The most feared man in New York unknowingly spent an entire flight sitting beside the little girl he had been searching for without even realizing she was his daughter. When she looked at me and asked, **"Have you ever loved someone enough to ruin your own life?"** I thought it was just an innocent question. Then the plane hit violent turbulence, and I found myself holding the hand of the child whose mother had hidden her from me for six long years.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the cockpit, flashing a private high-level security clearance badge that connected directly to federal aviation authorities—a perk of owning fifteen percent of the airline's holding parent company.

The captain and co-pilot looked pale after I explained the situation, showing them the bound assassin sitting tied up in the rear galley.

"Mr. Moretti," the Captain stammered, his hands tight on the yoke as the plane finally cleared the storm turbulence. "We can alert London Metropolitan Police to meet us at Heathrow—"

"No," I cut him off smoothly. "If Julian has men at Heathrow, a police presence will only trigger a gunfight in a crowded terminal. My daughter will not be caught in crossfire."

"Then what do you propose?" the Co-pilot asked nervously.

"Re-route," I commanded. "We are currently flying over eastern Canada. Divert this aircraft to my private airfield in Halifax. I have a tactical team stationed there forty minutes away."

"Sir, altering an international flight plan requires—"

"I am not asking, Captain," I said, stepping closer, letting the dark, crushing weight of my presence fill the small cockpit. "You will declare a medical emergency, request immediate clearance for Halifax, and land that plane on my runway. If you refuse, I will buy this airline by tomorrow morning and fire you both before breakfast."

The Captain swallowed hard, looked at his co-pilot, and nodded once. "Declaring emergency to Gander Control now."

I walked back out into the first-class cabin.

Elena was sitting with Lila, trying to get her to drink her juice box. When I sat down in seat 4B across from them, Elena looked at me with cautious, guarded eyes.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

"Halifax," I replied, adjusting my cuffs. "My private estate. It's built like a fortress. Once we are on the ground, Julian’s reach ends."

Elena looked down at her lap. "Luca... I know you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Elena," I said, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "I am furious. I am disgusted that you let me mourn a ghost for six years. I spent nights lying awake in an empty house, wishing I had died in that car explosion instead of you."

Elena flinched as if I had struck her. "You don't understand what it was like! Your uncle sent me a video, Luca! A video of your cousin being executed in his own home! He told me if I didn't disappear, he would cut the baby out of me! I was terrified!"

"You should have trusted me!" I growled, my voice rising slightly before I caught myself and checked on Lila.

Lila had fallen asleep, her head resting against her pink backpack, her thumb tucked near her mouth.

My voice softened instantly. "I would have burned the city to ash to keep you safe, Elena. You knew what I was capable of. Yet you chose to run."

"I ran because I wanted her to have a normal life!" Elena wept softly. "Look at what just happened on this plane, Luca! A man just tried to shoot us at thirty thousand feet! This is your world! This is what you brought to her!"

I looked at sleeping Lila. The soft curve of her cheeks, her peaceful breathing.

"My world is dangerous, Elena," I admitted quietly. "But as long as I am breathing, no one in this world will ever harm her again. And that includes you trying to take her away from me a second time."

Elena looked at me, terror flickering in her eyes. "Are you going to take her from me?"