The cleanup took weeks. Victor Vance was handed over to Silas, and what happened to him was something Clara never asked about, and Dante never offered to share. The Vance Cartel collapsed overnight, their territory absorbed by the Thorne syndicate.

The traitor, Miller, was made an example of, ensuring no one in the estate would ever think of betraying the family again.

Life at the compound slowly returned to normal, but everything had changed. The staff no longer looked at Clara with disdain or pity. They looked at her with awe and deep, profound respect. The woman who had taken down the head of a rival cartel to protect a child was a legend.

But to Clara, the biggest change wasn't the respect of the staff or the destruction of their enemies. It was the way Dante looked at her. He didn't hide her away. He kept her by his side during meetings. He asked her opinion. He treated her as his absolute equal.