The federal investigation into Blackwood’s syndicate concluded within forty-eight hours, resulting in dozens of high-profile arrests, asset seizures, and corporate liquidations across the city. Captain Harrison, Victor, Marcus, and the entire leadership of the rival faction were securely locked behind federal penitentiary doors with zero chance of bail or parole.

Up in the penthouse suite, the air was peaceful, warm, and safe.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, watching the bustling streets of New York far below while cradling my sleeping twin daughters in my arms. Their little faces were healthy, rosy, and peaceful, swaddled in soft cashmere blankets.

A gentle knock sounded at the open doorway of the nursery.

Elias walked in. He had changed out of his tactical gear into a sharp, tailored black suit, his dark eyes carrying a profound, enduring warmth whenever he looked at the children.

“How are my favorite nieces doing?” Elias asked softly, stopping a few feet away so as not to wake them.

“They’re sleeping like angels,” I smiled, looking up at him with a deep, abiding gratitude that words could never fully capture. “They haven't cried once all morning.”

Elias stepped closer, his gaze shifting from the babies to me.

“The federal prosecutors finalized the protective custody and asset forfeiture documents this morning,” Elias said quietly. “Victor’s assets, whatever small amount he legitimately held, have been legally transferred into a trust explicitly for you and the girls. You never have to worry about poverty, fear, or hiding ever again, Ava.”

I looked into his dark, unwavering eyes, feeling the heavy armor around my own heart finally melt away completely.

“You saved us, Elias,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “When I was freezing under that viaduct, I thought our story was over. I didn't know what kind of world we were stepping into.”

Elias gently reached out, placing his warm, calloused hand over mine, steadying the weight of the babies in my arms.

“You didn't step into a dangerous world, Ava,” Elias said, his voice dropping into a rich, protective register that made every nerve in my body tingle with quiet certainty. “You simply stepped back into the exact place where you and these girls always belonged—at my side, under my absolute protection.”

I smiled, leaning my shoulder gently against his arm as we watched the golden sunlight spread across the endless city below.

The nightmare under the viaduct was gone. The monsters who had tried to destroy us had vanished into the shadows of history. And as the morning sun warmed the glass, I knew that no matter what storms lay ahead in the empire of the underworld, we were finally home.