Chapter 64

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“I can’t. She’ll be fine. She’s not alone. Her friends are with her,” Gabriel replied, his tone calm but distant.

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He was still holding his phone when a message popped up on the screen. It was from Sofie.

“I’m sorry to bother you during working hours, sir, but I thought you should know our whereabouts, Isla’s friend just arrived from Teriporto–someone named Betsy. We’re at a club. It seems your brother owns the place. She’s still not doing well for now. I’ll keep you informed p>

Gabriel finished reading the message and let out a long, weary breath. His expression darkened for a moment before he hid it behind a mask of calm.

“Is anything the matter?” Ben asked, noticing the tension on his friend’s face.

Gabriel turned, walked back to the couch, and sat beside him. “Nothing to worry about,” he replied shortly.

“Yeah, right. Like you’re not worried yourself,” Ben said, rolling his eyes. “Look, if it’s about Isla, I think we should just go there right now p>

“I can’t,” Gabriel said, checking his wristwatch. “I have a very important meeting at five. That’s in…” He paused, squinting at the time. “Thirty minutes to be exact. Isla will be fine. I have someone watching her p>

Ben leaned back and let out a low whistle. “Wow. Work really doesn’t go easy on you, huh? I get it. But how about we hang out at that same club after you’re done? Peter will probably be free by then too. ”

Gabriel stood, straightening his suit jacket. “Perfect. I’ll try to finish early,” he said, giving a brief nod.

“ In that case, send me the address and I’ll see you later,” Ben replied, rising to his feet. He pulled Gabriel into a quick, brotherly hug and smiled before leaving the office. The door closed softly behind him, leaving Gabriel alone with his thoughts.

For a moment, the whole problem felt too heavy on him. The weight of his responsibilities pressed on him. The empire and his complicated marriage with Isla.

He exhaled quietly, picked up his desk phone, and called his secretary. “Suzanne, move the five o’clock meeting up by fifteen minutes. And cancel the dinner reservation I had tonight p>

Anna drove through the tall black gates of a private mental hospital. The heavy metal bars swung open, her sleek car entered, they clanged shut again behind her.

and once

The hospital grounds were eerily quiet. A long driveway curved through tall trees before ending at the main building modern, white, and too clean.

She stayed inside for almost an hour before driving back out. But what Anna didn’t know was that someone had been watching her.

From a distance, a man with a camera stood by his car, snapping photos as she entered and left. The lens. captured her face clearly. It captured the tension in her jaw, the sunglasses she wore even though the sun had faded.

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When he was done, he lowered his camera, slid into his car, and drove off into the streets p>

Later that evening, Gabriel’s black car pulled up outside the club. The neon lights shimmered across the street, bouncing off the tinted windows as the music thumped from inside.

Thomas, his driver, stepped out quickly and opened the back door.

“Thanks, Thomas,” Gabriel said, stepping out. His phone was pressed to his ear as he finished a call. When he hung up, a familiar voice froze his steps.

“Gabby p>

He stiffened. That voice, he would know it anywhere. Slowly, he turned.

Delphine stood a few feet away, her perfectly styled hair glowing under the streetlights. Her face was calmed, her eyes hopeful, but Gabriel’s expression turned cold.

“Delphine,” he said flatly.

“I’m sorry I had to follow you here,” she said quickly. “But you weren’t picking up my calls p>

“That’s because I was busy,” he replied. His voice was even, but there was no warmth in it.

“Gabby, what’s happening to us?” she asked, stepping closer. “This coldness–it’s just not you p>

He met her eyes, and for a second, the man she once knew flickered behind them. But it vanished as quickly as it

came.

“You need to leave now,” he said quietly. “My wife is in this club. And as it stands, I’m still trying to clean up the mess you and my mother created.” He paused, his tone growing harder. “Come to the office tomorrow. We’ll talk then. Goodnight, Delphine p>

Gabriel turned and walked away without looking back. Content originally comes from.net

Delphine stood there, her lips parted in disbelief. For a long moment, she didn’t move. The man who once couldn’t stand to see her hurt had just dismissed her without emotion.

Inside her chest, something burned. If Gabriel thought he could just walk away, he was wrong. This woman standing here would not give up so easily. She would fight, and her fight began tonight.

Without a second thought, Delphine started walking toward the entrance, ignoring the sharp ache of humiliation twisting in her stomach.

Upstairs, on the club’s VIP terrace, laughter spilled through. The lights shifted from one colour to another, repeatedly, bathing the crowd in a beautiful glow.

Gabriel’s eyes searched the crowd until he spotted them. His two best friends, Ben and Peter, are sitting comfortably at a table. And there, between them, was Isla.

She was laughing at something Ben had said, her head tilted back slightly, her cheeks glowing with warmth. It

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was the kind of laughter Gabriel hadn’t seen in a long time. It was real, unguarded and alive.

He paused for a moment, simply watching her.

She looked radiant. Her beautiful hair framed her face softly, her eyes bright. For a second, he almost forgot everything else the arguments, the distance, the misunderstanding that had been growing between them.

He climbed the stairs and walked toward them. As he approached, Isla’s eyes caught his. Her laughter faded slowly, replaced by something deeper–surprise, maybe concussion, or better still, longing.

Then she looked behind him. And her expression changed.

She saw Delphine climbing up the entrance, and her eyes fixed on them.

A sharp ache gripped Isla’s chest. So he came with her p>

But before anyone could speak, Isla rose to her feet. Her heart pounded, but her mind had already made a decision.

She stepped forward and, without hesitation, threw herself into Gabriel’s arms. He caught her instantly, startled by her sudden move.

Then, before he could say a word, Isla pressed her lips against his.

The room fell into a stunned silence. Gasps rippled through the terrace, mixing with the soft hum of music.

Her kiss was desperate. It was filled with all the hurt, love, and confusion she had bottled up for so long. And though Gabriel hadn’t expected it, something inside him stirred. His hands tightened around her waist, pulling her closer as the world blurred around them.

Down below, Delphine stood frozen, her eyes wide, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She watched as the man she had followed, the man she believed still belonged to her, kissed another woman right before her eyes.

Delphine felt something dangerous bloom inside her.

Florence

Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.