Gemma’s POV

The Thorne family operations center buzzed with unusual chaos before everyone suddenly rushed out for the day. Only Ivy and I remained in the secure headquarters, settling into an unexpected pocket of silence. I was about to suggest we grab coffee when my phone cut through the quiet with Xavier’s ringtone.

"Gemma, I need you here fast," Xavier’s voice carried an edge I rarely heard from the family’s consigliere.

"What’s happening, boss?"

"Bring Ivy and get to the Don’s compound immediately. Tell her it’s family business related if necessary. My driver is already waiting in the garage. Gemma, I mean right now."

Something in his tone made my stomach clench. In the Thorne organization, when the consigliere sounded this urgent, it meant serious family matters were at stake. "Xavier, is everything alright?"

"God, I hope so." His heavy exhale told me everything I needed to know.

After instructing the security team to handle any communications and lock down the operations floor, I grabbed my purse and headed straight for Ivy’s office. Within minutes we were speeding through Brooklyn traffic toward Don Caleb’s heavily fortified compound.

"Gemma, what do you think is going on?" Ivy’s voice carried worry as she gripped the door handle, her wedding ring catching the streetlight. Even as the Don’s wife, she still felt anxiety when family emergencies arose.

"No clue, but I was just thinking things had been too peaceful in our territory lately."

"Are you seriously complaining about peace, woman?"

"Honey, working in that crime family gives us many experiences, but peace definitely isn’t one of them," I replied with dry humor, earning a nervous laugh from her.

The moment we stepped into Caleb’s compound, my eyes locked with Dominic’s across the crowded room. Everyone was there, including the other family wives, but before I could process the situation fully, Ivy collapsed right in the doorway.

Dominic kept trying to catch my attention, hovering nearby with that predatory grace all made men possessed, but I maintained my distance and focused on appearing professional. Whatever was happening here, I wouldn’t let our personal drama become the center of attention during family business.

What followed was an emotional whirlwind that shook the very foundations of the Thorne organization. The revelation that Caleb was Max’s biological father hit everyone like a thunderbolt. In our world, bloodlines determined everything - succession, loyalty, and power. Ivy’s confession about her pregnancy, their tearful reconciliation, watching the Don and his queen finally forgive each other after so much pain and family betrayal. It was impossible not to cry watching two people who belonged together, whose union strengthened the entire organization, finally finding their way back.

Just when we thought the drama was over, that hurricane named Veronica stormed through Caleb’s front door. The Don’s manipulative ex-girlfriend had spent the entire week terrorizing our legitimate business fronts, and now she was bringing her chaos into the family compound. The screaming match between her and Zoe, our intelligence coordinator, was so intense that everyone ended up shouting at that manipulative woman. It would have been entertaining if it weren’t potentially dangerous to family security.

But the most beautiful moment came when they told Max the truth about Caleb being his father. In mafia families, discovering your true parentage, especially when it connected you to the Don himself, was life-changing. Watching them embrace, seeing the pure joy and recognition in both their faces as Max realized he was legitimate family heir, was deeply moving. The tears came again, and I escaped to the kitchen to make chamomile tea for everyone since emotions were running so high.

That’s where Dominic cornered me.

"Gemma, we need to talk." His voice was soft as he approached, but I could see the dangerous intensity that marked him as one of the family’s most ruthless capos.

"Now you want to have a conversation?" My sarcasm cut through the kitchen’s warmth.

"Gemma, please, hear me out first, then judge me." His eyes held a pain that I refused to let affect me. He had betrayed me, humiliated me in a way that went against everything the family stood for about protecting what belonged to them.

"Dominic, nothing you say can justify what you did." I moved away from the counter, focusing on arranging teacups on a tray with shaking hands.

"Gemma, I know I was completely wrong, but I need to explain why. I need to beg for your forgiveness."

He stepped closer, his body almost pressing against my back. His familiar warmth and cologne made my body respond instinctively, despite everything. A tear slipped down my cheek as I fought against the pull I still felt toward this dangerous man who’d claimed my heart.

"Dominic, please stop hurting me," I whispered without turning around.

"Gemma, please, give me one chance to make this right. I’m begging you for just one opportunity." The desperation in his voice was unmistakable, and hearing a made man beg was something that shouldn’t have affected me, but did.

I took a shaky breath and turned to face him. His eyes showed a mixture of pain, exhaustion, and something deeper. His face looked drawn, dark hair disheveled, but I couldn’t allow myself to feel sympathy. I was barely holding my own broken pieces together after what he’d done.

"Dominic, let’s just pretend everything’s normal and not destroy Caleb and Ivy’s happiness. They’ve suffered enough betrayal and finally found their way to forgiveness and truth. Can you do that for your Don? Just pretend everything’s fine between us?"

"Gemma, pretending everything’s fine means I get to touch you, kiss you, be close to you. Everything I want most right now." His voice dropped to that dangerous whisper that used to make me melt. "Can you handle that, Gemma?"

"Don’t push your luck," I shot back. "Just for today, so we don’t ruin their moment. Tomorrow we can tell everyone we’re done."

"Well, that gives us all night to talk," he said, and I could hear the hope creeping into his voice.

"Only if you plan on chatting with that woman you’ve been sleeping with, because I’m going to bed." I walked past him toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

When I returned to the guest bedroom, Dominic stood by the bulletproof window still fully dressed, staring out at the compound’s security lights. I climbed into bed wearing only the shirt Xavier had lent me and underwear.

Dominic turned around, his predatory gaze slowly traveling over my body before meeting my eyes. "Want me to take the floor?"

"Don’t be ridiculous, Dominic. This bed is enormous, there’s room for both of us," I replied coolly.

"So you’ll let me sleep beside you, but you won’t talk to me?" His persistence was exhausting.

"Dominic, just take off your clothes and get in bed already," I snapped, my irritation flaring. "I’m exhausted and need sleep. You look tired too. I’m not petty enough to make you sleep on the floor when there’s plenty of space."

Dominic smiled, that beautiful smile that used to make my heart race, though sadness still lingered in his dangerous green eyes. He began unbuttoning his shirt as he approached the bed, dropping it carelessly on the nearby chair. Standing directly in front of me, he removed his pants, tossing them aside as well. His body was magnificent, and the obvious arousal straining against his black boxer briefs was impossible to ignore. He leaned down, bringing his face close to mine.

"I’m exhausted, Gemma, but I need to talk to you." He wasn’t giving up.

"Fine, Dominic," I sighed, already feeling drained. "Let’s make a deal. We rest tonight since we’ve both been through an emotional marathon. Tomorrow we can arrange a time for you to say whatever you’re so desperate to tell me. Deal?"

"Do you promise you’ll actually listen? That you won’t change your mind tomorrow and disappear on me?" The pleading in his voice was almost heartbreaking.

"I promise, Dominic. I’ll listen to you one more time, but understand this will be our final conversation. Clear?"

"I can live with that tonight." He stood up with a heavy sigh.

Dominic headed to the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. The sound of running water filled the room, and I had to fight every instinct not to go watch his magnificent body under the spray. I was furious with him, deeply hurt, but that didn’t change the fact that he was gorgeous and still affected me physically.