Chapter 5 - The Lioness Awakens
Three weeks later.
The high-rise Vance estate in Upstate New York was a sprawling compound of glass, steel, and stone, nestled deep within a private two-hundred-acre pine forest.
Winter had blanketed the grounds in deep white powder, but inside the main house, life was blooming.
I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the primary suite, dressed in a soft cream cashmere sweater dress. My hair, which had been dull and matted three weeks ago, was now thick, dark, and shining, tumbling down my shoulders. My skin had regained its rosy color, and my eyes—once shadowed by constant fear—were bright, clear, and sharp.
In a custom wooden bassinet nearby, Grace and Lily were giggling softly, making tiny cooing sounds as they kicked their feet.
I wasn't the same woman who had been thrown under that bridge.
The physical scars on my back had healed into thin white lines, but the mental transformation was far deeper. Living in Elias Vance’s world, surrounded by absolute power and unwavering protection, had awakened something inside me that poverty and abuse had suppressed for years: my pride.
The heavy oak doors of the suite opened, and Elias stepped inside.
He looked tired. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his tie was loosened at his throat. The war with the remaining factions of the Volkov syndicate had been taking a toll on his logistics operations in the harbor.
“You’re up late,” Elias said softly, closing the door behind him.
“I was waiting for you,” I replied, walking over to the bar in the corner of the room. I poured two fingers of aged scotch into a crystal tumbler and walked over, handing it to him.
Elias looked at the glass, then at me, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. “You’re learning my habits, Ava.”
“I’m learning how to take care of the man who took care of my daughters,” I said smoothly, leaning against his desk. “Knox told me the docks in Newark were hit tonight.”
Elias took a slow sip of the whiskey, his eyes darkening slightly. “Knox talks too much.”
“Knox cares about you,” I countered. “And so do I. What happened?”
Elias sighed, setting his glass down on the desk. He leaned back against the mahogany edge, folding his arms across his chest.
“Volkov’s younger brother, Viktor, didn't honor the agreement Nikolai made with me,” Elias admitted. “Viktor believes that by taking you and the twins into my house, I showed a fatal flaw. He thinks I’ve turned soft. He’s rallying the younger Bratva soldiers to launch an assault on our distribution lines.”
I felt a cold prickle of anger rise in my chest. Not fear—anger.
“He thinks I’m a vulnerability,” I said flatly.
“He thinks you’re a weakness I can be threatened with,” Elias corrected softly, reaching out to gently touch my cheek with his thumb. “He doesn't know who you really are, Ava.”
“Then let’s show him,” I said, my voice as hard as cold iron.
Elias froze. His dark eyes locked onto mine, searching my face for any sign of hesitation or fear. He found none.
“What are you proposing, Ava?” he asked quietly.
“Viktor Volkov wants to strike at your weakness,” I said, stepping closer to Elias until our chests were nearly touching. “So give him one. Set a trap. Use me as the bait.”
Elias’s jaw tightened instantly. “Absolutly not. I will never put you or the girls in harm’s way again.”
“I’m not asking you to leave me unprotected, Elias!” I insisted, grabbing his hand and pressing it against my chest, right over my beating heart. “I’m telling you that I am done hiding in rooms while men decide my fate! Thomas treated me like trash, and I let him because I thought I had no choice. But you gave me my life back. You gave my daughters a future. I will not let some Russian gangster take that away from us!”
Elias stared down at me, his chest heaving, his dark eyes glowing with a sudden, overwhelming fire of respect and desire.
For three weeks, he had treated me like delicate porcelain. He had kept his distance, ensuring I had space to heal, never pressing for anything beyond my safety. But standing here now, claiming my place beside him, the barrier between us shattered.
Elias cupped my face in both of his massive hands, lifting my chin.
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“You are terrifying, Ava Miller,” he whispered, his breath warm against my lips.
“I’m a Vance now,” I whispered back, my heart racing as I closed the tiny distance between us, pressing my lips against his.
