Vincent stepped in front of Elena.

"Leave her out of this."

Richard laughed.

"That's becoming a familiar sentence."

Michael moved toward the doorway.

Richard raised one finger.

"I wouldn't."

Two men appeared behind him.

They wore dark suits and carried themselves with the confidence of professional security personnel.

Vincent recognized them.

They had once worked for Romano Holdings.

"What have you done?" Vincent asked.

Richard smiled.

"What you were too sentimental to do."

He tapped the documents on the table.

"I've transferred controlling interests in several family companies to a new holding structure."

Vincent stared at him.

"You forged my authorization."

"Prove it."

Vincent took a step forward.

Richard's expression hardened.

"Careful. Your mother is still upstairs."

Vincent stopped.

Elena looked toward the staircase.

"Where's Catherine?"

"Safe," Richard replied. "For now."

Vincent's voice dropped.

"If you've hurt her—"

"Always so dramatic."

Richard stood.

"You could have inherited everything. All you had to do was stop asking questions."

Vincent looked at him.

"You ordered the Ashford fire."

Richard's smile faded.

"That's a serious accusation."

"We have the records."

"Records can be misunderstood."

"We have the recordings."

Richard's eyes narrowed.

"And we have Frank Dugan on video," Vincent continued.

For the first time, Richard looked genuinely shaken.

Then he recovered.

"Frank was always careless."

Elena stepped out from behind Vincent.

"My father wasn't."

Richard turned toward her.

"Your father should have walked away."

Elena felt anger rise through her exhaustion.

"He tried to stop you."

"He interfered."

"He was protecting people."

Richard laughed.

"He was a maintenance man who thought he could challenge this family."

Vincent moved forward.

"Enough."

Richard looked at him.

"You see? This is what she's done to you. A housemaid has turned you against your own blood."

Vincent's expression remained cold.

"No. You did that yourself."

Richard's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

Then he smiled.

"Unfortunately, this conversation is over."

One of his men stepped toward Elena.

Vincent immediately moved between them.

"Don't touch her."

Richard sighed.

"Bring her."

The room erupted into movement.

Michael intercepted the first man.

Vincent pushed Elena toward the hallway.

"Go!"

She ran.

But another man emerged from the side entrance.

He caught her arm.

Elena twisted, trying to break free.

Vincent rushed toward her.

Richard shouted:

"Stop, Vincent!"

Elena was forced toward the rear door.

Vincent followed, but Richard's men blocked the passage.

Within seconds, Elena was gone.

Vincent turned toward his uncle.

His face was deadly calm.

"If anything happens to her..."

Richard raised his glass.

"Then you'll have to live with another tragedy."

Vincent lunged forward.

Michael caught his arm.

"Sir. Not here."

Vincent froze.

Michael lowered his voice.

"Detective Mitchell is already moving. We need to stay ahead of him."

Vincent forced himself to breathe.

He looked toward Richard.

"Where are they taking her?"

Richard smiled.

"Somewhere familiar."

Vincent understood immediately.

Ashford.

The old warehouse site.

Fifteen years earlier, Elena had entered that place as a child and lost her father.

Now Richard intended to use the same location to finish what he had started.

Vincent looked at Michael.

"Call Mitchell."

Then he turned toward Richard.

"And tell him I'll come alone."

An hour later, Elena sat in a chair inside an abandoned industrial building near the former Ashford property.

Her wrists were bound loosely in front of her.

She had no serious injuries, but fear tightened her chest.

Richard entered with two men.

He removed his coat and placed it over a chair.

"Do you know why I hate your family?" he asked.

Elena stared at him.

"Because my father was honest?"

Richard smiled.

"Because your father was stupid."

Elena's jaw tightened.

"He discovered a financial operation worth millions and thought he could destroy it with a letter."

"He was going to expose you."

"Exactly."

Richard walked toward her.

"And Vincent was asking questions too."

Elena looked up.

"So you decided to kill them both."

Richard shrugged.

"Vincent was young. Ambitious. Too much like his father."

"You tried to murder your own nephew."

"I tried to protect what I'd built."

Elena shook her head.

"You destroyed lives."

Richard leaned closer.

"Your father had one chance to walk away."

"He wouldn't abandon innocent people."

"And look where that got him."

Elena felt tears burn behind her eyes.

But she refused to let him see her break.

"You're going to prison."

Richard laughed.

"People have been saying that for thirty years."

A door opened.

Vincent entered.

Alone.

Richard smiled.

"Right on time."

Vincent's eyes immediately found Elena.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay."

He looked at Richard.

"Let her go."

"First, the documents."

Vincent placed a folder on a metal table.

Richard opened it.

Inside were signed agreements transferring Vincent's remaining voting rights in several family companies.

Richard studied them.

"You actually signed."

Vincent looked at Elena.

"Let her go."

Richard laughed.

"All this for a maid?"

Vincent's expression did not change.

"For a woman whose father died because of you."

Richard glanced at the papers again.

"You would give up everything?"

Vincent answered quietly.

"Everything you think matters."

Richard's smile faded.

Elena stared at Vincent.

She knew what those documents represented.

Power.

Money.

The empire his family had built.

He was prepared to surrender it to protect her.

Richard gestured toward one of his men.

"Release her."

The man stepped forward.

Before he could reach Elena, sirens sounded outside.

Richard spun around.

"What is that?"

Vincent remained still.

Richard stared at him.

"You brought the police?"

"I brought the truth."

The building doors opened.

Detective Mitchell entered with armed officers.

"Richard Romano! Keep your hands where we can see them!"

Richard backed away.

"This is a misunderstanding!"

Mitchell held up an arrest warrant.

"You're under arrest in connection with the Ashford Warehouse fire and related offenses."

Richard turned toward Vincent.

"You betrayed your family!"

Vincent looked at him.

"You betrayed it fifteen years ago."

Officers secured Richard and his men.

Michael entered behind them.

He immediately freed Elena.

She rushed toward Vincent.

For a moment, neither knew what to say.

Then Elena whispered:

"You came."

Vincent looked at her.

"Of course."

She glanced at the documents.

"You signed everything away."

"Those papers won't make his crimes disappear."

"But you were willing to lose your empire."

Vincent looked toward Richard being led away.

"That empire nearly cost you your life."

Elena's eyes filled with tears.

Vincent continued.

"I don't want to build my future on what he did."

Detective Mitchell approached.

"Mr. Romano, we'll need you to come with us."

Vincent nodded.

"I know."

Elena looked alarmed.

"Are they arresting you?"

Mitchell answered carefully.

"Mr. Romano has agreed to cooperate fully. We still have questions about the wider organization."

Vincent turned toward Elena.

"I need to do this properly."

She looked at him.

"What happens now?"

He gave a faint smile.

"Now we find out who I am without all of this."

He reached into his pocket.

A small key rested in his palm.

The key to Romano Estate.

He placed it on the table.

Elena stared.

"Vincent?"

He looked at her.

"I may have to leave Chicago for a while. There are things I need to answer for."

She felt a sudden ache in her chest.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

He stepped closer.

"I won't ask you to wait."

Elena swallowed.

"That's not your decision."

For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something more.

Instead, he gently touched her uninjured hand.

"Take care of yourself, Elena."

Then he turned and walked toward the waiting officers.

Elena watched him leave.

Fifteen years earlier, she had pulled Vincent Romano out of a fire.

Now he was walking away from the empire that had nearly destroyed them both.

And she didn't know whether she would ever see him again.