Chapter 12 - Lily's Choice
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The question hung in the air, heavy with the weight of a life hanging in the balance.
Lily stared at Gabriel. He was offering her the ultimate power. The power to decide the fate of the man who had tried to break her.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Gabriel knelt in front of her, resting his hands gently on her knees. He looked up at her, his dark eyes completely stripped of the terrifying mob boss persona. Right now, he was simply a man offering her justice.
"I can have my men handle him," Gabriel said softly. "You never have to see his face again. He will disappear into the dark, and you can walk away from this with a clean slate. I will give you enough money to start over anywhere in the world."
Lily looked down at his large, calloused hands resting on her legs. The thought of running away, of taking the money and disappearing to a beach in Europe, was incredibly tempting. It was the safe choice.
But then she thought about the storage closet. She thought about the utter helplessness, the terror, the way Ryan had laughed when she cried for help. If she walked away now, she would be running for the rest of her life.
"Or?" Lily asked, her jaw tightening.
Gabriel’s eyes flashed with a dark, dangerous approval.
"Or," Gabriel murmured, his voice dropping to a gravelly purr, "you stand beside me tomorrow night. You look him dead in the eye and watch his entire world crumble. You let him know that the girl he thought was invisible is the reason his empire is burning."
Lily’s heart pounded against her ribs. The fear was still there, but it was being rapidly eclipsed by a burning, undeniable rage. For years, she had made herself small to survive. She had smiled when she was insulted, she had looked down when she was harassed.
She didn't want to be small anymore.
Lily reached out, her small hands covering Gabriel’s.
"I don't want to hide, Gabriel," Lily said fiercely, her voice steady and clear. "I want to watch it burn."
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A slow, terrifying, beautiful smile spread across Gabriel’s face. He turned his hands over, intertwining his fingers with hers, holding her tight.
"Then we burn it to the ground together," he promised.
