Chapter 4 - The Study at Midnight|
The guests were dispersed to the terrace under the watchful eyes of Gabriel’s security team, their whispers buzzing like hornets in the night air.
Inside Gabriel’s private study, the only sound was the crackle of the wood-burning fireplace.
Gabriel stood behind his massive walnut desk. The leather folder that Daniel had retrieved from Isabella’s private guest quarter sat open under the amber desk lamp. Beside it lay the tarnished silver key and the stolen documents from Elena’s armoire.
I stood near the door, holding Sophie’s hand. I knew I should have gone back to the kitchen to help clear the untouched catering trays, but Gabriel had explicitly ordered me to stay.
Isabella sat in a high-backed leather chair across from him, her posture rigid, her tear-stained face pale.
“It’s not what you think, Gabriel,” she tried one last time, her voice trembling. “The papers... I was only having them appraised for the family trust! Elena left behind intellectual property rights to her family’s shipping logistics software. I was trying to consolidate your portfolio before the wedding!”
Gabriel slowly picked up a document from the folder. It wasn't an appraisal.
It was a transfer of power of attorney—drafted in Isabella’s name—waiting for a forged signature. And behind it were the complete intake forms for Westbridge Academy, including a clause that relinquished Gabriel’s parental custody during school terms due to 'paternal incapacity.'
“You weren't just trying to send my daughter away, Isabella,” Gabriel said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “You were setting up a legal framework to declare me unfit to manage Elena’s estate, using Sophie’s placement as leverage.”
Isabella swallowed hard. “Gabriel, please—”
“Who was the Thursday lady?” Gabriel interrupted, leaning forward over the desk. “Who was buying Elena’s software files from you?”
Isabella went silent, her jaw clenching.
Gabriel didn't lose his temper. He simply picked up his pen and signed a document on his desk, then slid it to Daniel.
“Cancel the Marconi family’s dock contracts at Port of Chicago,” Gabriel instructed smoothly. “Terminate the loan guarantees I signed for her father’s firm yesterday morning. And inform the state police that we have a burglary and child endangerment complaint to file.”
Isabella gasped, springing up from the chair. “You can't ruin my father! He has nothing to do with this!”
“You brought your family into my house the moment you laid a hand on my daughter,” Gabriel said, his dark eyes fixed on hers. “Daniel, remove her from the property. If she sets foot on DeLuca land again, shoot her.”
Two guards took Isabella by the arms. She didn't scream or cry as they dragged her out; she merely glared at me with pure, unadulterated hatred as the heavy oak doors shut behind her.
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating quiet.
Gabriel rested his face in his hands, his broad shoulders slumping for a brief second before he straightened up. He looked across the room at his daughter, who was clinging tightly to my apron.
“Hannah,” he said softly.
May you like
“Yes, Mr. DeLuca?”
“Bring her here, please.”
