Chapter 136

Chapter 136
Isabella's POV

Quincy fired, the bullet hitting the ground at Aiden's feet, sending cement fragments flying. Aiden returned fire, the bullet grazing Quincy's shoulder. Quincy's shirt was instantly stained red with blood.

"Fuck!" Quincy clutched his shoulder, his face contorting in pain. "You actually shot me!"

The situation spiraled completely out of control. The subordinates split into two factions, some raising guns at Aiden, others at Quincy. Just as tensions reached their peak, police sirens sounded in the distance.

"Police are coming!" someone shouted.

Quincy and Aiden exchanged glances and holstered their weapons. Quincy clutched his bleeding shoulder and said viciously: "This isn't over."

"I'll be waiting." Aiden replied coldly.

The video ended there.

I looked up at Gabriel. His expression was calm, even carrying a trace of satisfaction: "Well performed."

"Was Quincy really injured?" I couldn't help asking.

"Blood pack." Gabriel explained. "When the bullet grazed him, the pack burst. Looks serious, but not even a scratch on his skin. Though for authenticity, he did take a punch—probably has some rib bruising."

"This video has spread throughout the entire underground world now." Gabriel continued, his fingers typing on the keyboard, pulling up other intelligence.

"They all believed it?"

"Of course." Gabriel leaned back against the sofa, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. "The video was too realistic. And Quincy and Aiden are usually my most trusted right and left hands. Now even they've turned against each other—who would doubt it?"

I fell silent. The baby kicked again, this time hitting my stomach, making me slightly nauseous. Gabriel immediately noticed, supporting me to stand: "Not feeling well? Should you rest?"

"I'm fine." I shook my head, taking several deep breaths. "The baby's just kicking a bit hard."

Gabriel placed his hand on my belly, gently stroking. The baby seemed to sense his touch and kicked again, this time right under Gabriel's palm. His eyes instantly softened, his lips curving into a genuinely warm smile.

"She's greeting me." He said softly, his forehead touching mine. "Our little princess."

Marcus's POV

Night had fallen deep when Felix finally brought me the video that was spreading like wildfire through the underground. In the Donovan estate study, only the laptop screen provided light. I sat at the desk, replaying that damned video for the seventeenth time.

On screen, Quincy and Aiden were facing off at the dock. I hit pause, freezing the frame on the moment Quincy took the bullet to his shoulder. Blood spread across his white shirt, Quincy's face contorted, the subordinates all stunned—every detail so realistic.

"Too perfect." I murmured, my finger sliding across the touchpad, enlarging the image. "So perfect it's almost unreal."

I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. Gabriel had just collapsed, and his two most loyal subordinates couldn't wait to fight for power?

Too convenient. Too fucking convenient.

I replayed the video, observing each frame more carefully. That line Quincy said—"Gabriel no longer deserves to lead Sullivan"—the contempt and ambition in his tone; Aiden's furious counterattack, the pain of loyalty betrayed; the subordinates' tension and hesitation—

It all seemed too perfectly aligned with what I wanted.

As if someone knew what I desired and laid it all out before me.

But the details in the video were so real. Armed standoff, gunfire, bloodshed—these weren't things that could be easily faked. And according to Felix's intelligence, Gabriel had indeed been staying at the estate these past few days, completely ignoring family business.

I rubbed my temples. Three consecutive days without much sleep, my mind was getting muddled. On one hand, my instincts were warning me "this might be a trap"; on the other, my ambition was roaring "this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—miss it and it's gone forever."

The North District dock was already in hand—one of the Sullivan family's important strongholds. Gabriel had shown no reaction, just watching as I occupied the dock. If he still maintained his reason and control, how could he tolerate such a thing?

"He really has broken down." I opened my eyes, staring at the screen showing Quincy bleeding. "After all, he's never truly loved anyone before. Isabella is his first weakness, and now this weakness has even lost his child."

Besides, even if Gabriel wanted to set a trap, would he really let Quincy and Aiden fire guns at the dock? Would he involve the police? Would he let the entire underground world know about Sullivan's internal conflict? The cost would be too high.

My finger paused on the touchpad, hesitating.

This timing was just too good.

Gabriel losing control, the dock secured, Douglas's betrayal, Quincy and Aiden's internal conflict—everything was developing in the direction I'd hoped for. If I didn't act now, once Gabriel recovered, once the Sullivan family restabilized, I might never have such an opportunity again.

I stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside was the Donovan estate garden; in the moonlight, those carefully trimmed trees cast twisted shadows. In the distance, the city's lights flickered—how much of those lights already belonged to me?

The North District dock, several warehouses in the East District, and several funding chains seized from Douglas—the red areas belonging to Donovan on the map were expanding, while Sullivan's blue areas were shrinking.

"Gabriel, you've lost." I said softly, my voice carrying the pleasure of victory. "You thought you could have both power and love, but you were wrong. Love is weakness, a soft spot, poison that makes you lose everything."

I turned around, looking at Felix who had been standing silently by the door, waiting for orders. My heartbeat accelerated, ambition roaring in my chest. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the moment I'd been waiting for. Gabriel had fallen, the Sullivan family was disintegrating, and I—I would stand on the ruins and become this city's new king.

"Contact Quincy." I said, my voice calm.

Felix froze: "Boss, you mean—"

"Yes, the Quincy from the video." I walked back to the desk and sat down. "Contact him secretly. Tell him that as long as he's willing to cooperate with Donovan, after Gabriel falls, I'll support him in controlling the Sullivan family."

"But—" Felix hesitated, and I saw the concern in his eyes. "What if this is a trap—"

"A trap?" I cut him off, my tone dismissive. "You saw the video. Was that a trap? Quincy really took a bullet, the police really intervened, the entire underground world knows about Sullivan's internal conflict. If Gabriel still had the ability to set such a complex trap, he wouldn't have lost even the dock."

Felix wanted to say more, but seeing my expression, he finally just nodded: "I understand."

"How ironic." I laughed softly, the sound echoing in the empty study. "You were once so powerful, Gabriel, but now you've become vulnerable because of love. And I understood long ago that in this world, only power is eternal."

I shut down the computer, stood, and walked to the window. Moonlight fell across my face. I could feel victory within reach. That feeling excited me, made my blood boil.