Lila’s POV

"Daniel, would someone like to explain what kind of bloodbath just happened in that conference room? Actually, all of you—care to explain?" My voice trembled with rage as I faced the men who controlled half the city’s underground, wanting nothing more than to strangle each one of them with my bare hands.

"Lila, I just lost my cool, okay?" Daniel ran his hand through his dark hair, frustration evident on his scarred face. "We’re already dealing with some street trash stalking Ivy’s friend, and then another psycho appears out of nowhere threatening our territory? I snapped!"

"And you think that’s Gemma’s fault? Really, Daniel? What kind of disgusting macho enforcer have you turned into?" My voice rose with each word, anger burning in my chest like acid. "And the rest of you? You ambushed her in a hostile environment and put pressure on a woman who’s already being terrorized by her deranged ex-boyfriend, and you still have the audacity to gang up on her like rabid dogs?"

"I didn’t say anything," Xavier raised his hands defensively, his expensive suit doing nothing to hide the blood under his fingernails from his morning collection rounds.

"Exactly! You didn’t say a damn thing. You just stood there with your arms crossed and were complicit in this whole mess." I glared at all of them as they avoided my gaze, suddenly finding the polished marble floor incredibly fascinating. These men who could order executions without blinking couldn’t meet the eyes of one furious woman.

The elevator doors slid open with a ding, and Heidi strode out, concern etched across her sharp features. As Caleb’s business manager for his legitimate operations, she had no patience for the family’s brutish behavior affecting their clean enterprises.

"Can someone please explain why Gemma just submitted her resignation from Thorne Enterprises? HR just sent me her settlement forecast scheduled for in a few days," Heidi demanded, her cold gaze sweeping over the silent men like a prosecuting attorney.

"Go ahead, tough guys," I challenged, grabbing my purse from the leather chair. "Tell Heidi about the mess you’ve made while pretending to protect the neighborhood. I’m going after Gemma, and if you want to blacklist me from every legitimate business in this city, Caleb, I honestly don’t care anymore. As for you, Daniel, we’ll discuss your Neanderthal behavior later."

"This turned into a nuclear bomb!" I heard Xavier mutter behind me, his usual composure cracking.

"I’m wondering why I let you guys handle delicate situations when you have all the subtlety of a drive-by shooting," Caleb added, his voice laced with the kind of regret that usually preceded someone getting their kneecaps broken.

I stepped into the elevator and headed straight to Ruby’s floor in the Thorne building. When I found her at her desk managing Scott’s books, her expression immediately shifted upon seeing my flushed face.

"What’s wrong, Lila? You look like you’ve seen a massacre," Ruby said, concern lacing her voice as she took in my agitated state.

"Do you think Scott would give you the rest of the day off? Gemma needs us, and I mean right now," I tried to keep my voice steady but failed miserably, my hands shaking with residual fury. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Sounds serious enough to abandon money laundering paperwork. Give me a minute." Ruby disappeared into Scott’s office and emerged moments later with her purse and a grim expression. "Where’s Gemma?"

"Probably at her apartment, assuming she made it home without getting picked up by any of Nick’s street contacts," I replied, fighting back tears of frustration and genuine fear.

"What happened, Lila?" Ruby’s eyes narrowed as she noted my agitation, her voice taking on the protective edge that came from surviving in their world.

"Are you driving?" She nodded, patting her concealed carry permit. "Good. Let’s go. On the way, I’ll call Nora and Zoe and tell all of you at once what these idiots did."

That’s exactly what I did. We got into Ruby’s armored sedan, and I made a video call, explaining to the girls what those testosterone-poisoned enforcers had done. Their outrage matched my own, with Zoe’s creative threats making even Ruby wince.

"I thought something was off when my sweetie asked me about Gemma’s situation yesterday," Ruby commented, her hands tight on the steering wheel as she navigated through Thorne territory.

"Jude brought it up as well, asking weird questions about Gemma’s background," Nora admitted through the phone, her voice crackling over the encrypted line.

"Finn brought it up as well. Dominic was the one who told them about Nick escalating his threats, but it looks like these clueless men completely distorted everything into some kind of interrogation," Zoe explained, shaking her head in disgust. "Let’s keep this from Ivy since stress could trigger complications with the pregnancy. Let’s meet at Gemma’s building; Nora and I are heading there now."

When we arrived at Gemma’s apartment complex in the safer part of Thorne territory, the doorman—who doubled as building security and definitely carried more than a nightstick—informed us that Gemma wasn’t home. That threw me completely—I was certain this would be her first refuge after such humiliation.

"I’ll call Willow. Maybe Gemma went to see her mother," I suggested, pulling out my encrypted phone that Daniel had insisted I carry.

"Be careful not to worry her. If Willow finds out the family scared her daughter, there’ll be hell to pay," Nora cautioned, knowing how fiercely protective Gemma’s mother was.

I called Willow, making small talk about her health and the neighborhood watch program. During our conversation, she mentioned that Gemma had only visited during the weekend and that she already missed her daughter terribly. So Gemma wasn’t seeking comfort there either.

"Guys, maybe she just went for a walk to clear her head and avoid any family surveillance," Zoe suggested, ever the practical strategist. "Let’s wait here and watch the building. There’s a bakery across the street—we can sit there and keep an eye out for when she returns."

We tried calling her repeatedly and sent countless messages through every secure channel we had. It wasn’t until evening that Gemma finally responded with a brief text saying she was safe but needed time alone. There was no point pushing—she clearly wasn’t ready to face any of us after what had happened.

Ruby dropped me off at Daniel’s fortified apartment, where he was pacing anxiously in the living room like a caged predator. When I walked in, he immediately moved to embrace me with those powerful arms that had broken more bones than I cared to count. I stepped back sharply.

"I don’t want you touching me right now," I said flatly, my voice colder than winter steel. "Actually, I didn’t even want to see you tonight, but here we are."

"Lila, don’t be like this," Daniel said, attempting to sound reasonable while his detective instincts clearly told him he was in serious trouble.

"Seriously, Daniel, what you did to Gemma today was absolutely horrible. You practically blamed her for the actions of her psychotic ex-boyfriend instead of offering protection," I snapped, my voice echoing off his reinforced walls.

"Lila, that wasn’t my intention. I just went crazy at the thought of some lunatic potentially targeting you next, and I lost it completely. But Gemma also overreacted—it wasn’t that serious."

"I can’t believe you’re actually saying this with a straight face."

"Lila, I’m a detective who works cleanup for the family. I see this kind of escalation all the time. These types of obsessed guys don’t stop at threats—they become increasingly dangerous. I was worried about you and lost my cool, but I’ll apologize to Gemma tomorrow."

"I highly doubt she’ll listen to you, considering she’s not even talking to her closest friends because of what you guys did," I huffed, exhaustion creeping into my anger. "Let me tell you something, detective—you don’t know her story. You didn’t even bother to listen before passing judgment. Gemma is being stalked and threatened, she needs support and security, and what did you do? You took away her support system with your arrogant, heavy-handed approach."

"Lila, I’m sorry!" Daniel seemed genuinely remorseful, but it was too little, too late for redemption.

"I’m not the one you need to apologize to," I said, exhaustion creeping into my voice as I headed toward his guest rooms. "I’m sleeping in one of the spare rooms tonight. Don’t come near me until you fix the mess you made, and I mean really fix it."

The sound of his frustrated curse followed me down the hallway, but I didn’t look back. Some mistakes required more than words to repair, especially in their world where trust once broken could mean the difference between life and death.