Chapter 6 - The Rival's Offer
Within forty-eight hours, the transformation was complete.
I officially signed on as Chairwoman of Legal Strategy for Vance Global. My office on the 60th floor of Vance Tower in Hudson Yards was twice the size of my old one at Vale Meridian, featuring panoramic views of the very river traffic I was now controlling.
Margaret Shaw joined me as senior managing counsel, bringing six of Vale Meridian’s top corporate associates with her. We didn't just leave Adrian’s firm—we gutted its entire legal infrastructure.
Sitting in Gabriel’s private office on a Friday evening, surrounded by glowing screens tracking international shipping lanes, Gabriel poured two glasses of twenty-year-old scotch.
He handed one to me, his fingers lightly brushing against mine. A thrill of electric heat shot up my arm—a sharp, sudden reminder that I was a free, independent woman who was no longer bound to a shadow.
“To new beginnings,” Gabriel murmured, raising his glass.
“To building things that don't fall apart,” I replied, clinking my glass against his.
We drank.
“My private investigators tracked Sloane Bennett,” Gabriel said, leaning back against his desk, his eyes fixed on me. “She’s hiding out at a private estate in Long Island owned by Julian Moretti.”
“She thinks Moretti is going to protect her,” I said, taking a slow sip. “She doesn't realize mobsters like Moretti don't keep loose ends around once the federal government starts issuing subpoenas.”
“She has one final card to play,” Gabriel pointed out. “The forged Harbor Nine transfer was recorded with the port authority, but under maritime law, a hearing must be held within seven days to confirm or void the transfer deed. That hearing is set for Monday morning.”
“Julian Moretti will show up with his lawyers, claiming Apex Maritime bought those shares in good faith,” I analyzed instantly. “If he wins that hearing, he gains legal access to the terminal docks.”
“Unless,” Gabriel smiled, his dark eyes gleaming, “the original creator of the compliance architecture shows up with evidence that voids the deed entirely.”
“I’m going to that hearing,” I said, my voice hardening.
Gabriel stepped closer to me, standing right in front of my chair. He reached down and gently cupped my cheek with his warm hand. The touch was fiercely gentle, filled with a deep respect I had never felt from Adrian.
“I’ll be right beside you, Nora,” Gabriel promised softly. “Nobody hurts you ever again. Not Adrian. Not Moretti. Nobody.”
Before I could reply, my phone chimed with an emergency security alert.
It was a text message from Marcus Bell, who was now heading my private security detail:
Mrs. Vale, we have a problem. Julian Moretti’s men just intercepted your former trustee, Arthur Pendelton, outside his home in Westchester. They’re forcing him to sign an affidavit confirming your forged signature. You need to see this.
I stood up instantly. “Moretti is trying to force the trustee to validate the forgery before Monday.”
May you like
Gabriel’s face darkened, his gentle expression transforming instantly into that of an apex predator. He snapped his phone open and dialed his chief of security.
“Get the tactical convoy ready,” Gabriel ordered coldly into the phone. “We’re going to Westchester.”
