Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 391: Chapter 175 How Far Fallen

Dominic’s POV

Gemma and I lay face to face in bed, simply gazing at each other with contented smiles. In that moment, I needed nothing more from life—her presence alone fulfilled me completely. After our tumultuous day and night, we had worked through the chaos that nearly tore our world apart, reconnected on every level as both lovers and partners in this dangerous life, and declared our feelings without any room for doubt.

"As much as I hate to break this spell," I sighed, glancing at the clock, "we really should get up. You’ll need time to prepare for the wedding." Even in our world of blood and bullets, women still had their mysterious beauty rituals that made them chronically late for everything.

"No, we don’t," she replied with surprising serenity.

My heart nearly stopped. The thought of losing her again, especially now, sent ice through my veins. "Please tell me you didn’t cancel our wedding." I covered my face with my hands in desperation. "I swear I’ll drag you to the nearest priest and find any man of God willing to marry us if you did." I sat upright, ready to argue a case I refused to lose. In this business, second chances were rare.

To my confusion, she burst into laughter.

"My handsome," she said calmly, "I didn’t cancel anything—just postponed it until tomorrow. Nadia is coordinating everything with Zoe."

"Just postponed," I repeated, exhaling with relief. "But why?"

"Because I want our wedding day to start perfectly. Today definitely didn’t begin that way."

"You can say that again." The memory of nearly losing her to Beatrix’s murderous scheme still made my blood boil.

"But we should still get out of bed," she added with a meaningful look. "Your son and I are starving, and you know what happens when I get hungry."

"Oh no, let’s hurry then. I can’t handle another fury attack for quite some time." I scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom, both of us laughing. In our line of work, maintaining some lightness was essential for survival.

I’d learned early in our relationship that two things made Gemma unbearable to be around—sleepiness and hunger. When either struck, she transformed into a grumpy, irritable version of herself. I’d made it my personal mission to prevent both conditions whenever humanly possible.

After showering and stealing several kisses, we felt ready to rejoin our extended family downstairs. Hand in hand, we descended the stairs. The moment we entered the living room, Xavier’s voice boomed across the space.

"Here come the bride and grooom!" he announced with theatrical flair. Everyone erupted into applause and cheers. When the noise died down, Xavier, ever the bold one, asked what everyone was thinking: "So, lovebirds, problems solved? Will we be enjoying wedding cake and champagne after all?"

"Yes, Xavier, there will be cake and champagne," Gemma confirmed with a laugh.

"Excellent! That’s literally the only reason I showed up," Xavier quipped, though we all knew he’d take a bullet for any of us without hesitation.

Gemma released my hand and moved toward Ryder, embracing him warmly. He returned the gesture with equal affection.

"Thank you for holding my hand when I was scared," she told him softly.

"That’s what a father does, daughter." Ryder’s voice trembled slightly. Though only her stepfather, his love for her was unmistakably paternal, and his acceptance into our dangerous world had been complete.

The front door suddenly burst open. "I’m here!" Jude announced dramatically. "What did I miss?"

"Just tons of drama with a happy ending," Xavier replied in his typical lighthearted manner.

"So nothing special then," Jude grinned. "But I’m absolutely famished."

"That makes two of us," Gemma said, smiling at him.

Nadia took charge, leading us to the kitchen where she served an incredible lunch. As we ate, I noticed Gemma watching me intently. I knew she was waiting for me to ask about Beatrix, but I refused to take the bait. After our reconciliation, I wouldn’t risk anything that might trigger another argument, especially about that poisonous snake.

"Aren’t you going to ask, Dominic?" Gemma finally broke, her expression serious.

Playing dumb seemed the safest strategy in this minefield.

"Ask what, my goddess?" I continued eating as if genuinely oblivious. She inhaled deeply.

"Coward!" she declared, causing Jude to burst into laughter. I maintained my innocent act. In this instance, I truly was being cowardly—unwilling to provide even the slightest reason for another dispute.

"My goddess, I honestly have no idea what you mean. Perhaps hunger is affecting your thinking. Let’s finish eating so you’ll feel better." I playfully placed a piece of bread in her mouth. Jude’s laughter intensified.

Throughout the meal, I felt Gemma’s gaze bouncing between Jude and me. Finally, after dessert, her patience evaporated.

"Oh, enough already! Jude, how is that disturbed woman doing?" she demanded.

Jude sighed. "Let’s move to the living room so I can tell everyone at once. Otherwise, I’ll spend the entire day repeating myself to different people." His serious tone suggested the news wasn’t positive.

When we entered the living room, everyone was already gathered there, creating the atmosphere of a war council waiting for intelligence reports. Jude took a seat and exhaled heavily.

"I know you’re all waiting, so here it is," he began, crossing his ankle over his knee. "Beatrix arrived at the hospital in critical condition with severe internal injuries requiring immediate surgery. The procedure was successful, and her prognosis is good, but she broke both legs, which also needed surgical realignment. The metal from the car tore through her legs, and according to the doctor, she’ll have extensive scarring on both. She also suffered major facial trauma—they had to reconstruct her jaw, and the windshield glass left a significant scar on one side of her face, with smaller ones scattered throughout."

"Will her face be deformed?" my mother asked, horrified.

"Yes. And honestly, from what I observed, it’s going to be severe," Jude replied, staring at the floor.

"How terrible," Nadia grimaced.

"It gets worse," Daniel added. "I was planning to wait until after the wedding to share this, but given everything that’s happened, I might as well tell you now."

"What is it, Daniel?" I asked, bracing myself for more bad news. In our world, bad news usually came in waves.

"We found the man who delivered both the poisoned chocolates here and the box containing the snake to Nadia’s house," Daniel explained. With Nick’s elimination, I’d almost forgotten about the chocolate incident.

"Who is he?" I asked eagerly.

"He’s a delivery worker initially hired through an app for the chocolates. He left his contact information with the client, who called him directly for the second delivery. He had no knowledge of what either package contained, but he identified the sender."

"Who was it?" Zoe asked with such enthusiasm that everyone turned to look at her. "What? This is better than any gangster movie finale. Should I make popcorn?"

Leave it to Zoe to find humor in the tensest moments, making everyone laugh despite the gravity of the situation.

"Beatrix sent them," Daniel finally revealed. "The arrest warrant has already been issued. Adler is heading to the hospital to serve it now. She’ll remain under guard during her recovery, and upon discharge, she’ll go directly to prison. She’s facing charges for ten attempted murders."

"Ten?" Gemma questioned, confused. I shared her bewilderment.

"Gemma, she sent poisoned chocolates that you thankfully didn’t eat, but six others did. Then she sent a venomous snake and tried to run you over. That’s six attempts with the chocolates, plus two more against you personally, and two against your baby," Daniel clarified, and understanding dawned on Gemma’s face.

"How far she’s fallen," I lamented, thinking of Beatrix’s descent into such obsessive behavior that she couldn’t recognize the monstrosity of her actions. She had chosen to betray not just me, but our entire organization’s code of honor, and would now face the consequences of her choices.