The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 378

Chapter 378

Gemma’s POV

The atmosphere at Dream International the next morning is charged, but not with its usual corporate energy. As I walk through the gleaming lobby, I see them: police officers in crisp blue uniforms. And between two of them, being escorted out with his hands secured behind his back, is the man in the plaid shirt.

I pause, watching the efficient, silent arrest. So, Mikhail is finally cleaning up.

Up in his office, I find him at his desk, the picture of calm. “I thought you said it was safer to keep him close than to let him loose,” I remark, leaning against the doorframe.

He glances up, unperturbed. “I’m leaving for Florisdale. The company won’t be under my direct control. It’s only logical to remove potential… liabilities before I go.” He says it like he’s discussing tidying up a filing cabinet.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, his tone shifting. “Any after–effects from yesterday? I can approve a day of medical leave if you need it.”

The concern, coming from him, is so unexpected it thys me22 “I’m fine.” I sav. recovering. “No leave necessary.”

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3 Bonut

He nods, setting down a pen. “Gemma, I fly out the day after tomorrow. Was there anything else you needed from me before I go?”

“So soon?” The question slips out, edged with surprise. Smith hadn’t mentioned such an imminent departure.

“The sooner the surgery, the sooner the recovery. Isn’t that what you advocated for?” He throws my own logic back at me, a faint challenge in his eyes.

He’s right. I did say that. I thought I’d feel nothing but relief at his absence–one less complicated, sharp–tongued man in my life. But a strange, hollow pang echoes in my chest.

“What?” he prods, a familiar, teasing glint returning. “Can’t bear to see me go? Don’t tell me you’ve developed feelings, Gemma.”

Any sentimental flicker is instantly incinerated by his

arrogance. I roll my eyes. Of course not. “I had a… situation I wanted your input on. But since you’re leaving, forget it.” The William problem feels too big to hand off to someone with one foot out the door.

His interest, however, is piqued. He leans forward. “A situation? Tell me. If it’s interesting enough, I might delay my flight.” Boredom, it seems, is a stronger motivator than

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medical urgency.

+3 Bonus

Seeing a potential ally, I relent. “I recovered the pool surveillance. The person who pushed me was William.”

One of his eyebrows lifts. “I assumed as much. You are Moonlight. If you couldn’t restore a simple security feed, you should retire and take up gardening.”

I grit my teeth. His sharp tongue is a constant. “I believe he’s acting on someone else’s orders. I want to draw out the person behind him. I was hoping you could… provide backup. An emergency exit, if things go wrong.”

“Ah,” he says, a slow smile spreading. “You want a free bodyguard.”

“I can pay you,” I retort.

He chuckles, the sound dry. “My schedule is open until the end of the month. I’ll help where I can, before I leave.”

Relief washes over me, followed immediately by guilt. “But your surgery….. I shouldn’t ask you to delay something so important.”

99

He holds up a hand, cutting off my doubt. “Enough. Don’t get sentimental on me. A simple ‘thank you‘ will suffice. 3/6

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I shrug, offering a small, genuine smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

3 Bonus

Leaving Dream, my mind is a tangle of plans and Mikhail’s impending departure. I’m so distracted I almost walk right past the woman waiting by the building’s entrance.

Linda Xander.

Thinking it’s a chance encounter, I offer a polite smile. “Ms. Xander. What a coincidence.”

Her return smile is gentle but deliberate. “Miss Marino. It’s not a coincidence. I came here specifically to see you.”

The statement catches me off guard. “Me?”

“Do you have time for a coffee?” she asks, her tone leaving little room for refusal.

Minutes later, we are sitting across from each other in a quiet cafe. Linda stirs her latte, the spoon clinking softly against the porcelain.

4/6.

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a long moment, she looks up, her gaze direct. “Mikhail have known each other since we were children, after my

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family moved here.”

I stay silent, letting her lead.

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She tells a story of teenage years abroad, of a young girl feeling out of place, aware of the bright, formidable boy named Mikhail Voloshin but too intimidated to approach. They reconnected at university, where he pursued her with a startling, relentless focus.

“He cornered me on the volleyball court,” she says, a faint, nostalgic smile touching her lips. “Looked me right in the eye and told me, in that deadly serious way of his, that he liked me. I’ll be the first to admit that I fell, hard and fast, completely on love with him. Our relationship was intense, even by high school standards.”

She sighs, “We were still riding the highs of our love when a coveted spot in a graduate program arose. Only one position for the entire school, and it was Mikhail’s father who sought me out. He told me he hoped I would apply. With my record, acceptance was virtually guaranteed.

I understood, even then, what it really was: an elegantly presented bribe, more like a command for me to leave….. framed like a request. He was buying me out of Mikhail’s life, using his frankness to say that Mikhail was destined for the military with him- a world of drills, missions, live 5/6 ammunition. He won’t have the luxury of prioritizing

a

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relationship.”

+3 Bonus

She looks down at her hands. “I was angry at first, thinking that he is a classic rich man, casting aside the unsuitable girl. But he corrected me…”

She continues, her gaze steady on mine. “He said that he wasn’t looking down on you me. But he was a soldier, and knew the reality. Once he’s in that life, I would have become an afterthought. He said I was young, brilliant, with a spectacular future… and I shouldn’t waste it by chaining your future to his son, when he himself isn’t sure of where his priorities lie yet.‘