Dominic’s POV

I decided to speak with my mother while the others worked on resolving the situation with Gemma. I needed to stop Marcus, but couldn’t do that without discussing it with Mom and Nadia first. So I invited her to lunch at her favorite upscale restaurant in the neutral zone.

"Look who finally remembers his mother! Recently back from your business trip and only now you call me," Mom teased as she arrived, her eyes sparkling despite her complaint. Even at her age, she carried herself with the dignity of a former mafia queen.

"Mom, I brought you to your favorite place," I said, kissing her cheek before pulling out her chair at our private booth.

"Well, in that case, you’re forgiven." She smiled warmly. "How was your trip, darling? Did you find the clarity you were looking for?"

"That, plus some excellent opportunities for expanding our operations. The trip was productive."

"You were gone quite a while," she noted, studying my face with those perceptive eyes that had once helped her navigate the treacherous waters of family politics.

I hesitated before asking, "Not too long, I hope. I heard Gemma is seeing someone now."

"She loves you, Dominic. If she’s with someone else, then fight for her. Are you really going to surrender that easily?"

"No," I said with the determination that had earned me my position as Capo. "I’m not giving up."

The waiter approached our table, and we ordered our meals. As he walked away, I noticed my mother watching me with that perceptive look that always made me feel like she could see straight through my carefully constructed defenses.

"Out with it, Dominic. What do you want?" She tilted her head. "I know you better than you know yourself."

I sighed, glancing around to ensure our conversation remained private. "Mom, Marcus is causing trouble again."

"You should have had him eliminated years ago. Like you told him, he’s nothing but a disgrace to the family name."

My eyebrows shot up. "You know about that confrontation?"

"You were at Gregory’s, Dominic. Everyone in our circle dines there. A friend overheard everything and told me about it." She shook her head. "What are you planning to do?"

"I’m not sure yet. What would you suggest?"

"Talk to Jude. He has what you need to put your father behind bars where he belongs, or better yet, six feet under."

That caught me off guard. "What exactly does Jude have?"

"Evidence." When I looked confused, she continued, "When that incident happened years ago, Caleb’s father helped me handle it. I made mistakes, Dominic, but you remember how unstable Nadia was then. Anything related to your father would send her spiraling into complete breakdown. He had such psychological control over her."

"I remember. We even considered having her committed to a private facility. Her depression was crippling."

"Exactly. As her mother, I was desperate and ended up protecting that monster because of her fragile mental state. But Caleb’s father managed to resolve everything with Jude’s assistance. Then he passed away shortly after, and Jude kept all the documentation. Including video evidence of that violation." Disgust filled her expression. "Dominic, it wasn’t his first time, and I doubt it was his last."

The information left me stressed and deeply concerned about what other atrocities my father might have committed.

"Did you know he pulled strings to silence those harassment accusations from the girls at the Social Union? Even convinced a judge on our payroll to pressure his own daughter into staying quiet."

"No, I had no idea." My anger intensified with each revelation about the man who shared my blood.

"If you’re going to move against him, be smarter and more ruthless than he is. Build an airtight case before you strike."

"I understand. I have detectives on our payroll willing to help."

"That’s good."

"What about Nadia? How will she handle this when it goes public?"

"We’ve already had that difficult conversation. She wants us to do the right thing this time. We need to protect Gemma from him."

I exhaled slowly. "So you already know about his threats against her too."

"Gregory’s," she reminded me with a small smile, referencing her well-connected friend who’d witnessed my father’s menacing behavior.

My phone rang—Zoe’s name flashing on the screen. I answered and listened, my blood pressure rising with each word she reported. By the time I hung up, I was ready to commit murder.

"What happened?" Mom asked, alarmed by the murderous expression on my face.

"That was Zoe. She’s with Gemma. My father has been calling her repeatedly since I got back. He won’t leave her alone."

Mom’s face hardened with the cold fury of a woman who had once ordered executions. "Then make him stop permanently."

After lunch, we went directly to Nadia’s house in the secured family compound. To my surprise, my sister was remarkably composed and resolute about our next steps.

"Brother, I’ve cut that man out of my life completely. It took years, and I’m still working through the trauma, but after everything I’ve learned, I just want him gone," Nadia said with newfound steel in her voice. "I have a daughter, Dominic. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if someone like him did to her what he does to other women. End this now."

"Are you sure, Nadia? I just want to make certain you’re prepared for what’s coming and that you’ll be mentally stable."

"Absolutely. Gerard already has a media strategy planned to control any fallout. Just keep him away from Gemma." She squeezed my arm. "And cut off his allowance immediately. Leave him with nothing."

"When I do that, he’ll go ballistic and probably get desperate," I warned.

"Don’t worry about that," Gerard said, entering the room with the confidence of a man who controlled half the city’s legitimate businesses. "I’ve already increased security here and for the children. For you too, Bee," he added, approaching my mother with gentle kisses. "Who, by the way, looks more radiant every day."

"Such a charmer, Gerard," Mom replied with a smile.

"I’m the lucky one—my wife resembles her mother and grows more beautiful with time." Gerard kissed Nadia, who gazed at him adoringly. "My only concern is Dominic. You should reconcile with Gemma soon. We need substitute parents to watch the kids when we want to disappear to Sicily. And my sisters are too unpredictable to trust with babysitting!"

"I’m working on it," I assured him with a smile.

"Well, look at this family council meeting!" Vincenzo announced, walking in with his school backpack.

"My prince! Come give nonna a kiss," Mom extended her arms to my nephew, who embraced her happily.

"The most beautiful grandmother in the world!" he declared, making her laugh.

"Such a little flatterer," I teased.

"Don’t be jealous, Uncle," he replied before turning serious. "Good to see you—I was going to call you about something important."

"What’s up?" I asked.

"Aunt Gemma canceled our plans. And this guy Zander, from what I can gather, is top-tier competition. Even Dad can’t compete. According to Aunt Gemma herself, he’s almost perfect. You’d better move fast."

He flopped onto the couch, his words crushing my hopes like a sledgehammer.

"Who’s Zander?" Nadia inquired with concern.

"Some guy dating Aunt Gemma," Vincenzo explained casually, completely unaware of the devastation his words caused.

I felt defeated until my phone lit up with an urgent message from Caleb requesting my immediate presence at his legitimate business office.

"I need to go handle family business," I announced. "Gerard, I’ll have my PR team contact yours. We need to coordinate our damage control strategy. This will get messy and bloody."

Gerard nodded grimly, understanding the implications.

When I arrived at Caleb’s office, everyone was already assembled, including Daniel and Inspector Adler—our woman on the inside of the police force.

"Is everything resolved with Gemma?" I asked anxiously.

"Yes, she forgave us all," Caleb confirmed. "I sent her home today—she didn’t seem well. She’ll return to work tomorrow."

"Thank you," I said, relieved that at least one crisis was managed.

"It was the right thing to do. We were unfair to her." Caleb paused. "But there’s an issue: she refused security protection."

I frowned at Gemma’s stubborn refusal to accept the reality of her dangerous situation.

"We’re investigating the escalating threats from her ex-boyfriend. We need to identify who’s backing him from the outside," Daniel explained.

"My security team is looking into it as well. I’ll connect you with them for coordination," I offered, and Daniel acknowledged with a professional nod.

"Now for our second major problem," Jude began, his expression grave. "Regarding the incident from years ago, I have all the evidence Mr. Thorne gathered—videos, voice recordings, financial records, everything needed for prosecution or permanent elimination."

"How did you get all this without my knowledge?" I questioned.

"I would never betray Bee’s trust," Jude explained. "She wanted to protect her children above all else. That’s what Mr. Thorne did, and I assisted him in building this insurance policy."

"Have you discussed this explosive evidence with Nadia?" Xavier asked with genuine concern.

"Yes, I just came from her house. She’s finally freed herself from his psychological control," I replied.

I opened the folder Jude provided. It contained a comprehensive report with photos, videos, audio recordings, message transcripts, and confidentiality agreements signed by women who had been paid substantial sums to maintain their silence.

"Who arranged these payoff agreements?" I asked, studying the damning documentation.

"Your father, following Mr. Thorne’s explicit instructions. Your mother funded the payments. Marcus doesn’t have copies—he was just the public face handling negotiations. But I accompanied him and spoke directly with the victims," Jude clarified.

"Can you void these agreements without exposing our family’s involvement?" I asked.

"Definitely. I’ve already spoken with both women. They’re ready to testify," Jude confirmed.

"Good." I began reading the detailed report, my disgust and rage mounting with every horrific page of evidence against the man whose blood unfortunately ran through my veins.