# A SIX-YEAR-OLD CAME TO WORK FOR HER SICK MOTHER, AND WHAT THE MAFIA BOSS DID NEXT LEFT THE ENTIRE MANSION SPEECHLESS

The estate was secured by dawn. The Romano assault had failed catastrophically. Most of Tommy's men were dead or captured, but the cost was high. The East Wing was heavily damaged, and several of Adrian’s loyal guards were wounded.

Adrian refused to go to a hospital. A discrete underground surgeon patched his shoulder in the estate's medical bay. By noon, his arm was in a sling, and he was back in his study, radiating a cold, terrifying fury.

Marcus stood before the desk, covered in soot and blood, looking exhausted. "We pushed them back, Boss. But Tommy wasn't with them. He sent his men to die while he hid."

"Where is he?" Adrian asked, his voice dead of all emotion.

"He's holed up in a fortified compound in Staten Island. He’s panicked. He knows he missed his shot. He's trying to call in favors from the Five Families, begging for protection."

"Will they grant it?"

"Doubtful. Breaking into another boss's home and targeting civilians is a major violation of the commission's rules. They've essentially disowned him. He's isolated."

Adrian stood up, wincing slightly as his shoulder throbbed. "Prepare the cars. Gather every able-bodied man we have."

Sarah stepped into the study. She looked pale but resolute. She had heard the conversation. "Adrian, please. Don't go. The police will handle him now. You're hurt."

Adrian walked over to her. He didn't touch her, respecting the boundaries of the room, but his eyes softened. "The police won't stop a man like Tommy. As long as he breathes, he will look for a way to hurt you and Mia to get back at me. I cannot allow that threat to exist."

"I don't want you to become a monster for us," she whispered.

"I have always been a monster, Sarah," he said sadly. "The only difference is, now I know what I'm protecting. Keep Mia away from the windows."

The raid on Tommy Romano's Staten Island compound was not a battle; it was an execution. Without the backing of the major families, Tommy’s remaining men surrendered immediately when Adrian's overwhelming force arrived.

Adrian walked through the compound, his gun drawn, his face a mask of stone. He found Tommy cowering in a back office, frantically trying to stuff cash into a duffel bag.

When Tommy saw Adrian, the color drained from his face. He dropped the money and raised his hands, shaking violently. "Adrian, wait! We can make a deal! I'll give you everything—the ports, the rackets, all of it! Just let me walk!"

Adrian stared at the pathetic man before him. He thought of Mia’s terrified face during the explosion. He thought of Sarah desperately trying to barricade a door against monsters she didn't understand.

"You threatened a child, Tommy. You brought a war to my home," Adrian said, his voice echoing in the small room.

"It was just business!" Tommy pleaded, falling to his knees.