Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Chapter 185 First Heartbeat

Dominic’s POV

I was in the executive lounge of Zenith Systems, our family’s most successful money laundering front, regaling Mia with stories of the incredible trip Gemma and I had taken to secure new offshore accounts. The Mediterranean had been perfect for both business and pleasure, and I was still riding high on the memory of watching Gemma command respect from our European contacts when my encrypted phone buzzed. Xavier’s name flashed across the screen.

"Xavier, we just had lunch at the safe house. Not even my wife calls me this much," I joked, expecting his usual dry humor about my newfound domesticity.

His voice came through the scrambled line, stripped of all lightness. "Brother, I need you to listen carefully. Gemma is safe."

My blood turned to ice. In our world, when someone starts with "she’s safe," it means she almost wasn’t. "What the hell do you mean Gemma is safe? What happened, Xavier?" Every instinct honed by years in the family business screamed danger.

"Dominic, there was an incident at the office, but our security protocols worked. Daniel had his people monitoring the building, and Hunter reacted according to training. She’s been taken to the medical facility."

"Xavier, stop dancing around it and tell me what happened," I demanded, already moving toward the private elevator, my hand instinctively checking the weapon at my hip as I gave Mia a curt nod of dismissal.

"Nancy made her move. She got past the front desk looking for Gemma, but Hunter intercepted. Whatever chemical compound that psychotic woman brought hit Hunter instead of its intended target. Nancy’s been neutralized and is in custody. Gemma’s blood pressure spiked from the shock, so we’re taking no chances with the pregnancy."

"Which facility?" My voice carried the deadly calm that made even hardened soldiers nervous.

"Taylor’s private clinic. We’re en route with a full escort."

"Copy that."

The elevator opened to reveal Zoe stepping out with her trademark predatory smile. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside, jabbing the basement parking button repeatedly. I quickly briefed her on Xavier’s report, watching her expression shift from casual confidence to the cold calculation that made her invaluable to family operations.

In the underground garage, my hands shook as I reached for the keys to my armored SUV. The weight of potential loss crashed down on me with devastating force.

"Boss, you need to let me drive. You’re compromised right now," Zoe said firmly, snatching the keys from my trembling fingers. "I didn’t survive multiple tours in Afghanistan to let you wrap us around a telephone pole."

She slid behind the wheel while I collapsed into the passenger seat. "Just get me there, Zoe. Whatever it takes."

"Roger that. Buckle up and hold on. I’m about to remind this city why they pay us protection money."

Zoe drove like the special forces operative she’d been before joining our family. She wove through Port Serenity traffic with surgical precision, using techniques that would have made our chase drivers jealous. We arrived at Dr. Taylor’s private medical facility before the armored ambulance convoy, though I was so pale and shaking that the security guard at the entrance initially mistook me for a patient in crisis.

Minutes later, Hunter’s ambulance pulled through the reinforced gates, followed immediately by the vehicle carrying my wife. When they rushed her stretcher past me, I fell into step alongside it, shouting that she was under family protection and that I was her husband. The paramedics, clearly briefed on family protocols, didn’t question my presence.

"Really, Andrew?" Gemma’s voice brightened with genuine excitement for the first time since the attack.

"I want to make sure my newest family member is thriving despite all this drama," Andrew smiled, his presence immediately calming the raw tension in the room.

"Yes, please!" Gemma exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with anticipation. "My love?"

"Nothing would make me happier, my queen," I smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead, tasting the salt of fear finally giving way to joy.

"Excellent. I’ll have them bring in the equipment and collect samples for the blood work. But preliminary assessment suggests it was purely a stress response, Gemma. Still, we monitor everything carefully with expectant mothers in our care."

After Andrew left to arrange everything, I helped Gemma change into the clinic gown. Soon he returned with a technician who efficiently drew blood samples. With all the medical protocols satisfied, it was time for the ultrasound. Nervousness and anticipation coursed through my veins like adrenaline before a hit. This would be our first glimpse of the future heir to everything we’d built.

Andrew prepared the ultrasound equipment with practiced efficiency, powering up the machine and applying the conducting gel to Gemma’s gently rounded belly. He began the examination with clinical precision, and suddenly, a strong, rapid heartbeat filled the sterile room. Andrew looked at us with the kind of smile reserved for miracles.

It was my child’s heart, powerful and determined, beating like a promise of the future. The sound hit me like a physical blow, overwhelming every defense I’d built over years of violence and loss. Tears streamed down my face unchecked, my vision blurred, and my legs gave out completely. In that moment, all I could process was that relentless thump-thump-thump and the white tile floor rushing up to meet me as consciousness fled.