Page 74 of Claimed Bratva Virgin

And the line went dead.

The moment I got home, I brushed past my men at the entrance. Tonight, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting to her. I marched up to the bedroom and shoved the door open.

Leonora lay there, pale and exhausted but radiant in a way that looked good on her. In her arms was a tiny bundle swaddled in soft pink.

“Rafa.” She smiled up at me.

And I stepped closer and leaned over her—my baby girl. Timur was right. When I looked my wife and daughter in the face, I felt transformed. The doubts, the fucking fears—everything melted away. My confidence sprung back up. And I caressed her tiny cheeks gently.

Jesus.

I was a father, a father to this beautiful angel. Maybe this was how Leonora’s father had felt the first time he looked at her.

My baby was impossibly small, her tiny fingers curling into a fist, her chest rising and falling in fragile motions. She was perfect. Our perfect creation. Her face was soft and innocent, already so much like her mother. Leonora’s eyes, her lips, her skin. It was as if I was seeing a reflection of the woman I loved, a woman who haunted my every waking moment and lingered in my dreams.

“She looks like you,” I whispered, and the words tumbled out without thought, but they were true. “She’s going to be as beautiful as her mother.”

The baby stirred, a tiny whimper escaping her lips. My chest tightened, and I knew in that moment I’d kill for her. I’d burn the world to the ground if it meant keeping her safe.

“You did this.” I smiled at my perfect Leonya. “And I fucking love you.”

Leonora laughed through tears, her head falling back against the pillow, and a warmth spread through me. My pulse quickened, the kind of quickening that told me I wanted her. I wanted her like I’d never wanted anyone before.

The way she looked at me…I could see it in the flutter of her breath, the way her lips parted, as though she didn’t know how to respond, but she felt it. She felt what I was saying. I saw the butterflies in her stomach reflected in her gaze, the way she couldn’t quite hide the emotions stirring within her.

It was almost too much.

I’d never been one for soft words. Never. But for Leonora, I knew something darker, something deeper than love, had taken root inside me. Something that would never let her go.

Matteo stood on the other side of the bed, grinning proudly. “Feels great to be an uncle.” He kissed the top of his sister’s head.

And the door creaked open behind me. Timur walked in, his foreboding presence commanding as always, with Serena following close behind. And I’d never been gladder to see him.

My older brother’s eyes softened as he looked at the baby.

“She’s beautiful,” Serena whispered and slipped her hand into Timur’s.

“Of course, she is,” I muttered, my eyes never leaving my daughter. “She’s ours.”

Leonora laughed weakly, and I reached out, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. “You did good, Leo.” I pressed a soft kiss at the side of her mouth. “So damn good.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes flitted to my chest. “But you can’t carry her until you change that shirt.”

I kissed her again. “Sure thing, Boss.”

“Good thing I brought an extra one.” Timur held out a crisp white button-up to me with a knowing smile. And before Itook it from him to change, he patted my shoulder and muttered lowly, “You’ve got this.”

Chapter 25 – Leonora

Epilogue

One Year Later

“You know what we can control. But what if I told you we could offer something more? Something that the corporate world would benefit from, something that could take your business to new heights?”

I clicked a button, and the screen behind me flickered to life, revealing a sleek, detailed proposal. The corporate elite in front of me shifted in their seats. They had no idea how deep this went.

“Paragon Syndicate Inc. is one of the most powerful players in the business world. But even the most secure empire can fall without the right protection and alliances,” I continued, pacing slightly, my eyes narrowing on each individual in the room. “In our line of work, we’ve learned the importance of protecting what matters. And trust me when I say, your assets, your brand, can never be truly secure without the right people watching over it.”

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