Caleb’s POV
What the hell just happened? How did those three vipers slither out of the shadows like that? We were finally making progress with our won. Ivy was beginning to soften toward , her walls crumbling bit by bit. Then those parasites appeared and incinerated everything we’d built.
It wasn’t enough for them to show up and cling to us like desperate leeches in front of half the neighborhood. That serpent Yara Rossi had to announce we shared a "passionate night" in my penthouse. Passionate night, my ass. I was unconscious from a combination of bourbon and painkillers after the warehouse shootout. But how could I explain that to Ivy? She would never believe I rembered nothing, that I was completely out of commission that night. My empire was crashing down around .
The mont those harpies turned their backs on us, Xavier, Dominic, and I exchanged lethal glances and surged forward, shoving those ridiculous won to the concrete.
"Ow, baby, why would you hurt like that? You’re being cruel to your Yara!" the Rossi princess shrieked from the sidewalk. "Help up, darling."
"I already told you to disappear from my territory!" I snarled, my voice carrying the deadly promise that had silenced countless enemies.
I stared with pure revulsion at that pathetic woman sprawled on the ground, rushed to the vendor, and threw cash at him. Dominic and Xavier had already sprinted after our won, and I followed at breakneck speed while the nightmare trio scread for us to wait, claiming they needed to discuss family business.
The won refused to hear our explanations, climbed into Zoe’s armored sedan, and sped away toward the neutral zone. None of them answered their encrypted phones.
"Boss, things were already hanging by a thread, but now they’re going to put contracts out on us," Xavier said, his voice strained with the weight of our situation.
"What a disaster!" Dominic was seething, his hand instinctively moving toward his concealed weapon. "I’m going to eliminate those three demons. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll end their sick gas permanently."
"Ivy was almost ready to forgive . I want to strangle that hellspawn with my bare hands!" Pure fury coursed through my veins like liquid fire.
"Let’s head to my safe house and wait for updates from Jude and Finn. I guarantee the won tore them apart and banned them from our operations. Those two are getting punished for our ss too," Xavier said, and we trudged after him like soldiers retreating from a lost battle.
At Xavier’s fortified compound, we received encrypted ssages from Jude and Finn. They reported that Nora and Zoe were consud with rage and sentenced them to exile from the inner circle - no access to family etings until they decided the punishnt fit the cri. They also advised the won to send us straight to hell. Perfect. I was already there, and judging by Xavier and Dominic’s expressions, so were they.
Dominic reminded us we needed to finalize the cybersecurity contract with Zenith Systems, so we scheduled it for the following day. It would be our only chance to reach Ivy and Ruby within the legitimate business front. I promised him I would call Gemma and pressure her to accept my job offer at Thorne Group, giving him an opportunity to see her. But that also served my purposes - having Gemma close would give Ivy protection and allies within my organization. Our battle plans were set. We just had to survive until tomorrow.
The next morning, before heading to the corporate office, I dialed Gemma from my secure line. She answered, probably because she didn’t recognize the number.
"Gemma, this is Caleb Thorne."
"You have incredible nerve calling after what happened..."
"Don’t hang up, please. This is about the position I offered you at Thorne Group. The offer remains open. It would benefit both of us." I spoke rapidly, worried she might disconnect.
"I won’t help you manipulate Ivy."
"I know, and I would never put you in that compromising position. But I genuinely believe working with would benefit both of us." This was true, though I also wanted Ivy to feel she would have protection and allies within my legitimate operations.
Gemma paused, sighed heavily, and responded:
"Fine. Do I need to go through the formal interview process?"
"No. Just accept and tell when you can start."
"Okay. I accept. It’s an excellent opportunity for . I’ll speak with the boutique owner about imdiate release. And I’ll discuss it with the girls. If they object to working for you, I’ll decline the position."
"Fantastic! It’ll be amazing to have you on our team," I said, genuinely thrilled she had accepted and confident the won wouldn’t sabotage their friend’s career advancent. "About those won yesterday..."
"Don’t even waste your breath, Caleb. Or I’ll withdraw my acceptance imdiately."
"Understood!" I sighed in defeat. "Just ssage your start date."
For the remainder of the morning, I attempted to reach Ivy through every channel I had, but my calls went directly to voicemail. She ignored my ssages completely. She had erased from existence.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Zenith Systems to execute the contract. I was desperate to see Ivy. When she entered the conference room, I wanted to grab her and make everyone else vanish into thin air. She looked breathtaking in the blue and cream dress she had worn during our first encounter at the coffee shop.
The eting was efficient since we had already negotiated the contract terms through our respective legal teams. After signing all docunts, Dominic concluded the session, and I seized the opportunity to discuss Gemma with Zoe and Ivy, knowing they couldn’t ignore this topic.
"Zoe, Ivy, Gemma accepted my job offer at Thorne Group," I announced enthusiastically, expecting them to be pleased for their friend.
"We already know," they replied simultaneously, their voices dripping with barely contained hostility.
"Ivy, can I have a mont of your ti? I need to explain about yesterday." I was struggling to contain my desperation.
"Don’t waste your energy, Mr. Thorne! Go reminisce about your magical night of passion with that insufferable mafia princess." Ivy stord out, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floor.
"Boss, you’re completely screwed!" Xavier said, looking at , and I shot him a murderous glare.
"And so are we, you idiot," Dominic snapped back at him. "When Ruby learned about this eting, she had Zoe inform that if I allowed you near their building, she would quit and file harassnt charges with the legitimate authorities. And my angel won’t return my calls."
"Welco to my personal hell!" I said without any trace of humor.
"You know what, let’s go to my place and drink ourselves into oblivion. They won’t listen to us today," Dominic declared, and we departed, heads hanging low in complete defeat.
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