Chapter 261: Chapter 45 Burning Every Bridge

Dominic’s POV

The crushing weight of family betrayal was suffocating me. My exiled father Marcus’s relentless demands for tribute money and his threats about exposing family secrets were eating me alive. I had foolishly believed that once I transferred his monthly blood money, he would vanish into whatever hole he’d crawled out of. Instead, the bastard seemed hell-bent on destroying both my sister Nadia and me completely. My mother had fled from one safe house to another, swearing she wouldn’t return to Thorne territory until "that monster is eliminated permanently." The bitter truth was she had every right to feel that way. Since his return from exile, my entire empire had become a nightmare.

The situation spiraled further when Nadia sent me an encrypted message demanding to know why Beatrix was spreading rumors about us being involved. I had no clue where my sister had heard such poison. I needed to call her immediately and get to the bottom of this mess before it reached Caleb’s ears.

"Dominic," Nadia answered on the first ring, her voice sharp as a blade.

"You better have one hell of an explanation for me," she continued, fury blazing through the secure line.

"Nadia, Beatrix and I aren’t involved. I’ve just been using her occasionally these past few days." I couldn’t even finish my sentence before she cut me off.

"What the hell did you just say, Dominic? Taking lessons from our bastard father now, are we? And you still think you have any right to judge his betrayals." Her voice was pure venom.

"Nadia, Gemma and I are finished," I said bluntly, which finally silenced her. "So please, just back off."

"No, Dominic, I won’t back off. What did you do to Gemma? She’s an incredible woman who deserves better than Thorne family poison." Nadia immediately defended Gemma, and I found myself speechless. I couldn’t bear to hurt my sister more by revealing that Gemma had walked in on Marcus’s carefully orchestrated trap with Beatrix.

"Nadia, we just weren’t compatible in this life. Look, I’ll come by the safe house later so we can discuss this face to face," I said, desperate to end this conversation before it attracted unwanted attention.

"You damn well better come, Dominic, because I’m not buying any of this garbage. Vincenzo won’t even speak your name."

I slammed the encrypted phone down and swept it across my mahogany desk. What a complete disaster. What the hell was I supposed to do now? My sister wouldn’t let this slide, and if word reached the upper ranks about family instability, it could undermine my position as Capo. I was done for the day. Sitting here was pointless when I couldn’t concentrate on laundering operations or territorial disputes.

I grabbed my leather jacket and phone, telling my lieutenant Zoe I had urgent family business to handle. She nodded curtly, understanding that in our world, family emergencies often meant life or death situations.

I found myself at Romano’s, an underground bar that Xavier, Caleb, and I used to frequent regularly before the weight of leadership consumed us. I claimed a spot at the reinforced steel counter and ordered a double whiskey. Within minutes, I heard that familiar sultry voice behind me.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the infamous Dominic Frost drinking alone."

"Beatrix," I replied coldly, downing my next shot while signaling for another. "What do you want from me? Port’t you caused enough chaos?"

"You know exactly what I want. I want you back where you belong," Beatrix purred, wrapping her arms around me from behind like a serpent. "I’ve been dying to see you since our little encounter."

I threw back another shot in one swift motion and stood up. I slapped cash on the counter and turned to face her, noting how her designer dress couldn’t quite hide the calculating gleam in her eyes.

"You want to fuck me, Beatrix? Fine, let’s go." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the exit while she grinned like she’d won some twisted victory.

I drove to the first discrete motel I spotted, one where no questions were asked and surveillance cameras mysteriously malfunctioned. Once we were in the room, I didn’t waste time with romance or foreplay. This wasn’t about pleasure – it was about drowning out the memory of Gemma’s devastated face when she’d caught us. I slammed Beatrix against the wall, hiked up her dress, and took what she was offering with mechanical precision. But there was no satisfaction, no real release in any of it.

I shut my eyes tight and let my mind drift to Gemma, the only woman who could make my blood ignite and my stone heart actually feel something. I climaxed quickly and pulled away from Beatrix. I knew she hadn’t finished, but I couldn’t care less about her satisfaction.

However, my secure phone buzzed with an incoming priority message, and I quickly checked it when I saw the sender:

"Come to my office immediately. We have a major crisis brewing. Jude."

What could possibly be wrong now? Jude never sent emergency codes without good reason, and in our business, emergencies usually meant federal raids, rival family wars, or internal betrayals. I tossed my phone onto the bed, my mind racing through dangerous possibilities as I ran my fingers through my hair. I glanced at Beatrix still leaning against the wall, adjusting her dress.

"Well, looks like business calls. I need to leave. Get dressed and I’ll drop you at a taxi stand." I told her, watching her triumphant smile disappear instantly.

I stepped into the bathroom to clean up, and when I returned, she was sitting on the bed looking defeated. She handed me my phone and followed me out of the room without her usual protests.

"Come on, baby, can’t you cancel whatever this is? I’m right here, ready for you, and you’re just walking away like I mean nothing," Beatrix whined as we walked to my car.

"Sorry, Beatrix, but family business comes first." Honestly, I was relieved to have an excuse to leave. I wasn’t in the mood for more meaningless encounters with her anyway.

After leaving the motel, I dropped her at a taxi stand across the street. I watched her climb into the cab and drive away before heading to Jude’s secure location. He was already waiting for me in his fortified office, and the moment I walked through his reinforced door, he launched into his interrogation.

"What the hell were you thinking? Beatrix, Dominic? Really? Do you have any idea what kind of fire you’re playing with?" Jude confronted me furiously.

"How did you find out?" I sighed heavily, knowing our information networks missed nothing.

"Because I found Gemma crying in Ivy’s arms and demanded answers," Jude stated matter-of-factly. "She’s under Caleb’s protection now, by the way."

"Yeah, Gemma walked in on Beatrix and me in my safe house." I exhaled sharply and collapsed into a reinforced chair. "It was Marcus’s trap, but I was too fucking stupid to see it coming."

Everyone only knew Gemma’s side of the story, painting me as the complete villain. But you know what? In this world, explanations were often seen as weakness, and I wasn’t going to waste energy trying to defend decisions made in moments of rage.

"Explain to me how you ended up compromising everything for that poisonous woman," Jude demanded, sitting across from me with the intensity of a military strategist.

"She’s everywhere, Jude. Always available, constantly pursuing me, working every angle. I just gave in to the pressure and my own stupidity." I said wearily.

"You fell for the same trap that nearly destroyed Caleb. Xavier better watch his back with Elza." Jude shook his head grimly.

"Now that parasite won’t leave me alone, and Marcus thinks he has leverage over me." I complained.

"So what’s your strategy to win back Gemma’s trust?" Jude pressed.

"There is no strategy. It’s finished. She’s safer away from me anyway. Now be a good friend and have a drink with me while we discuss whatever crisis brought me here." I shut down the conversation.

"Actually, you should head home before my wife gets here. Gemma doesn’t want this getting out because she’s worried about Caleb and Ivy’s stability. And you need to stop drowning your problems in alcohol." Jude advised me seriously.

I left his compound and went home to my empty penthouse. Jude was absolutely right – alcohol wouldn’t solve the mess I’d created. Maybe I should ask Vincenzo to stay with me for a while. That kid always managed to lift my spirits, even in the darkest times.

After arriving home and taking a long, scalding shower to wash away Beatrix’s perfume, I called Vincenzo’s secure line, but my calls went straight to voicemail. That was unusual and concerning. So I called Nadia instead.

"Where’s Vincenzo?" I asked after our coded greeting.

"He’s in his room and refuses to speak with you," Nadia said bluntly, her disappointment cutting deep.

"And why won’t he talk to me?"

"Because you’re behaving exactly like Marcus did before his exile. He’s smart enough to see the pattern, Dominic."

"For fuck’s sake, Nadia!" I snapped, already exhausted by this endless family drama.

"Listen, Dominic, when you’re ready to tell me the truth about what’s happening with Gemma and why you’re making the same mistakes that destroyed our father, come over so we can talk properly. Right now, my son doesn’t want to speak with you. He’s hurt, and I completely understand why."

"Tell him to come to Zenith Systems soon so we can talk," I said, ending the call before she could lecture me further.

Now even my nephew was disgusted with me. I ended up going to bed early in my heavily fortified penthouse, but spent the night tossing and turning, plagued by vivid dreams about Gemma’s tear-stained face and the sound of her heart breaking. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The next morning, I was in my office reviewing money laundering reports when my secure phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw it was Ryder Conway, general manager of the Social Union calling. The underground casino rarely contacted family leadership directly, so I found it strange but answered anyway.

"Mr. Frost, good morning. This is Ryder Conway from the Social Union."

"Good morning, Ryder. How can I help you?"

"Mr. Frost, I need to request that you visit the Union today. We’re experiencing a serious situation with your family’s membership privileges, and since you’re listed as the primary account holder, we need you to come during business hours as soon as possible."

"Can you tell me what this concerns?" I asked, my instincts immediately on high alert.

"Unfortunately, I cannot discuss it over unsecured lines. It’s quite a sensitive matter involving surveillance footage and potential security breaches."

Surveillance footage. My blood ran cold. Had they captured something related to Marcus’s schemes or Gemma?

"Alright. Would lunch time work?"

"Perfect. I’ll be expecting you in my private office. Thank you very much, Mr. Frost."

I hung up feeling deeply unsettled. What could have possibly happened at the Union? Ryder’s tone suggested something very serious had occurred, and they wouldn’t have called unless it directly threatened our operations or revealed compromising information. In our world, surveillance footage could mean the difference between maintaining power and facing a bloody war.

Well, I would find out during lunch. And hopefully, whatever they’d discovered wouldn’t add another catastrophe to the growing pile of destruction surrounding my life.