Chapter 3 - The Apex Predator
The entire wedding came to a dead, suffocating stop.
Guests gasped loudly. A prominent senator in the third row dropped his champagne glass. It shattered on the stone path, but no one even blinked.
Julian’s face twisted in absolute, agonizing devastation. "Threw you away?" he choked out, staring at the three heirs he had been told I could never give him. "Clara... are they...?"
"Security!" Vivian shrieked, jumping out of her chair, her perfectly maintained facade shattering into pure, unhinged panic. "Get this lying trash out of my home! Remove her and those bastards immediately!"
Four massive estate guards immediately stepped into the aisle, reaching for me.
"If a single one of you touches my wife or my children," a low, vibrating voice commanded from the back of the aisle, "you will leave this estate in bags."
The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop twenty degrees.
The guards froze instantly. Every head turned.
Gabriel Vance stepped out of the shadows of the mansion’s archway. He was the undisputed king of Southern real estate, a ruthless, terrifying billionaire who swallowed old-money families whole and dismantled corporations for sport. He was also the man who had found me three years ago, exhausted and struggling, and built an empire around me to keep us safe.
Gabriel walked slowly down the aisle, his dark eyes radiating a lethal, demonic authority. He didn't look at the guards. He didn't look at Julian. He walked straight to us, effortlessly scooping Maya up into his arms and pressing a kiss to her temple.
"Good girl," Gabriel murmured to her, before resting his free hand protectively on the small of my back.
May you like
He finally turned his predatory gaze to Vivian.
"This is not your home, Vivian," Gabriel stated lethally.
