Chapter 2 - The Penthouse Suite
The luxurious penthouse at the top of the Mercer estate was bathed in warm, golden light.
Dr. Parker, an old physician who had served the Mercer family for decades, finished examining the sleeping baby on the bed.
"Noah is slightly underweight and fighting a mild cold, but he is fundamentally healthy," the doctor announced with a warm smile.
Gabriel let out a ragged breath, rubbing his tired face with his scarred hands.
"And Leah?" Gabriel asked, glancing toward the lavish master bathroom where the woman was taking a hot shower.
"She is severely malnourished and suffering from deep tissue bruising, but she will survive," Dr. Parker replied while packing his medical bag.
"She took excellent care of that infant, Gabriel."
"She clearly starved herself so she could afford to buy him expensive formula and medication."
The doctor quietly left the room, nodding to the two armed guards stationed in the hallway.
Gabriel walked over to the edge of the mattress, gently brushing a dark curl from Noah's peaceful forehead.
The bathroom door clicked open, and Leah stepped out wearing a soft silk robe that the housekeeping staff had provided.
Her wet hair clung to her collarbones, and without the dirt covering her face, Gabriel realized she was breathtaking.
"He finally stopped crying," Leah whispered, not wanting to disturb the fragile peace of the room.
She walked over to the bed, her bare feet silent on the thick Persian rug.
"I was so terrified that the men in the black SUVs were going to find us in that condemned apartment," she confessed.
"You described the vehicles to my men earlier, Leah," Gabriel said cautiously.
"Did you happen to see any specific markings or logos on the doors?"
Leah closed her eyes, forcing her exhausted brain to revisit the worst night of her life.
"There was a silver emblem painted on the rear bumper of the lead car," she answered, her voice shaking slightly.
"It looked like a snake wrapped around a bloody dagger."
Gabriel felt his blood run ice cold as the terrifying realization struck his brilliant mind.
The silver serpent was the official crest of the Volkov syndicate, a rival Russian mafia family.
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They had broken a longstanding ten-year peace treaty to assassinate his beloved brother.
Gabriel's dark eyes hardened into lethal steel as he mentally prepared to burn the city to ashes.
