Chapter 132

Chapter 132
Gabriel's POV

I sat in the manor's second-floor study, my palm resting lightly on Isabella's slightly rounded abdomen, feeling that faint yet steady rhythm beneath. Five months now—our daughter growing inside her day by day. Each movement was like a reminder that some things were worth protecting more than power and revenge.

For the past three days, the entire underground world had been spreading rumors that I'd suffered a mental breakdown over Isabella's "miscarriage and coma," so grief-stricken I couldn't even respond when my own warehouse was attacked.

Kozlov, that greedy fool, had already begun mobilizing his forces, preparing to seize the East District docks, while the Petrov brothers were secretly contacting neutral families, hoping to carve up Sullivan territory while I was supposedly "lost in grief" and unable to pay attention.

Good. Let them keep believing this performance.

"Gabriel?" Isabella's voice, gentle yet tinged with concern, interrupted my thoughts. I immediately pulled my attention back to her. She lay on her side on the leather sofa, one hand protecting her belly, the other holding that worn copy of The Little Prince. "What are you thinking about?"

"About how to build up our little princess's dowry." I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, then rose and walked toward the desk where a newly delivered encrypted file waited. "She'll need considerable assets in the future."

Isabella tried to sit up. I quickly went over, my hands steadying her shoulders as I carefully arranged cushions behind her back. "Don't move around—the doctor said you need to rest."

"I'm not made of glass." She protested softly, but obediently leaned back against the cushions, her gaze following my movements as I returned to the desk. "Quincy mentioned earlier that someone wants to meet with you?"

"Douglas." I opened the encrypted file, scanning the internal communications records, confirming what I'd already suspected. "Marcus has backed him into a corner—in three months, if he doesn't find an ally, Donovan will absorb his entire financial network."

Isabella frowned, "You're going to ally with him?"

"No." I adjusted the parameters on the encryption device, my fingers operating rapidly across the touchscreen. "I'm going to let him think he's allying with me when in reality, he's just another piece I'm using against Marcus."

I turned to look at her, a cold smile curving my mouth. "As for payment—half of the Donovan family's power."

Her eyes brightened momentarily before dimming again, shadows crossing her face. "Marcus won't give that up easily."

"He won't have a choice." I walked back to her, crouching down to meet her eyes, my hands braced on either side of her on the sofa. "Douglas will attack him financially, cutting off his cash flow. Without money, his arms business grinds to a halt. Without arms, his position in the underworld will be completely lost."

My hand settled on her abdomen, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. "When that happens, I'll destroy him personally and make him understand what it costs to threaten my woman and child."

Isabella's hand covered mine, her expression complex, making my chest tighten. "I'm just worried all this is too risky."

"Compared to letting Marcus continue breathing, this is nothing." I brought her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles gently. "Trust me, Isabella. I'll give you and our daughter a safe world."

The communications device chimed. I rose and returned to the desk, initiating the encrypted video conference. The screen gradually revealed Douglas's face—pale, haggard, like a cornered animal driven to desperation.

"Sullivan." His voice was hoarse, every syllable carrying exhaustion and wariness. "I heard you recently experienced some... misfortune."

"Are you testing my current state, or are you gloating?" I leaned back in my chair, my tone as calm as if discussing the weather. "Don't waste time, Douglas. You didn't contact me for pleasantries."

He fell silent for a moment, his eyes full of calculation and desperation. "Donovan has absorbed three of my major financial strongholds in the past two months, frozen my accounts, and bought off two of my core members." He drew a deep breath, his shoulders sagging slightly. "At this rate, I'll have nothing left in three months."

"So you came to me." My expression remained indifferent. "But here's the problem, Douglas—why should I help you? Right now you're like a sinking ship, and partnering with you might drag me down too."

"Because Donovan is your enemy too." His tone became urgent, almost pleading. "He killed your child, destroyed your warehouse, and now the entire underground world is waiting to watch you collapse. You need an ally, Sullivan—someone who can dismantle Donovan's economic lifeline from the inside."

I let out a cold laugh, the sound harsh. "You're overestimating your value. Even without you, I can destroy Marcus. And how can you guarantee you won't betray me at a critical moment? After all, partnering with Marcus might be safer than partnering with me—at least he looks stronger right now."

Douglas's face grew even paler. "I... I can sign an agreement, I can give you hostages—"

"Hostages?" I interrupted him, my tone full of mockery. "Your family? Your son died in a car accident three years ago, your daughter married abroad, your wife passed from cancer two years ago. You're alone now—what exactly would you use as collateral?"

He froze, clearly not expecting me to know such intimate details so thoroughly.

"However—" I leaned forward, my tone shifting to serious, "I can give you an opportunity. Not because I need you, but because I want Marcus to suffer more before he dies."

Hope flashed in Douglas's eyes, desperate and raw. "What do you want me to do?"

"Simple." I opened the tablet on my desk, pulling up a detailed financial report. "In the past six months, Marcus has laundered over five hundred million dollars in arms money through three shell companies, and that money ultimately flows into a secret account." I turned the tablet so the camera faced the screen. "I need you to use your connections in the financial system to freeze those accounts and simultaneously short-sell all the stocks of his legitimate enterprises."

"That... that would completely sever his cash flow." Douglas's voice dropped to barely audible, understanding and fresh fear appearing in his eyes simultaneously. "But it also means I'll completely offend the Donovan family—they'll stop at nothing to kill me."

"Which is why you need my protection." I set down the tablet, my tone calm. "As long as you do what I say, I guarantee Marcus won't get the chance to touch you. And—" I paused slightly, my tone growing heavier, "as compensation, after I take down Donovan's arms network, all his financial assets and connections go to you. This is win-win, Douglas. "

His breathing became labored, his eyes torn between greed and terror as he weighed my proposal. "If... if I choose not to cooperate?"

I smiled, watching him involuntarily shrink back. "Your daughter is very happy abroad—she has a husband who loves her and two adorable children. They live in an oceanfront villa and take the kids to school every morning at seven-thirty."

Douglas's face turned completely white, all color draining away. "You... you're threatening me?"

"I'm just stating facts." I leaned back in my chair, my tone calm to the point of coldness. "You can choose not to cooperate, then spend the next three months being slowly consumed by Marcus, ultimately dying in some corner where no one will find you. Or—"

"You can choose to work with me, trade Marcus's life for your safety and your daughter's family's security, and incidentally reclaim everything you've lost."

"This will take time," Douglas said after a long silence, his voice steadier than before, clearly accepting reality. "And the risk is high. Marcus isn't stupid—he'll notice."

"I know." I nodded, acknowledging his concern. "Which is why I'll attract his attention from the front. While he's busy dealing with me, you'll have enough time to make your moves."

A final trace of hesitation flickered in Douglas's eyes, "Mr. Sullivan, forgive my bluntness, but in your current state, can you really tie down Marcus? The outside world thinks you're—"

"What the outside world thinks doesn't matter." I cut him off, my voice carrying a hint of threat. "What matters is that Marcus thinks it too. He currently believes I'm too distracted by personal problems to manage family business, so he'll let his guard down. And that is exactly our opportunity."

Douglas stared at me for a long time, his gaze searching my face for any sign of collapse. Finally, he nodded slowly. "I agree. But I need your guarantee—a guarantee of my daughter's family's safety."

"Done." My response was brief and forceful. "Tomorrow you'll receive a detailed action plan. Remember, Douglas—this is your only chance. Don't disappoint me."

I severed the connection. The screen went dark, reflecting my own face in the glass.

"Will he do it?" Isabella's voice came from behind me.

"He will." I turned and walked back to her, settling on the sofa beside her. "Because he has no other choice. Marcus has already backed him into a corner—now he can only gamble that I'll win."

Isabella looked at me, her expression complex. "Do you really believe he won't betray you?"

"I don't need to believe him." I gently stroked her abdomen, feeling our daughter's subtle movements. "I just need to ensure the cost of betrayal is higher than cooperation. And—" I felt a stronger kick against my palm, my mouth curving upward involuntarily, "I never planned to lose this game from the start."

Another movement rippled under my hand, more pronounced than before. Isabella laughed softly. "She seems to understand what you're saying."

"Of course she understands." I leaned down to press a kiss to her belly, speaking softly to our daughter. "My little princess is smart—she knows Daddy is building her dowry."

Isabella raised an eyebrow, concern mixed with a hint of amusement. "Are you planning to give her half the underworld when she grows up?"

"Why not?" I said it seriously, meaning every word. "She's the Sullivan family heir—everything good in this world should belong to her. Including an environment safe enough for her to freely choose her own life."

Isabella's eyes grew misty. She leaned her head against my shoulder, her body relaxing into my embrace. "Sometimes I wonder, if someday our daughter asks about all this, asks what her father did to protect her... what should I tell her?"

"Tell her the truth." I pulled her closer, breathing in the scent of her hair. "Tell her that her father once walked in darkness, but he met a woman—a woman who made him willing to clear away all that darkness for her and their child."

Outside, night deepened. The manor's lights came on one by one, like beacons declaring that the master of this house had not fallen.