Chapter 49 

Violet 

I feel myself begin to perspire as her animosity fills the room. “How can I help you?” 

“I think you know.” She sits back and crosses her legs. 

A bead of sweat runs down between my breasts. “No. Actually, I don’t.” 

Her phone rings and she glances at the screen, she declines the call and puts it down. 

My phone rings and she looks down at my screen as it sits on my desk. 

Gabriel 

Oh hell….worst timing. I let it ring out and it immediately rings again. 

She raises her eyebrow. “He knows I’m here.” 

“I don’t… 

“He has you under guard,” she says almost to herself. 

Wait…what? 

My phone rings again. 

Gabriel 

Oh hell, this is an actual nightmare. 

pick up the phone. 

“Don’t you dare answer that.” She sneers. 

T 

apter 43 

wasn’t going to,” I lie. I calmly turn my phone off. I begin to sweat bullets; this woman is Such a bitch. “How can I help you, Mrs. Ferrara?” I say more assertively. 

Her cold eyes hold mine. “How much do you want?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Do not insult my intelligence, Violet, we both know you have an agenda.” 

I begin to hear the adrenaline as it screams through my body. 

have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh please,” she scoffs. “Do you really expect me to believe that?” 

Knock, knock, knock sounds at the door. I glance over. Who is knocking so urgently? 

Knock, knock, knock. 

The door busts open and a man walks in, he’s wearing a black suit and looks terrified. “Forgive me for intruding, Mrs. Ferrara.” He holds a phone 

out. “Gabriel wants to speak to you as a matter of urgency.” My eyes widen, what the 

fuck…he does know she’s here? 

I’m being watched…what the…? 

She snatches the phone from him and turns it off. “Get out,” she orders him. 

Please don’t. 

He scurries out of my office and I glance around for a window to jump through. 

“How much?” Her cold eyes hold mine. 

“For what?” 

think you can seduce my son, get pregnant without telling him, and turn up three weeks before his wedding to the love of his life, ruin everything and get away with it? You are Strothing but a manipulative bitch and I won’t stand for it.” 

My mouth falls open in shock…she did not just say that. 

“Let me guess… You seduced him on his desk one night after work?” 

Her eyes hold mine. “I’m assuming you were wearing something sexy, maybe a suspender belt that you purposely let him see?” Her smirk breaks into a sarcastic smile. “And the earth moved for you, but he wanted nothing to do with you after?” 

stare at her, shocked to silence. 

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Violet Coleman. Gabriel has had sex with most of his PAs. 

You are nothing special.” She looks me up and down. “I mean, look at you.” Boom. 

Boom. 

Boom…goes my heartbeat in my ears. 

She sits forward in her seat. “If you think 

you can 

illegitimate children, think again.” 

an hold 

my son ransom with your bastard 

I clench my jaw as I imagine tipping my glass of water over her nasty head. 

“He’ll be over this Brady Bunch fantasy in…” she glances at her watch, 

“…about two weeks from now, and where will you be then?” 

Tears threaten, and I get a lump in my throat as I try to hold them in. “Ten million dollars.” 

I stare at her, speechless. 

“Fifteen.” Her cold eyes hold mine. 

Gabriel has had sex with most of his PAs… 

hapter 49 

Twenty million dollars. Don’t be a fool, Violet, he is going to dump you eventually. There is naway you can hold a man like Gabriel Ferrara. We both know that. Take the money now Because, trust me, you will get nothing later.” 

I pick up a framed photo from my desk and I pass it to her. “The illegitimate bastard children you speak of have names, Lucia and Dominic. They are six.” 

*Her face falls as she looks at them, the resemblance to Gabriel is striking, she can’t deny it. 

“They are just like their father,” I whisper. “Take a long last look at that photo, Mrs. Ferrara, because over my dead body will you ever see them again.” 

The air swirls between us, a conjuring of evil like you’ve never felt before. 

“Don’t underestimate me, Violet,” she sneers. “That could be arranged.” 

“Is that a threat?” I feel a little of my equilibrium return. “Please, threaten 

me again so I can tape it with my phone. I’m sure Gabriel would love to hear 

what Mommy dearest has to say to the mother of his children.” You could cut the air with a knife as we glare at each other. 

“You’re making a big mistake,” she whispers. 

“Leave.” I stand and open the office door. “Security,” I call. 

The two security guards come into view. 

“Escort this woman from my office, please, and call the police. I want a restraining orders put on her. She just threatened my life.” 

She gasps as she stands. “I did nothing of the sort.” Her furious eyes come to meet mine. “How dare you?” 

“You picked the wrong woman to mess with.” I smile at her shocked face. “You…and your twenty million dollars…can go to hell.” 

api