Part 2: My ex-husband, the most feared mafia boss in New York, ordered two hundred wealthy guests locked inside a charity ballroom after my five-year-old son asked why they had the same face.

Gabriel didn't even look at the paper. He already knew.

He looked down at Serena, his gray-green eyes utterly devoid of humanity. For five years, he had shared his home, his business, and his life with a woman who had orchestrated the systematic destruction of his family.

"You took five years of my sons’ lives from me," Gabriel said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. "You made me mourn a child I believed was dead. You made me hate the only woman I ever loved."

"Gabriel, please," Serena sobbed, dropping to her knees on the Persian rug, grabbing at the hem of his trousers. The arrogance that had sustained her for years dissolved into pure, unadulterated terror. "Think of the alliance! My father controls the northern docks! If you touch me, the Vale family will declare total war on the Vance syndicate!"

"Your father," Gabriel murmured, leaning down slightly, "will be bankrupt by sunrise. Marco has had your family's offshore accounts compromised for three months. I was waiting for the right moment to absorb your assets peacefully. Now... I will burn them to ash."

He stepped back, peeling her fingers off his trousers as if she were a piece of trash.

"Marco."

"Boss."

"Strip her of every piece of jewelry bearing the Vance crest. Take her phone, her passport, and her keys. Escort her out the service entrance into the alley. If she ever sets foot in Manhattan again, put her in the harbor."

"No! Gabriel! You can't do this to me! I built this empire with you!" Serena shrieked as two burly enforcers grabbed her by her slender arms, hauling her upright. Her heels dragged against the polished parquet floor as they pulled her toward the rear exit.

Before the heavy side door slammed shut, Serena twisted her head, glaring at me with eyes full of venom and madness. "You think you won, Claire?! He’s a monster! He’ll destroy those boys just like he destroys everything he touches! You won’t survive him!"

The heavy door banged shut. The screams vanished.

The room returned to a heavy, stunned silence. Dr. Hayes quietly packed his medical kit, bowed his head to Gabriel, and slipped out the main doors, knowing better than to linger among the ruins of mafia royalty.