Gemma’s POV

I definitely hadn’t seen that coming. Dominic had just sworn his loyalty belonged to me alone, and then this woman appears out of nowhere, practically throwing herself into his arms at the shopping center. I recognized her instantly - the same mafia princess who had been all over him at the Social Union’s underground gambling hall. In that moment, I wanted to claw his eyes out and tear her apart with my bare hands.

We left the shopping center in complete silence, the weight of betrayal crushing down on me like stone walls closing in. I immediately called Lila, who told me her safe house was always open. Zoe offered to let me stay at one of the family’s secure apartments with Ivy, but I declined. Ivy already had enough blood on her hands without me adding my mess to the Thorne family’s territorial disputes.

I spent the evening at Lila’s place, talking until the early hours about the dangerous world I’d gotten myself tangled up in. She gave me some hard truths about my situation with the Thorne family’s most volatile Capo.

"Gemma, you’re incredible and you deserve someone who won’t get you killed in crossfire," Lila said as she hugged me goodnight. "I’m glad you have tomorrow off from the store. When I get home from my shift at the diner, we can do something that doesn’t involve bulletproof vests."

"Sounds perfect, Lila."

The next morning, I called my mom to explain I was staying at Lila’s safe house. She pressed for details about why I’d left my apartment in Dominic’s protected territory, so I simply told her I had decided to distance myself from the Thorne operations. Minutes later, my phone buzzed with an unknown number. I answered and heard Caleb’s voice - the Don himself. My first instinct was to hang up immediately, knowing how dangerous it could be to receive direct calls from the family boss. But he insisted he only wanted to discuss the job opportunity at his legitimate front company, which genuinely interested me given my precarious position.

After our conversation, I video-called the girls through encrypted channels. Ivy assured me it would be fine to accept the position and that working directly under the Don’s protection would be good for my survival. So I decided to head to the shopping center and quit my current job at the boutique in Thorne territory. I called my boss and arranged an emergency meeting.

The moment I walked into the store, I was greeted by the usual toxic atmosphere that pervaded businesses forced to pay protection money.

"What are you doing here, you little tramp? It’s your day off," Sabrina snarled the second she saw me, her voice carrying the particular venom of someone who resented having to work in mafia-controlled territory.

"I’m the tramp? That’s rich, coming from someone who can’t see a made man walk into this store without throwing herself at him. Let’s not forget you’re the one making out with soldiers in the stockroom," I shot back, my patience completely gone after everything I’d endured. Then I heard a voice behind me.

"What exactly did you just say, Gemma?" Estelle, the store owner, had arrived and caught the tail end of our exchange. Her face was pale - any mention of family business could bring unwanted attention from enforcers.

"Good afternoon, Estelle. Could we speak privately?" I asked, turning to face her while keeping my voice low to avoid drawing more attention.

"Absolutely. Let’s go to my office, and you can explain what’s been happening in my establishment." Estelle gestured toward the back office, shooting a warning look at the others who knew better than to eavesdrop on family-adjacent conversations.

"Tell me, Gemma, what exactly has been happening in my store when I’m handling the weekly collections?" Estelle asked once we were seated across from each other, her hands nervously adjusting the Thorne family’s protection payment receipts on her desk.

"Listen, Estelle, I should apologize. I should have spoken up sooner, but I didn’t want to create more problems - working in family territory is already dangerous enough." I started with an apology and then told her everything that had happened since I caught Sabrina with Nick, my psychotic ex who’d been muscling in on Thorne operations.

"Dear God, these people are turning my business into some kind of liability that could bring heat from the commission!" Estelle was genuinely terrified now. "I owe you an apology, Gemma. I had no idea this was going on under my roof."

"You don’t owe me anything, Estelle, but I’m sure you understand why I can’t continue working here. I came to submit my resignation," I said firmly, knowing this was the right decision for my safety.

"I understand completely, though losing you is a real blow to our operations here. I’ll have to clean house with all of them, but I can’t fire everyone at once - I need time to hire new people who understand how to work in family territory," she sighed heavily. "Is there anything I could do to convince you to stay?"

"Unfortunately, no. I’ve received an excellent job offer working directly for legitimate Thorne business interests, and after everything that happened with Nick trying to muscle in on this territory, I don’t feel safe operating at street level anymore."

"I completely understand, dear. The protection racket only goes so far when you’re dealing with unhinged individuals. I assume you want to leave immediately?"

"If that’s possible, yes."

"Of course it’s possible, Gemma. You’re an outstanding employee who knows how to keep her mouth shut about family business. You deserve every opportunity that comes your way, and I won’t be the one to hold you back. Could you just stop by accounting tomorrow to finalize your protection transfer paperwork?"

"Absolutely. But Estelle, my friends and I will definitely continue shopping here under the family’s protection," I said with a genuine smile, wanting to be kind to this woman who understood the delicate balance of operating in Thorne territory.

"That makes me so happy to hear. I’ll restructure the morning shift with employees who understand family protocol, and I’ll make sure those troublemakers don’t bring any more heat down on us. You’ll have no reason to avoid this place." She smiled warmly, and I left her office feeling like I’d finally extracted myself from one dangerous situation.

As I was almost out the door, I heard Vanessa’s voice behind me:

"I hope Estelle fired your ass for running your mouth about family business."

"Actually, I quit because I found a position with the legitimate operations, but she begged me to stay. Now let me give you some friendly advice: watch your back when you’re mouthing off about things that could get you disappeared, witch," I said and walked out feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I immediately texted Caleb through secure channels that I could start right away. He confirmed and sent me an encrypted email with all the necessary information, asking me to begin Monday but requesting my attendance at a Saturday strategy meeting. I was genuinely excited about this new opportunity to work under the protection of the Don himself.

I decided to treat myself to lunch at the food court and grabbed a burger, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact - standard protocol in neutral territory. I had barely sat down when I heard a familiar, cheerful voice calling out:

"Auntie, you gorgeous woman!" I turned to see Vincenzo approaching with several other young men who I assumed were his crew from the family’s youth training program.

"My sweet Vincenzo!" I stood up and hugged that charming kid - he was absolutely magnetic, with all the dangerous charisma that ran in the Frost bloodline.

"Can we sit with you? Or are you waiting for my uncle?"

"Of course you can join me, sweetheart. I’d love the company." I smiled as Vincenzo immediately grabbed one of my fries with the casual confidence of someone born into power.

"We’ll grab our food and be right back."

Vincenzo returned with his crew and their trays. We chatted and laughed - they were genuinely good kids despite being raised in the life, with sharp senses of humor and street smarts.

"Auntie, my mom wants to invite you to our family Sunday dinner," Vincenzo mentioned casually, referring to the weekly gathering where family business was often discussed.

"And I bet she has no idea you’re already extending the invitation," I teased, knowing Vincenzo was completely transparent and couldn’t keep secrets to save his life.

"She’s planning to ask my uncle to bring you around." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I don’t think I can make it, nephew. Your uncle and I aren’t running together anymore."

"What did that idiot do? Tell me and I’ll put him in the ground."

I laughed despite the very real threat in this kid’s voice - the protective instinct of the Frost family was terrifying even in teenagers.

"I just realized your uncle isn’t the right person for me. But we’re still good, okay? I’ll still help you with your math homework when you need it."

"You better! But my uncle isn’t going to give up on you easily - you know that, right? When Frost men claim something, they don’t let go."

After saying goodbye to Vincenzo and his crew, I headed back to Lila’s place with that ominous warning echoing in my head. For the rest of the week, I completely ignored Dominic’s messages and calls that came through multiple burner phones. And he was remarkably persistent, trying to reach me through every secure channel the family had access to, proving that Vincenzo had been absolutely right about Frost men never knowing when to quit.