Chapter 1 - The Rule Breaker’s Defense
"Are you saying my sons lack discipline?" Gabriel’s voice was smooth, dark, and dangerously calm as he stepped closer to Emma.
Emma Brooks swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked at Gabriel Moretti—a man who commanded empires with a flicker of his eyes, a billionaire whose dark suits were as sharp as his legendary ruthless nature.
"No, Mr. Moretti," Emma said, standing her ground despite her trembling knees. "I’m saying your sons lack joy. They don't need another drill sergeant in a white apron telling them to sit straight. They need a father who lets them get mud on their knees."
Gabriel’s jaw tightened. The silence on the wet lawn grew so dense that even the triplets stopped babbling, sensing the sudden shift in the air.
"You speak bold words for a woman whose employment contract can be terminated with a single phone call," Gabriel murmured, taking another step forward.
"Then fire me," Emma replied softly, looking straight into his dark, piercing eyes. "But before you do, look at them. Look at Leo’s smile. He hasn't cried once today."
Gabriel turned his gaze to his three sons. Leo was holding Lucas’s hand, both boys looking up at their father not with fear, but with an open, hopeful curiosity that had been absent for nearly a year.
Gabriel looked back at the thick rope in Emma’s hands. As he took a closer look at the frayed hemp rope, his breath caught in his throat.
May you like
Tucked tightly inside the central weave of the rope was a small, rusted silver tube—a hidden capsule marked with a tiny emblem: a stylized rose entwined with a blade.
It was the personal seal of Isabella, his late wife.
