Read Online Undefeated: Bad Boy Fighter Romance (Fighting For Gisele #4) by Emily Jane Trent - Free Book Online

protect us. It was leverage, and he could exchange it for the safety of his family. Only he didn’t get that chance.” Catarina wrapped her arms around her waist. “It was awful, sweetheart.”
    Her mother talked as she remembered more. “Andrew set up the trust for you before he went to prison. He feared for your safety most of all, so he took extreme measures.”
    “How did he gain possession of the blue diamond?” Gisele figured the mob knew all about that, so it couldn’t possibly matter if her mother told her now.
    “Once the diamond was sold, Andrew was supposed to launder the money, to cover up the theft. The gem was stolen from its rightful owner, then transported to a bank in Zurich.” Catarina hesitated. “But your father tricked them.”
    “How did he do that?”
    “The mob couldn’t imagine that a lowly accountant, one they’d terrorized, no less, would dare to go against them.” Catarina lowered her voice, as if she didn’t want to be overhead, and Gisele leaned closer.
    “Andrew had connections at the bank, as he’d had many clients with Swiss accounts. I don’t know exactly how he did it, but he managed to have a switch made, so the diamond ended up in his safe deposit box.”
    Gisele gaped. “I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
    “So when the mob opened their safe deposit box later, it was empty, and I’m sure they’ve wondered ever since where that diamond is.” Catarina paused. “Even the mob can’t bully the Swiss banks. They are renowned for their security, as many fortunes are secured in their vaults.”
    “How did you know about it?”
    “Your father told me about the trick he planned, before he was incarcerated. We talked on secure phones while I was in hiding, but he didn’t tell me how he executed his strategy. Then once he was locked up, I didn’t find out anything more.”
    Catarina shifted on the sofa, seeming relieved to have shared what she knew. “The diamond was your father’s insurance. He told them he had it, and would trade it for our freedom. It didn’t play out that way.”
    “So Father told Yuri that he’d created a trust and I’d inherit at the age of twenty-one?”
    “Yes, but he actually planned to deliver the diamond himself, once he was released from jail. It was brilliant of him to ensure your future, though, planning for the unexpected. But that was your father—he cared about you and did all he could to protect you.”
    Gisele realized the full weight of what her father had done for her. She had no idea what might have happened if Yuri hadn’t been coerced into caring for her. And she dreaded to think what would have happened to her mother.
    “Why didn’t Father send me with you to Italy?”
    “He didn’t want you to go into hiding until he knew it was safe,” her mother said. “Clearly, it wasn’t safe.”
    Gisele remembered what she’d brought with her. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved the items. She extended her arm and opened her hand. Catarina bit her lower lip, then gently took the wedding rings from her. “Andrew kept my wedding band, so that when he faked my death he could say my possessions had been sent back to him.”
    Her mother rolled the wedding rings in her palm. “Thank you so much for these. I’ll treasure them.”
    The scant minutes they had together flew by. The guard entered the room and motioned for Gisele to leave. They stood up and she hugged her mother, wishing desperately to rescue her. “I’ll get you out of here, Mother.”
    Then she kissed her mother’s cheek, and whispered softly so the guard wouldn’t hear, “The story about Father’s deception of the mob has given me an idea.”
    Leaving her mother behind ripped Gisele’s heart apart. She didn’t want to separate from her, but vowed it wouldn’t be for long. Long ago, her father’s clever trick had worked, and she thought of a ploy that hadn’t occurred to her before. There were only a few hours left to arrange it, but Gisele was