The heat from Jakob's proximity sent a violent shudder down Gemma's spine.

She pushed against his chest, her palm flat against the hard wall of his suit.

"Don't touch me," Gemma hissed, her chest heaving. "Show some respect. You're standing on Roberson property."

Jakob let out a harsh, barking laugh. His eyes turned ice-cold.

"Roberson property?" he mocked, stepping even closer. "Do you even know whose money built the foundation of this trust fund, Gemma?"

The words hit her like a physical blow to the head.

Suddenly, the sound of the ocean wind morphed into a deafening, mechanical roar.

A phantom tremor shook her, a memory of distant, catastrophic sound.

Gemma's face lost all color. Her vision narrowed into a dark tunnel.

She felt the crushing weight of a past sorrow, heard echoes of a desperate plea.

She stumbled backward, her spine hitting the freezing marble of a Roman pillar. Her hands clawed desperately at the fabric of her dress.

Her lungs forgot how to pull in oxygen.

Jakob's mocking smile vanished instantly. He saw the pure, unadulterated terror in her eyes.

His jaw clenched. He took a quick step forward, his hand reaching out to grab her shoulder.

"Gemma?" his voice dropped, losing all its cruelty.

Before his fingers could make contact, the glass doors slammed open.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Joseph roared, storming out onto the patio.

The loud noise snapped Gemma out of her flashback. She gasped for air, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Joseph grabbed Gemma's arm firmly, pulling her behind him, glaring at Jakob like a rabid dog protecting its bone.

Jakob slowly lowered his hand. He slid both hands into his trouser pockets, his face returning to a mask of absolute indifference.

"Just catching up with my sister-in-law," Jakob drawled, his eyes flicking to Gemma's pale face. "She looks like she's going to pass out."

"Stay away from my wife," Joseph spat. "Your Silicon Valley money doesn't make you God here."

Jakob didn't even dignify that with a response. He let out a dark chuckle, turned his back, and walked toward the side entrance of the ballroom.

The second Jakob was gone, Joseph turned to Gemma, his face a mask of fury. "Are you trying to humiliate me?" he hissed, his voice tight with anger. "Don't you dare look at that bastard again."

Gemma winced and ripped her arm free. "I was just getting some air."

Joseph ignored her. He turned sharply, his menacing glare a command she felt compelled to obey, and led her back into the blinding lights of the ballroom.

He forced her to stand next to a group of Wall Street investors, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist in a fake show of affection.

Gemma stood there like a lifeless doll, nodding and smiling on command.

Just as the fake socializing reached its peak, the massive mahogany doors of the ballroom were thrown open.

The live orchestra abruptly stopped playing.

Kassandra Baird stood in the doorway, wearing a blindingly bright red, plunging evening gown.

A collective gasp echoed through the room. The wealthy socialites immediately began whispering behind their champagne glasses, their eyes darting between Gemma and the mistress.

Joseph's face turned a sickly shade of gray. He hadn't expected Kassandra to be this insane.

Kassandra ignored the stares. She lifted her chin and began walking directly toward Joseph and Gemma.

Gemma's grip on her champagne flute tightened until her knuckles turned white. Her eyes turned to sharp ice. The battle had come to her.

Kassandra stopped right in front of Joseph.

She reached out with her red-painted nails and slowly adjusted his bowtie, a blatant display of ownership.

"Joseph," she purred, her voice loud enough for the investors to hear.

Joseph stood completely frozen, too terrified of the board members watching to push her away.

Kassandra then turned her head, looking Gemma up and down with a pitying smirk.

"Gemma, you look so tired today," Kassandra said sweetly.

Gemma didn't even blink. She slowly took a sip of her champagne, refusing to give the woman a single word of acknowledgment.

Around them, the older women hid their mouths behind their hands, whispering about Gemma's pathetic lack of a spine.

Up on the second-floor balcony, Jakob stood in the shadows. He swirled the amber liquid in his whiskey glass, his eyes locked on Gemma's rigid posture. A dark scowl pulled at his lips.

Down below, Gemma felt physically sick. She placed her half-full glass onto a passing waiter's tray with a sharp clink.

Ignoring Joseph's panicked glare, she turned on her heel and walked away, heading straight for the quiet, narrow hallway near the coat check.

Once she was out of sight, she pulled her phone from her clutch. She needed to call the club again. She had to find that ring.

She dialed the number, but the line was busy.

Frustrated, she shoved the phone back into her bag.

When she looked up, a massive figure blocked the hallway.

Jakob stood there, the ice in his glass clinking softly.

"What a brilliant display of suffering in silence," Jakob mocked, his voice echoing in the narrow space. He took a step closer. "You allow yourself to be so easily diminished. You presented yourself as little more than an empty vessel out there."

Heat rushed to Gemma's face. "It's called keeping my dignity, Jakob. Not all of us like to scream like lunatics in public."

Jakob's eyes darkened. He leaned against the opposite wall, the narrow hallway suddenly feeling claustrophobic. His presence was an immovable object, a psychological cage.

He lowered his head, his gaze intense. A flicker of something unreadable-recognition? A predator's sudden, chilling satisfaction?-crossed his face before being instantly replaced by his usual cold mask.

Before he could push further, the sharp clack of stiletto heels echoed down the hall.

Kassandra marched around the corner. Seeing them standing so close, her face twisted in ugly jealousy.

Jakob let out a disgusted sigh. He pushed off the wall, didn't even glance at Kassandra, and walked away.

Kassandra stopped in front of Gemma, crossing her arms.

"Trying to seduce his brother now?" Kassandra sneered. "How pathetic."

Gemma calmly smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

"Joseph promised me," Kassandra bragged, stepping closer. "He's kicking you out of the penthouse by this weekend. And Arthur already knows about my baby boy."

Gemma looked at Kassandra's stomach.

Instead of crying, Gemma smiled. It was a terrifying, empty smile.

She leaned in close to Kassandra's ear.

"Then you better pray," Gemma whispered, her voice like crushed glass, "that Joseph's finances survive long enough for this baby to be born into wealth. Because I have the recording of you admitting to a malicious plot, and I assure you, his little empire is far more fragile than you think."

Kassandra gasped, stumbling backward, genuine fear flashing in her eyes at the pure darkness in Gemma's tone.

Kassandra stared at Gemma, her chest heaving as panic and rage warred in her eyes.

She realized she was losing control of the narrative. She glanced over Gemma's shoulder.

Joseph and two senior board members were walking toward the hallway to find them.

Kassandra's eyes widened in fake terror. She let out a piercing, theatrical scream.

"Gemma! Why would you curse my baby?!"

Gemma frowned, her muscles tensing. Before she could open her mouth, Kassandra threw herself backward.

She intentionally twisted her ankle and tumbled down the two short marble steps leading into the main lobby.

She hit the carpet with a heavy thud and immediately curled into a ball, clutching her stomach and sobbing hysterically.

The music in the ballroom died instantly.

Hundreds of eyes snapped toward the hallway.

Joseph heard the scream. His face went white. He shoved past the board members and sprinted toward the stairs.

He dropped to his knees next to Kassandra. "Are you okay? What happened?!"

Kassandra squeezed out a tear, her shaking finger pointing directly at Gemma, who was still standing at the top of the stairs.

"She pushed me!" Kassandra wailed.

A collective gasp ripped through the crowd. Disgusted whispers erupted from the wealthy guests.

Joseph's head snapped up. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with blind, irrational rage.

He stood up, his face contorted. "You bitch!" he roared, his hand clenching at his side, trembling with suppressed fury.

Gemma didn't flinch. She didn't close her eyes. She stared right into his pathetic, angry eyes, bracing for the impact.

The attack never landed.

A massive, tanned hand shot out of nowhere and clamped around Joseph's wrist like a steel vice.

Jakob Fuentes stepped out of the shadows, his face a mask of absolute murder.

With a violent jerk, Jakob twisted Joseph's arm and shoved him backward.

Joseph stumbled down the stairs, barely catching his balance.

"Security!" Joseph screamed, humiliated. "Throw this bitch out of my house!"

Four massive security guards immediately stepped forward, reaching for their earpieces, moving toward Gemma.

Jakob let out a cold, dark laugh.

He reached into his tailored suit jacket, pulled out a folded legal document, and slammed it down onto a nearby cocktail table.

"According to the emergency proxy mandate signed by the Wall Street consortium currently holding your massive debt," Jakob's voice boomed, echoing off the high ceilings.

"As the primary executor representing fifty-one percent of the hostile takeover capital, I am officially taking over all security protocols for this estate until your financial mess is audited."

He turned his lethal gaze onto the four guards.

"Per my legal authority," Jakob stated, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, "any staff acting on Mr. Roberson's personal orders will have their contracts immediately terminated. Stand down."

The guards froze. They looked at the document, felt the suffocating pressure radiating from Jakob, and immediately stepped back, lowering their heads.

The room was dead silent. Arthur Roberson stood in the distance, his face purple, but he didn't say a word. The law was the law.

Joseph looked at his brother, completely stripped of his power, his face pale with humiliation.

Gemma stood frozen, staring at Jakob's broad back shielding her from the crowd. A strange flutter of shock hit her chest.

Then, Jakob slightly turned his head.

"You simply stood there, inviting the storm?" Jakob murmured, his voice dripping with cruel disappointment. "Where is the fire you once possessed?"

Any gratitude Gemma felt instantly turned to ash. Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth ached.