Prologue
"Stop joking. Three million dollars for these?"
The man in his late thirties slammed his palm against the polished mahogany table.
His voice reverberated through the enormous meeting room, disturbing the silence that had settled over it.
"You must be out of your mind."
Nobody answered.
Nobody dared to.
At the head of the table sat Master Gabriel.
Still.
Unbothered.
Almost frighteningly calm.
His broad frame rested against the back of his chair, one ankle casually placed over the opposite knee. His tailored black suit fit him perfectly, emphasizing the strength beneath it without making any effort to do so.
There was no unnecessary movement.
No visible irritation.
Not even a flicker of surprise.
Only those dark eyes.
Cold. Steady. Watching.
Master Gabriel had the kind of presence that made a room feel smaller simply by entering it.
He didn't need to raise his voice.
He didn't need to threaten anyone.
His silence was often enough.
The men standing behind him understood that better than anyone.
Both dressed entirely in black, they stood with their hands folded behind their backs, expressions impassive.
Until the client's voice rose again.
"Three million for this shipment? I could get the same thing for half the price."
One of Master's guards shifted.
Then the other.
Their shoulders stiffened, muscles tightening beneath their suits.
One step.
That was all it took.
Both men moved forward simultaneously.
The client's eyes briefly flickered toward them.
But before either guard could say a word, Master Gabriel lifted one hand.
Stop.
The command was silent.
Absolute.
His men immediately halted and returned to their positions.
Their expressions remained controlled, but their clenched jaws revealed everything they refused to say.
The client noticed.
A smug smile tugged at his lips.
He mistook restraint for weakness.
That was his first mistake.
"Fine," he said, settling one hand on the table. "One point five million, and we are finished."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Master Gabriel chuckled.
It was quiet.
Low.
Dark.
The kind of sound that made the guards exchange a brief glance.
Master slowly lowered his leg and leaned forward.
"I do not offer charity."
His voice was smooth, controlled, and unmistakably authoritative.
"Three point five."
The client's smile disappeared.
He stared at him.
"What?"
"Three point five million."
Master Gabriel leaned back again, repeating.
The conversation was apparently over.
The client blinked several times.
"You just increased the price." He spat pointing point.
Gabriel's gaze remained fixed on him.
"Yes."
"Because I offered you one point five?" He frowned.
"No." Master replied.
A pause.
"Because you wasted my time."
The room fell silent again.
The client stared at him in disbelief.
"You cannot be serious."
Master Gabriel said nothing.
The man's frustration grew.
"Are you joking?" The client gritted his teeth.
Still nothing.
Only that steady gaze.
He finally looked away, rubbing his jaw in irritation.
Everyone knew who Master Gabriel was.
Everyone knew what came with his name.
His weapons were considered some of the finest in the underworld. They were precise, reliable, and sought after by people who understood that quality could mean the difference between walking away from a deal and never walking away at all.
But his weapons weren't the only reason people came to him.
His network was.
His protection was.
His influence was.
Master Gabriel's operations stretched far beyond what most men could comprehend. His routes crossed borders. His shipments moved quietly through cities, ports, and private channels.
And somehow, his people were rarely caught.
Those who tried to interfere usually found themselves facing consequences long before they ever reached the source.
There were whispers about his connections.
Officials.
Powerful businessmen.
Government figures.
People whose names never appeared in newspapers but whose decisions could change the course of an entire industry.
Some said Master Gabriel had influence over the highest levels of power.
Some said he had the government working for him.
Others claimed that the government simply knew better than to stand in his way.
No one knew the complete truth.
And those who did were wise enough to keep it to themselves.
His name alone was enough to open doors.
His enemies feared him.
His allies respected him.
And those who wanted something from him paid dearly for the privilege.
Because Master Gabriel did not negotiate like ordinary men.
He dictated.
"Four."
His voice suddenly cut through the room.
The client looked at him again.
"Four million?"
Master Gabriel merely nodded.
The man's fingers curled into a fist.
"You cannot keep changing the price."
"I can."
Two words.
Nothing more.
The man's nostrils flared.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the man sitting opposite him.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"You enjoy this, don't you?"
Master Gabriel's expression remained unreadable.
"I enjoy efficient business."
"Then perhaps you should learn to negotiate." The client uttered.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Gabriel's mouth.
"Perhaps you should learn when to stop talking."
The client fell silent.
For the first time, uncertainty entered his eyes.
But pride was stronger.
He wasn't accustomed to being dismissed.
Especially not by a man who was younger than him.
He leaned back in his chair, studying Master carefully.
Then his eyes narrowed.
There was something almost playful in his expression now.
If money could not provoke him, perhaps something else could.
Something personal.
The thought made the man smile.
"Five million dollars."
Gabriel didn't respond. The client then continued.
"And your wife for one night."
Silence.
The guards froze.
The man's smile widened.
There it was.
A reaction.
Master Gabriel slowly lifted his head.
His dark eyes met the man's.
Something had changed.
The calmness was still there.
But beneath it was something far more dangerous.
The room seemed to grow colder.
The client's confidence faltered for half a second.
Yet instead of retreating, he dared continue.
"I heard you married Fernandez's second daughter."
Master Gabriel's jaw tightened.
The client noticed.
And he smiled in victory.
He believed he had finally found the one weakness behind the legendary master.
"She is quite beautiful, from what I have heard."
Nothing.
No response.
The client leaned forward.
"People speak about her often."
Master Gabriel's fingers rested quietly against the arm of his chair.
His eyes never left the man.
"Her beauty."
A pause.
"Her figure."
Another pause.
"Her name... Elena."
The client's smile became more daring.
"I must admit, I have always wondered what it would be like to have a woman like that for myself."
One of the guards lowered his gaze.
Not because he was afraid.
Because he knew what was coming.
Master Gabriel's expression had become completely still.
Too still.
The client, intoxicated by his own courage, continued.
"I wonder how she would—"
BANG!
The sound shattered the room.
The man's sentence died instantly.
His body went limp against the chair.
For a moment, the world seemed frozen.
The smoke from the gun curled lazily through the air.
Master Gabriel stood with the weapon still raised.
His face was emotionless.
Not a trace of regret.
Not even a hint of hesitation.
The guards remained perfectly still.
They had witnessed their master's anger before.
But this was different.
This wasn't anger.
It was possession.
The kind that came from a boundary being crossed.
Master Gabriel lowered the gun.
His eyes remained on the lifeless man.
"He should have known better."
His voice was quiet.
Almost conversational.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Master?"
Gabriel handed him the gun.
"Clean this room."
The guard nodded.
Then Gabriel looked toward the body.
His expression hardened.
"Feed him to the dogs."
"Yes, Master Gabriel."
The two men moved immediately.
There was no hesitation.
No question.
No discussion.
Because everyone who served Master Gabriel knew one thing.
There were rules in his world.
Rules written in blood, loyalty, and fear.
You could challenge his business.
You could question his price.
You could even walk away from a deal.
But there were things no one was permitted to touch.
His family.
His territory.
His loyalty.
And above all—
his woman.
Elena.
His wife.
The woman whose name had become sacred in a world where nothing was.
Master Gabriel adjusted the cuff of his shirt as though nothing had happened.
Then he turned toward the enormous windows overlooking the city.
Thousands of lights glittered below.
The city continued moving, completely unaware of what had just happened several floors above it.
Master Gabriel stared into the distance.
His expression softened for only a fraction of a second.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But enough to reveal that somewhere beyond the darkness, there was one person who could reach the man everyone else feared.
Elena.
The woman who had somehow become the only exception to every rule he had ever lived by.
The only person who could make Master Gabriel lower his guard.
The only person whose name could turn his cold heart dangerously protective.
And perhaps the only person who had no idea just how many men would willingly burn the world down simply for looking at her the wrong way.
Including her husband.
Master Gabriel turned away from the window.
"Let's go."
His men followed immediately.
The doors closed behind them.
Leaving nothing but silence.
And a dead man who had discovered far too late that there were some prices no amount of money could ever afford.
