking back, Marcus scrambled into the snow, tripping once before sprinting frantically toward the terminal entrance, disappearing into the blinding white storm.

I stood there in the freezing wind, watching him run. The heavy knot that had weighed on my chest for eight long months suddenly dissolved into nothingness. I let out a long, shaky breath, feeling lighter than I had in years.

Reed turned to look at me, walking back through the falling snow. He took off his own warm cashmere scarf and wrapped it gently around my neck, his hands lingering on my shoulders.