Gemma’s POV

I could barely contain my fury at Dominic’s calculated manipulation. That bastard! When Zoe called, revealing his elaborate scheme—how he’d orchestrated her punishment and feigned illness to play with my emotions like some twisted mafia mind game—I wanted to put a bullet through his skull myself. But Zoe, ever the strategic mastermind behind our family’s intelligence network, convinced me to handle this with the cold precision our world demanded.

He would pay for crossing me. When he arrived to collect me after my shift at the legitimate front operation, I slid into his armored sedan without uttering a word. The real confrontation would wait until we reached his fortified compound.

"Gemma, I know you know," he ventured cautiously, his voice carrying that dangerous edge that made lesser men tremble. I maintained my icy silence, staring out at the darkened streets of our territory. "Gemma, please talk to me."

I finally spoke through gritted teeth, my voice as cold as the steel of a gun barrel. "At home, Dominic. Behind closed doors."

The moment we arrived at his heavily secured estate, I bolted upstairs past the surveillance cameras. After a quick shower, I slipped into my most lethal weapon—a barely-there light blue negligee that left nothing to the imagination, completely sheer with only a tiny thong underneath. While Dominic was in his private bathroom, I prepared our drinks in the kitchen, dissolving a military-grade sexual stimulant pill into his whiskey—the kind used to torture prisoners in black sites, designed to keep a man painfully aroused regardless of release. Let him experience what true suffering feels like.

When he descended the marble staircase, I approached him with the calculated grace of an assassin. He wore loose silk pajama pants that did nothing to hide his immediate reaction to my provocative attire. I traced my fingers across his muscled chest, scarred from years of violent encounters, and said with deadly calm, "Come on, let’s have dinner and you can explain your treachery."

I tugged his hand, but he pulled me against him instead, his grip firm enough to leave bruises. "Gemma, before anything else, I need you to understand that I love you more than this family, more than this life. I can’t function without you in my world."

His kiss was desperate and possessive, the kind that claimed ownership in our brutal reality. For a moment, my resolve wavered like a civilian’s first time holding a gun. But I couldn’t let him off the hook so easily—not in our world where weakness meant death. "Come on, let’s eat and you can confess your sins."

In his opulent kitchen, I handed him the doctored whiskey, watching with satisfaction as he drained every drop. During our meal served on china worth more than most people’s yearly salary, he explained his frustration, his territorial jealousy, and his misguided attempt to prove that I craved him as desperately as he craved me.

"Gemma, I made a tactical error and I regret it. I shouldn’t have fabricated illness to manipulate you. But we had an incredible week together—like criminal royalty ruling our empire! Can’t we just move past this?" he pleaded, unaware of the chemical warfare I’d waged against his body.

"The real problem, Dominic, is how effortlessly you orchestrated lies worthy of our enemies. That level of deception is unacceptable between partners," I replied with the unnerving calm of a professional killer. I noticed his growing discomfort as the military-grade stimulant took effect—his arousal straining against his silk pants, sweat beading on his forehead like a man under interrogation.

"It was just a moment of weakness, Gemma, not a betrayal."

"All because you can’t control your base instincts."

"Gemma, it’s more complex than physical need in our world."

"I’ll simplify it for you—I’m returning to my secure apartment, Dominic. Find me when you’re ready to swear a blood oath never to deceive me again." His expression turned predatory, dangerous. "You’re not abandoning me!"

"Watch me." I turned away, heading to the bedroom to gather my belongings like a defector fleeing enemy territory.

He followed minutes later, clearly battling the effects of the chemical compound, his body betraying his arousal though he hadn’t laid a finger on me—exactly as intended.

"Gemma, please, just listen to me."

"Enough, Dominic! You only want to possess me physically, nothing more substantial!"

He grabbed my arm and pinned me to the bed with the swift brutality of a seasoned enforcer, his hardness pressing against me like a loaded weapon. "Yes, Gemma, I want to fuck you. I love claiming you completely. I love having you surrender beneath me. I go absolutely insane making you mine. Your body drives me to the edge of madness—it’s impossible not to get hard when you move through my world like a goddamn temptress." His words came out as a growl, his green eyes boring into mine with lethal intensity.

"Dominic..."

"No, Gemma, listen carefully! I want to touch you and possess you constantly because you ignite something primal in me that no amount of violence or power ever could. But it transcends physical desire! I love you. I love our conversations about territory expansion, our drives through enemy neighborhoods, watching sunrises from my sniper’s perch. I love your sharp wit, your deadly intelligence—everything about you."

"Dominic..."

"I really fucked up, and I don’t know how else to make amends because every time I think we’re building an unbreakable alliance, you abandon me again. I can’t exist in this constant state of war with you. If you want to leave, fine. My best soldier will escort you home and remain on permanent guard duty. But I’m finished with these psychological games. If you’re not willing to burn every bridge and move forward with me—completely, without reservations, without punishments, without fear—then maybe we should declare permanent ceasefire and go our separate ways."

He climbed off me, stormed into his walk-in armory disguised as a closet, changed into tactical gear, and left the compound. The reinforced front door slammed behind him like a gunshot. Perhaps I’d pushed too far, but I wouldn’t retreat—he was the one who’d committed the betrayal.

I changed into civilian clothes, packed a bag, and departed his fortress. His most trusted lieutenant waited by the armored vehicle, opened the door with military precision, and drove me to my secure apartment. He swept the premises for threats before leaving me alone with my turbulent thoughts.

I curled into a tight ball on my bed and cried through the night, terrified I’d destroyed my only chance at love in this merciless world. His rage seemed insurmountable; he might never forgive such a calculated attack.

By morning, I prepared for my shift at the legitimate business, and upon arriving at the building, I spotted Lila near the entrance.

"Lila, do you have time for coffee at the safe house bakery?"

"Of course, Gemma. It’s still early." Her cheerful disposition made me envious—she’d never had to navigate the treacherous waters of mafia politics.

"How are things with the detective?" I asked once we were seated in a booth swept daily for surveillance devices.

"Wonderful, unlike your expression which looks like you’ve been through a war zone. What happened?" Lila studied me with concern.

"Dominic and I had a confrontation. A catastrophic one." I sighed and recounted everything, though I omitted the chemical warfare details.

"You know what, Gemma? You really crossed the line. You were so wounded that you wouldn’t rest until you inflicted equal damage on him." Lila didn’t sugarcoat her assessment.

"I thought you were my ally," I protested weakly.

"I am! That’s exactly why I must tell you the brutal truth. And the truth is that you escalated this conflict beyond reason. Now you’re suffering the inevitable consequences."

"Damn it! You’re right. But I never expected his retaliation to be this severe." I lamented.

"Gemma, it wasn’t just one betrayal—it was accumulated wounds over time. He showed remarkable restraint until now. He’s right—every time you start building trust, you sabotage your own happiness. This isn’t like you, Gemma. You’re normally calculating and strategic. What’s really driving this self-destruction?"

"I think I’m terrified of being vulnerable in a world where vulnerability means death."

"I think so too. But you might be sacrificing your only chance at genuine love with the man who’d kill for you. Because I know you love him."

"More than I ever imagined possible."

"Then repair this damage, my friend. Take the leap and claim your happiness!"

"You’re absolutely right. I’m calling him immediately."

I tried reaching Dominic throughout the day without success. I called Zoe, who informed me he wasn’t at headquarters—she’d only received a coded message saying he’d gone underground. Finding this alarming, I asked Ruby to check with Xavier for intelligence, but even the family’s consigliere hadn’t spoken to Dominic in days. Where had he vanished to?

After my shift, I went to his compound, but the security team reported he wasn’t there. After waiting in the armored courtyard with no sign of him, I returned to my apartment.

My bodyguard performed his routine security sweep before departing. All I could do was wait. I sent numerous encrypted messages to his secure phone, hoping he’d respond once his fury cooled.

My doorbell rang, and I peered through the reinforced peephole to see the building’s security guard with a flower delivery. They weren’t roses, which meant they weren’t from Dominic—he always sent blood-red roses as his signature. I accepted the flowers and thanked him. When I opened the attached card, my blood ran cold like ice water in my veins. I thought I’d already escaped this particular nightmare.

The flowers were a death threat disguised as romance.