The moment my twin daughters started screaming in the middle of the night, I was certain the new nanny had failed them. I stormed toward the nursery ready to fire her without a second thought. But the second I opened that door, everything I believed collapsed. The woman I blamed was doing the one thing I hadn't been able to do since my wife died—she made my daughters laugh.

The morning sun had fully crested the Manhattan skyline, flooding the estate with bright, unapologetic daylight. The heavy fog that had choked the grounds for weeks finally lifted, revealing a world that felt crisp, clean, and impossibly new.

Up in the nursery, the atmosphere was entirely transformed. Maisie and Rosie were wide awake, sitting in their cribs and babbling happily as Elise spoon-fed them warm rice cereal. Every spoonful was accompanied by an exaggerated, silly face or a soft, melodic hum that coaxed delighted squeals from both babies.

I stood leaning against the doorframe, a mug of black coffee in my hand, watching them. For the first time in four months, the east wing didn't feel like a monument to grief. It felt like a home.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting another corporate report or security update. Instead, it was an encrypted text from Declan.

*Sir, we intercepted a encrypted communication packet leaving Marcus Vance’s personal server a few minutes ago. It wasn't directed at the board or the media. It was sent to an offshore Swiss account linked directly to Clara.*

My eyes narrowed. The coffee mug in my hand suddenly felt heavy, the warmth draining away instantly.

Vance.

I thought we had completely crushed him with the financial audits Elise had uncovered. I thought the board meeting had permanently ended his hostile takeover attempts. But a cornered rat didn't just lie down and die. Marcus Vance was playing a deeper, much more dangerous game—one that involved my unhinged former sister-in-law.

"Declan," I spoke softly into the phone, keeping my voice low so as not to disturb the girls. "Trace that transfer. Find out exactly what Vance promised Clara in exchange for breaching my perimeter last night."

*Already on it, Mr. Caruso,* Declan replied instantly. *Shall I bring Vance in for questioning?*

"Not yet," I replied, a cold, hard edge returning to my tone. "Let him think he's winning. Let him think his pawn successfully penetrated my defenses. When he makes his next move, we'll cut the head off the snake permanently."

*Understood, sir.*

I hung up and slipped the phone back into my pocket, my jaw tight. I looked back toward the center of the nursery. Elise had finished feeding the twins and was now gently lifting Rosie into her arms, swaying softly from side to side as she hummed a lullaby.

She caught my eye over Rosie's tiny shoulder, her expression shifting instantly from maternal warmth to intuitive alertness. She handed Maisie over to the automated rocker, whispered something to the baby, and walked over to where I stood in the doorway.

"You're holding something back," Elise said quietly, stopping just an inches away from me. The scent of jasmine and baby powder surrounded her, grounding me amidst the rising storm. "What did Declan say?"

"Vance," I answered flatly, deciding there was no use keeping secrets from her anymore. She had proven time and time again that she wasn't a fragile bystander who needed protection. She was my equal. "He funded Clara's breach last night. He's trying to destabilize me through my family."

Elise didn't panic. Instead, a brilliant, dangerous spark ignited in her brown eyes. The meek, unassuming nanny was entirely gone, replaced by the sharp, razor-sharp intelligence that had saved my empire in the boardroom.

"Then he thinks you're still reacting out of grief," Elise murmured, her voice laced with quiet resolve. "He thinks you're vulnerable because of Elena."

"He's wrong," I replied, my gaze locking onto hers. "I was vulnerable. But not anymore."

"Good," Elise whispered, a faint, confident smile touching her lips. "Because if Marcus Vance thinks he can use my girls and my home as leverage in his corporate war, he has no idea who he's dealing with. And neither do you, Dante... until now."