Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Chapter 44 Deadly Pink Orchids

Betrayal and Danger

Gemma’s POV

I was completely destroyed. The entire night was spent sobbing into Lila’s shoulder until my eyes were swollen and bloodshot. This morning required layers of concealer and multiple rounds of eye drops just to appear remotely human. I had prepared myself for anything from Dominic, but discovering that dangerous Capo with his former lover cut deeper than any blade I could imagine. The image of that half-dressed woman in his secure apartment replayed in my mind like a nightmare I couldn’t escape.

Walking into the legitimate front office felt like moving through concrete. Ivy sat at her desk looking equally devastated, and I knew facing a conversation with the Don’s wife right now would shatter my remaining composure. Instead, I escaped to the break room where Katelyn was organizing supplies for the family’s operations.

"Gemma, good morning sunshine!" Katelyn’s cheerful greeting felt like glass against my fragile nerves. I managed the weakest smile possible.

"What’s destroying you, sweetheart?" Her maternal instincts activated immediately.

"Just a brutal night of reckoning, that’s all," I lied, hoping she’d drop the subject.

Katelyn’s knowing eyes narrowed dangerously. "I’m not accepting that story. Did that Capo bastard pull something unforgivable?"

My shock must have shown clearly. "What makes you suspect that?"

"Because you’re wearing the same devastated expression as Ivy when she discovered Caleb’s supposed betrayal." She crossed her arms, studying me like a protective family matriarch.

"Katelyn, please, he committed something beyond forgiveness, but you cannot breathe a word to the family. The organization tension is already suffocating with Ivy and Caleb’s territorial situation," I pleaded desperately.

"Your secret’s protected with my life, honey. But those two are your blood family here. They deserve to know their Capo crossed the line." She pulled me into one of her warm embraces that somehow made the violence surrounding us feel slightly less hopeless.

"Could you work some of that medicinal magic? But please don’t knock me unconscious like you did to Ivy during her crisis."

"This blend will just calm that anxiety that’s consuming you alive." Katelyn busied herself with her mysterious preparations. I swear she was part street doctor, because her concoctions always delivered exactly the healing she promised.

After Katelyn’s powerful remedy worked its wonders, I returned to my desk feeling marginally functional again. I managed to focus on laundering operations and support Ivy without anyone detecting my internal warfare. But lunchtime brought an unexpected family visitor.

"Auntie Gemma, looking gorgeous as always!" Vincenzo’s voice rang out as he stepped off the elevator, heading directly toward me.

"Vincenzo, you little charmer! What brings you to our legitimate establishment?" I asked, embracing this kid who had become precious to our dangerous world.

"I’m here to escort a stunning lady to coffee!" His confidence was both adorable and inherited from his bloodline.

"Someone’s been learning from his uncle’s playbook!" Xavier emerged from his office, grinning with typical consigliere amusement.

"I’m not a complete disaster like my uncle." Something in Vincenzo’s tone told me he possessed more intelligence than he was revealing. I gave him a subtle head shake, and thankfully he caught my warning signal. "Hey Uncle Xavier, how’s business treating you?"

"Can’t complain about family operations, kid." Xavier’s warm greeting carried genuine affection. "Mind if I join your coffee meeting?"

Vincenzo glanced at me before addressing Xavier with surprising maturity. "Sorry Xavier, but I’m not interested in sharing this beautiful lady’s attention today!"

"This kid’s got serious family attitude!" Xavier’s laughter was infectious and deadly.

Caleb appeared in his doorway like the commanding Don he was. "Well, well, looks like mini Dominic decided to grace our establishment with his presence!"

"Don’t you dare compare me to that betraying bastard!" Vincenzo’s fury was unmistakable and dangerous. "How are you surviving, Uncle Caleb?"

"Barely keeping control of family operations, Vincenzo. You seem pretty fired up about your uncle’s business. What’s his latest catastrophic mistake?" Caleb’s Don instincts were razor-sharp.

"Something along those treacherous lines." Vincenzo kept his response strategically vague. "That’s exactly why I need my gorgeous Auntie Gemma’s wisdom over coffee." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"The family could provide guidance too," Xavier offered hopefully.

"Not today! I prefer this stunning lady’s company exclusively!" Vincenzo’s charm carried inherited family magnetism.

"You’re absolutely shameless like a true family member!" Caleb chuckled with dark amusement. "Enjoy your coffee adventure."

Coffee with Vincenzo was exactly what my wounded soul required. His infectious energy and dark humor provided temporary relief from my heartbreak. But his curiosity was relentless and inherited. He explained that his mother was furious with Dominic because some dangerous woman named Beatrix had introduced herself as Dominic’s woman to family connections. I didn’t know how to respond, so I simply told him Dominic and I were finished.

Like any determined family blood, Vincenzo refused to accept my vague explanation. "Gemma, talk to me. I’m not a child anymore in this world!"

"Vincenzo, your uncle started disappearing from my existence. No calls, no messages, just occasional communications claiming he was handling family business. Then I caught him in lies. Remember that day you called me? He said he was conducting operations with you, but that was complete fiction. So I decided to surprise him at his secure apartment, and there was Beatrix."

"What was that dangerous woman doing there? She’s been stalking my uncle like a predator forever."

"She was wearing nothing but his shirt, Vincenzo." The words tasted like poison in my mouth.

"What a complete betraying bastard!" Vincenzo’s fury was immediate and violent.

"Language, young man!" I scolded, though his family indignation was oddly comforting.

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