Chapter 7 - The Fortress of Glass
Gabriel turned around slowly. His shoulders, usually set in an unyielding posture of absolute authority, seemed bowed by an invisible, crushing weight. He looked at Leo, then at Julian, then at Mateo.
"Claire," he choked out, taking a step toward us.
"Don't," I said, rising from the sofa and stepping between him and my children. My heart was racing, my chest aching with an unbearable mixture of grief, relief, and terror. "Finding out Serena lied doesn't erase who you are, Gabriel. You still run an underworld empire. You still kill men in cold blood. I kept them away to protect them from your world."
"They are Vances," he said, pain cracking his deep voice. "They are my blood. Do you know what my enemies would do if they found out three heirs to the Vance syndicate were living unprotected in a suburban townhouse?"
The cold reality of his words struck me like a physical blow.
"Nobody knows who they are," I argued desperately. "We lived quietly in upstate New York. I work at a local bakery. We were safe!"
"You *were* safe until tonight," Gabriel countered, his voice returning to its sharp, commanding authority. "Two hundred of the city’s most dangerous, connected people just saw these boys look me in the eye. Within an hour, every rival family from here to Chicago will have their photographs. The Moretti cartel will put a bounty on their heads before dawn."
My knees felt weak. I looked down at Leo, who was staring up at me, sensing my fear. Mateo reached up, clutching the fabric of my skirt.
"So what are you saying?" I whispered.
"I am saying the charity gala is over," Gabriel said, walking to the door and throwing it wide open. The corridor was empty now; the guests had been dismissed into the rainy night under strict non-disclosure warnings. "You and the boys are coming with me to the Penthouse at the Crown Tower. It’s fortified. Bulletproof glass, biometric locks, an entire security battalion."
"I am not your prisoner, Gabriel!"
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"You're not my prisoner, Claire," he said, turning back to face me, his gray-green eyes burning with an intense, desperate fire. "You are the mother of my heirs. And tonight, whether you despise me or not, you need my protection."
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