**Gaia’s POV**

Vincenzo's words hung in the air like a blade poised to strike, his declaration of greed slicing through the heavy silence of the room. My father Ulric is a coward, he only wants to cooperate, but in reality, what I want is all of your gold mines. The casual arrogance in his voice, the way he leaned back in that armchair as if he were discussing the weather instead of extortion, made my blood boil. Here I was, bound and collared like some prized pet, and he was laying ...