Chapter 332: Chapter 116 Designer Shoe Disaster

Gemma’s POV

We had barely started our gaming session when Daniel received an encrypted call that pulled him away with terse mentions of Thorne family business, promising to return after handling some cleanup work. Lila sat quietly observing while the rest of us continued playing without interruption.

Everything was progressing smoothly until Maia’s call disrupted my concentration.

"Gemma, your moving boxes from the old apartment have arrived at the safe house. I’m planning to organize everything—do you have any specific instructions for me?" Maia asked. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, grateful I wouldn’t need to visit that compromised location myself—especially after that disturbing threat letter.

"No special instructions, Maia. They’re just clothes and personal items—you can leave everything in the walk-in closet. I really appreciate your help with this," I replied, genuinely thankful for her assistance in maintaining operational security.

"One more thing," Maia added. "Zander asked me to give you this." She handed over an envelope that immediately sent tremors through my body.

Another letter so soon? Impossible. I stood frozen, staring at the envelope as if it might explode in my hands. Suddenly, I felt a reassuring touch on my shoulder as the envelope disappeared from my grip.

"I’ll handle this, Claire," Dominic said from behind me, his voice carrying that dangerous edge reserved for family threats. "Don’t let it poison your day."

But the damage was done—my peace of mind had already shattered. I reclaimed the letter from Dominic’s hands and tore it open, unable to bear the suspense any longer. The contents were predictably menacing—more threats from Nick claiming he’d secured protection from rival crews and would be released soon to settle scores.

I needed to contact our family lawyer immediately to get intelligence on Nick’s potential release timeline. He’d been locked up for quite some time already—how much longer did our protective custody last?

"I’ll call the family attorney tomorrow," I sighed, surrendering the letter to Dominic.

"You alright?" he asked, his arm circling my waist as concern darkened his emerald eyes. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"I am. I told you—I feel safe in Thorne territory," I assured him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

When Daniel finally returned hours later, Lila had already claimed the gaming championship title. Dominic pulled Daniel aside to show him the newly arrived threat. While Vincenzo captivated everyone with another of his elaborate adventure stories, I discreetly motioned for Lila to join me.

"What’s troubling you?" Lila questioned when we reached the privacy of the secure living room.

"I should be asking you that—why the worried expression?"

"Daniel’s still acting strangely. Did you notice how he rushed out earlier for that Thorne business?"

"You need to confront him directly, Lila."

"Maybe I should..."

After our friends departed and the children were secured for the night, exhaustion washed over me. What I had hoped would be a peaceful Monday had transformed into an emotionally draining day. I had just settled comfortably under the reinforced covers when Dominic’s panicked voice shattered the silence.

"CLAIRE!" he shouted from the walk-in closet, desperation evident in his tone.

"What could possibly warrant such a reaction?" I wondered, dragging myself reluctantly from bed.

I found Dominic crouched on the marble closet floor, holding a pair of black Italian leather shoes with an expression of absolute horror. He thrust them toward me as I entered.

"What is it, Dominic? I was already in bed. You summoned me in here just to examine shoes?" I complained.

"Gemma, look inside the shoe." His voice tightened with rising fury.

I leaned forward to inspect the interior and immediately identified the source of his distress. I struggled mightily to contain my laughter.

"Dominic, just leave them in the cleaning room. I’ll have your precious shoes professionally restored tomorrow," I said, fighting for composure.

"I want to know who committed this crime! These are custom Italian leather, Gemma—handmade by artisans—and now they’re desecrated!" Dominic fumed.

"Dominic, they’re just shoes!" The moment those words left my mouth, his expression darkened. He bent down, seized one of my beautiful red designer shoes—ones I’d purchased recently and hadn’t even worn yet—and held it up to reveal the same offensive contents. My blood instantly boiled.

"POPCORN! ROSE!" My shout reverberated throughout the safe house.

Within seconds, Popcorn and Rose appeared in the bedroom doorway, accompanied by the furry culprits. We migrated to the secured living room where Dominic initiated what felt like a family tribunal.

"Which one of you is going to explain this vandalism?" Dominic pointed accusingly at the violated footwear. The children exchanged glances, examined the shoes, then looked back at each other.

"I can’t explain it, Uncle Dominic, but I know it wasn’t me," Popcorn attempted humor, but I crouched to meet his gaze directly.

"Do you think this is amusing, Popcorn? Do you have any idea how long it took me to select these shoes? I hadn’t even broken them in yet!" My anger flared. I could tolerate many things in this dangerous life, but my shoes were sacred territory.

"I’m sorry, Aunt Gemma. But it was them." Popcorn pointed to the dogs sitting obediently on the Persian carpet.

"Really, Popcorn?" Dominic’s irritation matched my own. "How exactly did this happen? Don’t try to be clever about it."

"We got a bit careless today during the gathering—I admit it. The safe house was full of people and we lost track of our responsibilities," Popcorn defended weakly.

"This is precisely why your mother didn’t want pets in the safe house properties," Dominic grumbled.

"You all got distracted and now our shoes have become a canine toilet facility. Look at this—they managed to deposit number two directly inside the shoes!" I complained.

Popcorn picked up the shoes, examined them closely, and burst into laughter.

"Popcorn, how did you manage to aim number two with such precision right inside the shoes?" he asked with misplaced admiration. "Leave it to me, Aunt Gemma. I know a place that cleans, disinfects, and makes everything smell fresh again."

"Kid, don’t you know genuine leather shoes can’t get waterlogged?" Dominic challenged. "They’re ruined."

"My father takes his shoes to this establishment, Uncle Dominic. They’re not destroyed. They have specialized techniques for cleaning without damaging the leather integrity." Popcorn spoke with absolute confidence.

"Whatever—deal with this tomorrow. I’m going to bed, and if I catch any of these furry criminals in my room, I’ll turn them into street food." Dominic threatened before stomping off to bed.

We awoke the next morning barely able to breathe. Our king-sized bed had somehow accumulated multiple bodies overnight—Rose wedged between Dominic and me, Popcorn sprawled across the foot of the bed, and all the dogs piled on top of us like furry blankets. Popcorn, the most audacious of the trio, had settled directly on Dominic’s chest. When Dominic awoke and registered the furry weight pressing against his ribs, he leaped from the bed in shock, nearly launching the poor dog against the reinforced wall in his startled panic.