Mag-log inGemma.A week had passed since everything went down at Julian’s place.Julian’s team had been working quietly in the background, taking care of everything. Meanwhile, I tried to get back to my normal routine and pretend my life wasn’t in danger.Every morning, I got up early, put on my uniform, and drove straight to culinary school. Getting through the days was not easy, but keeping my hands busy in the kitchen kept my mind off things.By Friday, I was completely drained. I got to the school early, walked into the locker room, and changed into my chef jacket. I grabbed my black knife bag, walked into the kitchen, and went straight to my station. The room was quiet because only a few students had arrived.By eight o'clock, the rest of the class had arrived. Chef Lorenzo clapped his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention and motioned for us to gather around the counter."Alright, everyone, come closer," Chef Lorenzo said. "Today we are focusing on clean filleting. I want precise cuts.
Gemma.Gigi slammed her coffee mug down on the kitchen island hard enough to splash over the white marble."You've lost your mind, Gemma.""I'm doing it," I said, not even looking up from my phone.She had shown up at my door before eight o'clock, expecting to find me a wreck after the fight with Julian. Instead, she walked in to find me mapping out plans."Gem, listen to yourself," Gigi said, shaking her head as she leaned against the counter. "I want to help her too, I really do. Katia has been through hell. But we can't do something like this on our own. We don't have the power, we don't have the contacts, and we definitely don't have the protection.""We can make it work, Gigi," I said, my voice steady. "We just have to be smart about it.""No, we can't," Gigi said firmly, stepping closer to me. "Not by ourselves. If you really want to pull this off, you need Julian. He's the only person in your life with the kind of reach and resources."I went quiet, looking down at my hands. Th
Gemma.I stood there for a minute, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. The penthouse had gone so quiet that I could still hear the scream of Julian’s voice in my head. I walked down the hall and stopped outside Katia's room."Katia?" I called out, knocking lightly. "He’s gone. It’s just me. I’m really sorry about what happened."I didn't get an answer right away, All I heard was a sob from inside."You don't have to open up right now," I told her, sitting down on the floor with my back against the wall. "I'm not mad at you, and I'm not asking you to leave. I'm just going to stay right here."Ten minutes went by. I didn't check my phone or try to rush her. I just stayed on the floor so she could hear that she wasn't alone.Finally, she opened up.Her eyes were swollen and red."Gemma," she whispered, her voice raspy. "I'm so sorry. He is right. I bring trouble everywhere.""No, you don't," I said, standing up from the floor. "Julian was completely wrong for talking to you like th
Julian.I was halfway through a stack of contracts when there was a knock on my office door.“Come in.”Marcus stepped inside with a folder in his hand. He closed the door behind him and walked toward my desk.“Boss.”I looked up from the document in front of me. “What is it?”“We ran a background check on the woman Miss Gemma brought into her penthouse yesterday.”I leaned back in my chair.“The woman?”Marcus nodded.I stared at him for a second. “What woman?”He opened the folder and placed the first few pages on my desk.“Miss Gemma brought someone home yesterday after spending the afternoon with Gigi. One of the security teams noticed the woman entering the penthouse with her.”I frowned.“Why wasn’t I told immediately?”“Your instructions were to keep Miss Gemma’s security discreet. We didn’t want to interfere unless there was an immediate threat. Once the team noticed the woman’s behavior and ran a preliminary check, I thought you needed to know.”I picked up the first page. “N
Gemma.Gigi and I stared at the shattered bracelet, neither of us saying a word.The lady quickly kicked the broken pieces under a nearby sewer grate before looking up at us. Her eyes filled with panic."We can't talk here," I said. "Let's go to the restaurant."She hesitated, looking down the street left and right before silently following Gigi and me through the glass doors of the restaurant. We sat down at a quiet corner table in the back, far away from the other diners and the main entrance.Up close in the light of the restaurant, I could finally see her face. She pulled off her dark sunglasses and loosened her scarf, revealing her blonde hair and high cheekbones. She looked to be in her late twenties, but the heavy dark circles under her eyes made her look exhausted, like someone who hadn't slept in weeks."My name is Katia," she said quietly, barely looking either of us in the eye. She clearly didn't trust us."Katia," I repeated softly. "What was that on the pavement? Why was
Gemma."Yes. I feel like I'm being watched.""You need to calm down and tell Julian," Gigi said, as the spa attendant finished setting two steaming cups of herbal tea on the small wooden table between our lounge chairs."If I tell him, he will never let me go home, Gigi," I whispered, resting my head back against the cushioned seat. "You have no idea how hard I had to fight just to convince him to let me go back to my penthouse. He wanted me to stay at his penthouse forever. I just needed my own space.""Okay, aside from all that... where is the bracelet?" Gigi asked, leaning closer as she adjusted the white towel wrapped around her hair."It's in my bag," I said. "When we leave, I'll show it to you. I just couldn't bring it inside."Gigi let out a soft sigh, her eyes scanning my face with deep concern. It was the weekend, and we had booked an afternoon at this quiet spa to unwind from the chaotic week. Around us, gentle music played through hidden speakers, and soft candlelight flick







