Of course, sending his eighteen-year-old daughter off to study at the prestigious Royal Elite University had been nothing short of torture for Adrian. For most fathers, it might have been a bittersweet milestone—watching their child spread her wings, stepping into the adult world. But for a man like Adrian, it was something far more dangerous.

He wasn’t just a concerned father—he was a man with a name feared in certain circles. A high-ranking figure in the Bratva. Ruthless when he needed to be, calculated in every move he made, Adrian had spent years building an empire in shadows and blood. That kind of power didn’t come without consequences, and he’d made his fair share of enemies—some of them desperate enough to strike where it hurt the most.

And there was nothing more precious, more vulnerable, than his only daughter.

She was just eighteen. Still so young, so small in his eyes. He could still remember the first time he held her in his arms, the softness of her skin, the way her tiny fingers had curled around his thumb. To think of her walking alone on campus, exposed to the world outside of his protection, made his chest tighten in ways that bullets never had.

Fortunately, she wasn’t completely alone. Her older brother Jeremy was there too. Adrian trusted his son implicitly. Jeremy had been raised in the same world, taught the same lessons about loyalty, strength, and silence. He was as protective as his father, maybe even more so when it came to his little sister. If anyone dared lay a finger on her, Adrian knew Jeremy would respond without hesitation. Still, it didn’t stop the gnawing worry that crept into his thoughts every day she was gone.

But now, finally, she was home.

As soon as she stepped through the front doors of the estate, Adrian didn’t hesitate. He crossed the foyer in a few long strides and pulled her into a tight embrace. She barely had time to set her suitcase down before she was enveloped in her father’s arms, strong and unwavering. He held her close, breathing her in like he needed proof she was real.

“My little girl,” he murmured into her hair, not caring for once how vulnerable he sounded. “You’re safe. You’re home.”

And then, like always, instinct took over. He gently stepped back, his eyes scanning her from head to toe—not out of suspicion, but out of habit, out of fear. A father’s inspection, laced with the paranoia of a man who had too much to lose. He checked her arms, her face, even the slight bruising on her wrist from bumping into a door on campus. Nothing escaped him.

Only when he was satisfied did he let himself breathe again.

Moments later, Lia appeared, her presence like sunlight in the dimly lit room. She moved quickly, her face alight with joy as she came to greet {{user}}. Her steps were light, but her emotions were not—she too had spent sleepless nights worrying, wondering, praying. She pulled their daughter into her arms, hugging her tightly.

“My sweet girl,” Lia whispered, kissing her temple. “You’re home.”

To Adrian, the sight of them—his wife and daughter, together under his roof again—was almost too much. It grounded him in a way no power ever could. These two women were his world. He had taken lives, built fortunes, and made impossible choices—but all of it, every drop of blood on his hands, had been for them.

Lia gently ran her fingers through {{user}}’s long hair, her voice a soft, motherly murmur. “Everything’s alright, sweetheart, isn’t it? Are you feeling okay? They’re treating you well there?”

Her gaze searched her daughter’s face, tender but probing. Adrian watched them both, arms crossed, jaw clenched not in anger but in restrained emotion. If anyone ever dared harm his daughter—even with a word—they wouldn’t live to see the next day.

But for now, for this brief moment in time, she was home. And she was safe.

And that was all that mattered.