Chapter 9 - The New Queen
We landed on the roof of a heavily fortified mansion in upstate New York just as Roman lost consciousness completely.
A team of syndicate doctors was waiting on the helipad, rushing Roman into a sterile underground trauma bay.
I stood in the grand foyer of the mansion, covered in Roman’s blood, holding my daughter while my sister rocked the triplets.
Five older men dressed in expensive suits stood near the fireplace, glaring at me with open contempt.
These were the capos, the ruthless bosses who ran Roman’s empire in his absence.
“We don't take orders from a civilian nurse,” a man named Salvatore spat, stepping toward me aggressively.
“We are locking down the estate and handing the babies over to our security detail.”
I looked at the men who were fully prepared to rip my children from my arms.
I didn't cower, and I didn't cry.
I walked directly up to Salvatore and raised my right hand, revealing Roman’s heavy gold signet ring resting on my index finger.
“You will take orders from whoever holds the ring, Salvatore,” I said, my voice shockingly steady.
Salvatore stared at the ring, the color draining from his face.
The other capos shifted uncomfortably, bound by the ancient blood oaths of their syndicate.
“My first order as acting boss is that nobody touches these children except me,” I commanded.
“And my second order is that you prepare every soldier we have for a war against Kincaid.”
The men bowed their heads slightly, forced into submission by the undeniable symbol of power I wore.
For the next twelve hours, I transformed from a desperate single mother into the architect of a mafia defense.
I stationed snipers on the roof, barricaded the gates, and personally supervised the feeding of the four babies.
Late that evening, the lead surgeon approached me in the hallway, looking exhausted.
“Roman is out of surgery and stable, but he will be in a medically induced coma for several days,” the doctor reported.
Relief washed over me, a heavy burden lifting slightly from my shoulders.
I had secured the fortress, protected the heirs, and saved the man who had trusted me with his life.
I walked back into the grand nursery, feeling a strange, unfamiliar sense of absolute victory.
But as I opened the heavy wooden door, the nursery was entirely dark.
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The guards I had stationed inside were lying unconscious on the floor.
Standing over the cribs, illuminated only by the moonlight, was Victoria Vale.
