Chapter 323

BRANDON'S POV

My jaw tightened until my teeth hurt. I held the phone tight against my ear, my eyes never leaving Aria and Amelia across the room.

"What do you want, Gabriel?" I asked, keeping my voice down to a harsh whisper.

Gabriel let out a dark, dry laugh over the line. "Are you really pretending you do not know what I want, Brandon? I want your life. I want every single thing you hold dear."

"Your problem is with me, Gabriel," I said, my knuckles turning white around the phone. "Leave Aria and Amelia out of this. If you are a man, come for me alone."

"And what fun would that be?" Gabriel taunted softly. "Where is the joy in that if I do not dismantle your perfect little life first?"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, fighting the urge to smash the phone against the floor.

"How can you be so cruel?" Gabriel yelled, his smooth tone cracking with sudden rage. "How can you love another woman when you were married to the best woman in the world? How do you sleep at night?"

"I am not betraying Clara," I said, keeping my words firm and steady. "I loved her, and I still remember her every day. But I moved on with my life, Gabriel."

"You killed her," Gabriel hissed through the speaker, his breath heavy. "Clara would still be breathing today if it was not for your foolishness. But I want to come to terms with it now."

I frowned, stepping closer to the glass window. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I want to meet you face to face," Gabriel said. "Just you and me. I will send you a location. If you do not come, I will take it as a sign that you refuse my peace offering. And then I will strike your world without warning."

"How do I know I can trust you?" I asked plainly.

"You cannot," Gabriel replied with a cold laugh. "You cannot trust me at all. But if you want your sweet new family to stay safe, you do not have much of a choice, brother."

I took a deep breath, looking back at my daughter sitting at the dinner table. "Fine. Send me the location. I will meet you."

"Good," Gabriel said. "Wait for my text."

The line went dead.

I took two slow breaths to calm my face, put the phone back in my pocket, and walked back to our table. The sweet smell of the food was still in the air, but my appetite was completely gone.

Aria looked up at me the moment I sat down, her brow pulling together in deep concern. "Brandon? Is everything okay?"

I forced a soft smile onto my lips, reaching out to pat her hand. "Yes, baby. Everything is fine. Just a small issue with the regional office."

I could see the sharp suspicion in her dark eyes, but she looked at Amelia and chose not to push me or ask questions in front of our daughter.

Amelia rubbed her eyes with her small fists, letting out a long, heavy yawn. I leaned over, scooped her up off her chair, and held her against my chest.

"Our little princess is tired," I said softly, looking at Aria. "Let us head back home."

Aria nodded quietly. "Okay."

The drive back to the estate was completely silent. Antonio drove the sedan through the quiet streets while Dominic sat up front in the passenger seat, his eyes constantly checking the side mirrors. Aria sat beside me, resting her hand on my knee, while Amelia slept soundly on my lap.

When we pulled into the driveway, I carried Amelia straight upstairs to her bedroom. I laid her down gently on her soft bed, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"You will always be safe," I whispered in the dark room, smoothing her hair back. "As long as I am alive, no one will ever touch you."

I turned and walked back downstairs.

Aria, Dominic, Marcus, and Antonio were all standing in the main living room, waiting for me. Aria walked over, took my arm, and led me over to the large leather couch.

We sat down together, and the three guards stood in a quiet circle around us. "Tell us what happened on that call, Boss," Dominic said, his face grave.

I did not hide anything from them. I explained Gabriel's words, his threats about Clara, and his demand for a one-on-one meeting.

"I am going to meet him," I finished, looking around the room.

"No," Aria said instantly, her hand gripping my arm so tight her nails bit into my jacket. "No, Brandon. Absolutely not. It is a trap. Gabriel will stop at nothing to harm you. I will not let you walk straight into his hands."

"She is right, Boss," Marcus added, shaking his head. "It is too dangerous. Gabriel does not offer peace. He wants you dead."

Dominic nodded in agreement. "We cannot let you go out there alone, Boss."

Antonio stood slightly behind them, his arms folded across his chest, keeping his mouth shut. I turned my eyes toward him.

"What do you think, Antonio?" I asked.

Antonio stepped forward slowly, looking at me with a sharp, calculating expression. "I think we should turn this into a trap, Boss."

Aria frowned up at him. "A trap? How?"

"We all know Gabriel has been getting information from inside our network," Antonio explained, his voice low and calm. "There is a spy among our secondary security detail. What if we use this meeting to lure that spy out into the open?"

"Go on," I said, leaning forward.

"Gabriel is a smart man, Boss," Antonio said. "He knows you are strong. He wants to draw you away from this house. The moment you leave the estate to meet him, Gabriel will try to strike this mansion and take Miss Aria and little Miss Amelia."

"So what do you suggest?" Dominic asked.

"We give Gabriel his meeting," Antonio replied smoothly. "We turn the tables on him. We give him his own terms, feed the fake timeline to our team, and flush out the traitor among us before Gabriel even realizes what happened."

I looked at Antonio for a long second, seeing the cold logic in his plan.

"Do you have a full plan, Antonio?" I asked.

Antonio gave a single, firm nod. "Yes, Boss. I do."