Chapter 4 - The Viper's Last Card
Gabriel didn't flinch. He slowly lowered his hand from Nora’s jaw, turning his head toward Leo.
"A kidnapping story?" Gabriel asked, his voice deceptively calm.
"Yes," Leo reported, swiping through his tablet. "Diane claims you broke into her apartment, held her at gunpoint, and dragged Nora away to settle a fake debt. She’s demanding two million dollars from the press for exclusive photos of Nora’s 'abduction' night."
Nora gasped, blood draining from her face. "She's lying! She drove me there! She sold me!"
"Of course she's lying," Gabriel said smoothly, taking the tablet from Leo’s hand. He scrolled through the draft article prepared by a tabloid journalist. "She realized fifty thousand dollars wasn't enough. She wants to use the press to force me into a quiet cash payoff."
"Should I send a squad to silence them, boss?" Leo asked, his hand drifting toward his suit jacket.
"No," Gabriel answered immediately. "If they disappear now, it confirms the kidnapping narrative. The press will turn her into a martyr and bring federal prosecutors down on my shipping docks."
Gabriel looked at Nora, his eyes narrowing into calculated grey steel.
"We are going to give the press their story," Gabriel said. "An exclusive interview."
"An interview?" Nora asked nervously.
"Tonight is the annual Boston Harbor Gala," Gabriel explained, a dark smirk playing on his lips. "Every billionaire, mayor, news anchor, and crime boss in New England will be in that ballroom. You and I are going to make our public debut as husband and wife."
Two hours later, Villa Costa was transformed into an elite fashion house.
Four celebrity stylists, a famous makeup artist, and three security guards carrying cases of high-end diamond jewelry filled Nora’s dressing room.
They washed her dark hair, styling it into intricate, glossy Hollywood waves. They applied soft, luminous makeup that highlighted her striking blue eyes and delicate bone structure.
Finally, they unveiled the dress.
It was a custom obsidian-black velvet gown with a deep cowl back, a subtle thigh-high slit, and long silk sleeves. Around her neck, Gabriel had instructed them to place the Star of Capri—a hundred-carat black diamond necklace surrounded by platinum sparks, worth three million dollars.
When Nora stepped out into the hallway, Gabriel was waiting near the stairs in a tailored silk tuxedo.
He stopped, his grey eyes sweeping over her from head to toe, a moment of genuine, breathless awe flashing across his hard face.
"You look..." Gabriel paused, stepping up the stair to offer his arm, "...like royalty."
"I feel like an imposter," Nora admitted nervously, her hand trembling as she laid it on his arm.
"Look at me, Nora," Gabriel commanded softly.
May you like
She looked up into his eyes.
"You spent three years being treated like trash by people who weren't worthy to breathe your air," Gabriel said, his voice laced with fierce, absolute conviction. "Tonight, you walk into that ballroom as the Queen of Boston. Let them see who really owns this city."
