Page 165 of Plunge into Obsession

“People who want to take away my empire. Who hates me. But I will make sure you’re well protected. There will be a safe plan in place for you. Money that you can access at a moment’s notice. I have a safe in my office. The combination is your birthday, and it is yours to access whenever you need it. Understand?”

“Aren’t you afraid I might use that money to run away from you?”

I shot her an amused look. How fucking adorable. “You think there would ever be a place on this godforsaken Earth where you can hide and I won’t find you? You think I would ever let you go that easily?”

She leaned back in her chair. “You speak like it’s a foregone conclusion that something bad will happen,” she said.

I shrugged. “I don’t know if it will. But there is always a possibility.”

I let go of her hand and reached up, cupping her cheek. “What would I do if something happened to the center of my world?”

She took a shaky breath of air.

“Nothing will happen to you,” I vowed.

And how seriously I took that vow.

22

BIANCA

I thoughtabout Gabriel’s words throughout lunch.

I barely tasted the food that I was sure cost more than my entire month’s salary from the club.

It hadn’t been that long since I’d stopped working, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

And Gabriel said it was only my past now.

It almost made me feel sad.

All those sleepless nights, worrying about money or whether I would be able to afford groceries that week.

It all seemed so pointless.

And now…

Apparently, what Gabriel had was mine.

I was still trying to wrap my head around that, along with all he had said.

Sometimes he talked like he…

Like he might actually love me, but that wasn’t possible, was it?

I looked up at him when I was nearly finished with my food. He leaned back against his chair and took a sip of his water, watching me. Everything he did was just so… refined, despite the roughness of him, that I couldn’t help but take notice.

He was just a walking contradiction.

A beautiful contradiction.

And I was so distracted by the sight of him, I nearly forgot what I wanted to ask him.

“The girls at the club…”

“What about them?” he asked.

“Can you promise me something?”

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