Chapter 340: Chapter 124 Seeds of Doubt
Gemma’s POV
Our time with Vincenzo and Carmen had been nothing short of magical. The children were thrilled about having a little cousin on the way, and they showered me with the same protective attention Dominic did. I had to admit, being under the wing of the Thorne family felt like living in a fortress of devotion.
Dominic wasted no time securing an appointment with Dr. Taylor, a task made considerably easier due to his relationship with Bee. After the children were safely escorted to their private school by armed security, Dominic drove me to the medical center in his armored sedan, practically vibrating with anticipation.
In the doctor’s office, Dominic transformed into an overeager soldier receiving battle instructions. He absorbed every word Dr. Taylor said with military precision, asked countless tactical questions about my health, requested written protocols, and paid attention to every recommendation as if my life depended on it. Which, in his mind, it probably did. We left the appointment armed with plans and contingencies. After a secured stop at the family’s private pharmacy to fill my prescriptions, Dominic dropped me off at work with a kiss that lingered possessively on my lips.
When I reached my desk, I spotted a flower arrangement waiting for me. They were wildflowers, pretty in their rustic way, but something about them sent ice through my veins. My hand trembled as I plucked the card from among the blooms. In an instant, all my joy evaporated into cold terror.
Nick, or someone operating under his orders from prison, had sent them. The message was brief but carried the weight of a death threat: a reminder that I belonged to him, and prison bars wouldn’t change that. My blood turned to winter. How dare he penetrate the Thorne family’s protected territory?
I immediately photographed both the flowers and card, sending the images to Inspector Daniel through our secure channel before requesting the flowers be incinerated. Following Daniel’s protocols, I preserved the card as evidence for the family’s intelligence network. I decided against telling Dominic immediately. I’d handled the breach properly, and there was no need to trigger his lethal protective instincts during what should be a celebration of our future.
Focusing on my work proved to be a necessary distraction. Having been away for a while, I expected a mountain of business awaiting my attention, but my prior organizational systems had held steady. There wasn’t much ground to recover.
At noon, Jude and Lila materialized on my secured floor, determined to extract me for lunch.
"Gemma, you’re carrying the next generation of this family," Jude lectured as we entered the restaurant under discreet security surveillance. "You can’t skip meals like some street soldier. You need to eat like the protected asset you are."
I had planned to grab something quick at my fortified desk. "You’re absolutely right, Jude. I was so focused on work I didn’t even consider it."
Lila grinned. "Lucky you have us as your personal security detail."
We were deep in animated conversation when someone deliberately bumped into me from behind. Turning around, I found a woman resting her manicured claws on my shoulder with predatory familiarity.
"Oh, darling, I’m so terribly sorry!" she exclaimed with theatrical precision. "I’m such a disaster waiting to happen." Her hand seemed surgically attached to my shoulder.
"It’s fine," I responded with ice-cold politeness, removing her hand with controlled force. "Accidents occur."
"Well, this is exactly what we didn’t need," Jude muttered under his breath, his voice carrying dangerous undertones.
"Jude!" The woman’s eyes widened in calculated surprise. "My heavens, it’s been an eternity!"
"Could have stayed that way until my funeral," Jude replied, his irritation shifting into something more lethal.
"Oh, Jude, don’t be so hostile. It’s been far too long." She smiled and touched his back with familiar possession.
"I’m not being hostile. I simply despise you. Actually, to be completely transparent, I find you revolting." Jude moved away from her touch, but she escalated by inviting herself into our protected space.
"Jude, you need to develop some sophistication." She seated herself without invitation, a move that would have earned a bullet in less civilized circumstances. "Now introduce me to your companions. Or are they more than mere friends?"
"Not everyone operates like you do. And I won’t make introductions because they don’t need to know a parasitic opportunist like you." Jude’s agitation was becoming something that could draw security attention.
"Well then, I’ll handle the introductions myself." The woman’s audacity was breathtaking, even by black market socialite standards. "Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Nancy. Jude harbors resentment because I dated his friend and the arrangement ended poorly." My heart sank into my stomach. This was Dominic’s ex-girlfriend, the one who’d been circling rival families.
"Shut your mouth and disappear, you snake in designer clothing," Jude hissed with barely contained violence.
"Oh Jude, even Dominic has moved past our history. I encountered him at the underground club recently and we shared such a wonderful reunion." Her manufactured smile made my stomach revolt. "Do you know Dominic, ladies? He’s such a prize catch! We had quite the relationship before, and he never committed to anyone else because I was the greatest passion of his life. He never recovered from losing me, you understand?"
I worked to maintain my composure, refusing to give this predator the satisfaction of seeing blood in the water. I needed to speak with Dominic before drawing any conclusions, but her words felt like poison in my veins.
"Nancy, vacate this area immediately or I’m summoning security," Jude warned, his anger approaching critical mass.
"Goodness, Jude, maintain some control. You’ll give yourself a cardiac event." Nancy’s theatrical concern deserved an award for manipulation. "But you still haven’t shared your friends’ names with me."
"You’re worthless debris, Nancy. You know exactly who’s sitting here," Jude snapped with lethal clarity. "This encounter wasn’t coincidental."
"Jude!" She pressed her hand over her heart in wounded performance. "I’m devastated that you’d suspect such calculation from me. When I tell Dominic about this treatment, he’ll be quite upset with you."
"How do you lie so effortlessly without choking on your own tongue?" Jude countered.
I was so absorbed in their verbal warfare that I hadn’t noticed Lila had slipped away from the table until a security guard materialized beside Nancy, flanked by the restaurant manager.
"Good afternoon, everyone," the manager said with professional calm. "Miss, I must politely insist you accompany me without creating additional disturbance. You’re disrupting our valued customers’ experience."
"But I’m also a paying customer," Nancy protested with rising volume.
"It would be preferable to avoid complications, miss." The manager remained immovable. Nancy glanced at the security guard, her confident smile finally cracking under pressure.
"You’ve always been such an insufferable burden, Wright." She snatched her purse, stood with wounded dignity, and was professionally escorted toward the exit.
"That encounter was calculated warfare, Gemma. That woman knows exactly who you are and what you represent," Jude said, taking my hand with protective intensity. "Please don’t believe a single word that came out of her poisonous mouth."
Still reeling from the confrontation, I assured Jude that I wouldn’t accept Nancy’s claims at face value and would discuss everything with Dominic later. But her words had planted seeds of doubt that would require careful extraction.
