Instead, my employer turned the security monitor toward me and said, “Your daughter just found the person who’s been stealing from my mother’s foundation.”

The happiness of the gala was shattered three days later by a sudden, desperate storm.

Desperate to avoid impending bankruptcy after Marcus cut off Cain Holdings' credit lines, Richard Cain’s rogue brother—a disgraced former contractor named Thomas Cain—decided to take a terrifying gamble.

It was a stormy Tuesday evening. Lightning flashed across the Westchester sky, and thunder rumbled over the hills.

Inside the estate, the power suddenly flickered and went out as a heavy branch knocked down the local power lines. The backup generators hummed to life within seconds, but the brief security lag gave Thomas Cain and an accomplice the opening they needed.

They breached the north perimeter fence during the storm, attempting to break into the estate’s private server vault to steal the financial drives Marcus possessed.

I was in the east wing nursery, putting Lily to bed, when the internal silent alarm flashed red on the hallway wall.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My heart plummeted into my stomach.

I immediately picked up Lily, holding her tight against my chest. “Shh, baby, stay quiet.”

The nursery door suddenly burst open!

A tall man in a dark rain slicker stood in the doorway, holding a heavy crowbar. His eyes were wild, desperate, and bloodshot.

“Where are the server keys?” the man growled, stepping into the room.

I backed up against the wall, shielding Lily behind me. “Get out of here! Security is already on their way!”

“Shut up!” the man yelled, raising the crowbar.

Before he could take another step, a shadow moved like lightning from the hallway!

Marcus tackled the intruder with ferocious force, slamming him against the hard wall! The crowbar clattered to the floor with a loud metallic strike!

The intruder swung wildly, but Marcus ducked beneath the strike, delivering a devastating right hook that sent the man crashing onto the rug, unconscious.

Julian and three armed security guards rushed into the room a second later, quickly pinning the intruder and disarming the second accomplice outside in the hallway.

Marcus ignored the guards, turning instantly toward me. His heart was breathing heavily, his knuckles bruised, his eyes filled with sheer, primal concern.

“Clara! Lily!” Marcus called out, rushing over and gathering both of us into his arms. “Are you hurt? Did he touch you?”

“We’re okay,” I sobbed, burying my face into his shoulder as the adrenaline washed over me. “We’re okay, Marcus.”