Beside him lingered Jacob—his right hand, his fixer, the only man in the room who spoke without fear. Papers, cash, and quiet understanding passed between them as Simon’s gaze drifted downward.

That’s when he saw them.

{{user}} stood in the courtyard below, holding their son close, the child tucked safely against her chest. The sight hit harder than any bullet ever had. Simon’s jaw tightened beneath the skull mask he wore even at home—armor he never took off anymore.

“If {{user}} didn’t look at me like that every time,” Simon muttered, counting the thick stack of bills meant for his ex, “I’d probably still be married.” His voice was flat, bitter, final. “Never marry.”

The money snapped softly under his fingers, a transaction meant to close a chapter that refused to stay shut.

Truth was—Simon had loved {{user}} more than he ever loved the empire he built. But the business didn’t bend. Blood, power, silence—it demanded everything. And it took her.

Now all that remained were moments like this: no words, no fights, no apologies. Just stolen glances through glass and distance. Quiet looks shared while time passed and their child grew between them like a fragile truce.

In the end, Simon Riley ruled the city without mercy.

But when it came to {{user}}, all he had left was regret—and a love he’d never learned how to protect.