“Yes, with you,” Avery said, standing her ground against the imposing frame of the city’s most feared corporate head.

Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the secure landline phone Dante had installed in her room. She dialed a familiar ten-digit number.

It rang twice before a soft, sleepy voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, bug,” Avery breathed, closing her eyes as a wave of overwhelming relief washed over her chest. “Did you eat your dinner?”

“Mrs. Cooper made grilled cheese, Mom!” six-year-old Mia chirped brightly through the receiver. “And we watched a cartoon about a dog who drives a firetruck! When are you coming home?”

Avery swallowed hard, fighting back the lump in her throat. She looked out the window at the distant glow of the Manhattan skyline.

“Soon, sweetie. Mom’s working on a big project in a very big castle right now. It’s... well, it’s an adventure.”

“Are there dragons?”

“Kind of,” Avery smiled, a genuine, warm expression touching her face. “Three little ones with dark hair and a bad habit of throwing things. But don't worry, Mom knows how to handle them.”

“You’re the best mom, Avery.”

“I love you, Mia. Go brush your teeth and listen to Mrs. Cooper. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye!”

The line clicked dead.

Avery stood holding the receiver for a long moment, letting the silence wrap around her. Then, she turned around—and jumped.

Dante Mancini was leaning against the doorframe of her room, his arms crossed, watching her with an unreadable expression in his dark eyes.

How long had he been standing there?

“You didn't lock the door,” Dante noted softly.

“This is your house, Mr. Mancini. If I locked the door, it would imply I’m hiding something.”

“Were you?”

“I was talking to my daughter,” Avery said, her voice turning defensive as she stepped away from the phone. “That was part of our agreement.”

Dante pushed off the doorframe and walked slowly into the room. He stopped a few feet away from her, his towering height making the small guest room feel suddenly microscopic.

“She sounds like a bright little girl,” Dante said, his tone lacking its usual corporate edge.

“She is,” Avery said fiercely. “She’s everything I have.”

Dante looked down at her, his dark eyes searching her face with an intensity that made her breath hitch. For a second, the billionaire syndicate boss didn't look like a dangerous man who controlled half of New York. He looked like a father who was completely out of his depth.

“If you can tame my boys by tomorrow morning, Ms. Parker,” Dante murmured, his voice dropping into a low, rich register, “name your price.”