Chapter 174
The study was dimly lit, the scent of expensive whiskey lingering in the air as Gabriel swirled a glass in his hand.
The warmth of the drink burned down his throat, but it did little to ease his frustration
He had been sitting in this chair for the past hour, poring over files, making calls, and working to erase any trace of evidence that could tie his son to the crimes he was accused of.
However, all his efforts were futile because Williams Garcia refused to let him win.
Every time he destroyed a piece of evidence, another one surfaced. Every time he bribed someone into silence, another opened their mouth.
Gabriel was beginning to feel the weight of it all. It was as if the walls were closing in on him.
The shrill ring of his phone broke the silence, and he exhaled sharply before answering.
“Speak he ordered.
“Sir,” a familiar voice said from the other end.“1
Thave news
Gabriel’s grip on the glass tightened. “Well? Don’t waste my time. You know how busy I am.”
There was a short pause before the man finally said, “Antonio Garcia was stabbed in prison last night.”
There was silence for a few seconds before Gabriel chuckled.
It started as a small sound before it grew into a full–blown laugh, the kind of laughter that came from deep satisfaction.
Finally, he had received some good news. Even though he hadn’t sorted out his son yet, receiving news about Antonio’s downfall was a huge win in his book, one that soothed his spirit.
Antonio had been untouchable for too long, but now? Locked away in a prison cell? He was vulnerable.
And the best part? He hadn’t even needed to lift a finger.
Someone else had done his work for him. He wondered which of Antonio’s enemies had ordered the hit, and he was sure it wasn’t just pure coincidence.
“How bad was it?” Gabriel asked, leaning back in his chair as he wanted to hear that Antonio was fighting for his life which would eventually end with him being brought dead
“He lost blood and the guards had to step in and move him to the infirmary. They then moved him to another facility.”
Gabriel hummed in approval, swirling the remaining whiskey in his glass. “Good. That bastard has had it 100 easy
easy for to
too long.
But his satisfaction was short–lived as the next words from the caller wiped the smirk clean off his face.
“But he survived
The ice in Gabriel’s drink clinked as his fingers tightened around the glass
“Whair
“Yes, sir. He survived the attack. The report says he isn’t in good shape, but it looks like he’s going to recover.
Gabriel’s jaw clenched.
Just like that, his good mood vanished.
Why wouldn’t Antonio just stay downt
The bastard had been stabbed in prison, a place where he had no allies, no power, and yet he still managed to survive!
His hand twitched, resisting the urge to throw the glass across the room.
“Anything else?” he asked, his voice clipped.
1/4
10:21 AM c
Chapter 171
The caller hesitated. “No, sir. That’s a all for now
“Then why the hell are you wasting my time, you asshole?” Gabriel snapped before ending the call. He had improved his mood only to send him back to the hole he crawled our from and deeper this time
He tossed his phone onto the desk, running a hand through his hair,
Antonio was supposed to be rotting in that cell, helpless and broken. He was supposed to be dead.
Instead, he was still breathing.
And worse William was working tirelessly to get him out.
Was this really a win for him if his son was in prison?
And Lily?
Gabriel scoffed at the thought
He hadn’t even bothered to check on her since she was locked up,
shr
e had been useless for years–more of a liability than an asset. All she did was spend his money and cause trouble.
She couldn’t even take care of Zabelle without causing Vanessa to get kidnapped. If she had raised Zabelle well, that fool would have never dared to move out of his house let alone get married to Antonio
Now that Lily was temporarily out of the picture, the house was quieter.
Peaceful
For the first time e in years, he didn’t have to listen to her pathetic whining or endure her failed attempts to be a mother.
Good riddance.
Gabriel took another sip of his drink, his mind racing with new ways to ruin the Garcias while simultaneously trying to find a way to free his son.
But before he could dwell too much on his thoughts, a knock on the door interrupted him.
“What?” He frowned.
The door opened slightly, and one of the house helpers peeked inside, her expression uneasy
“Sir,” she said hesitantly. “There are two detectives here to see you
Gabriel’s brows furrowed.
Detectives?
For what? Was it for Lily or his son?
He placed the glass down on the desk and rose to his feet. “Did they say what it was about?”
The helper shook her head. “No, sir. But they asked to speak with you personally
Gabriel exhaled sharply, adjusting his suit.
“Fine,” he said. “Tell them I’ll be down in a moment.
The helper quickly nodded and shut the door.
As soon as she was gone, Gabriel’s face darkened,
He wasn’t a fool.
Detectives didn’t just show up unannounced unless they had something.
His gut told him this wasn’t about Lily or his son
Chapter 174
And when he finally made his way downstairs and saw the two officers waiting for him in the grand living ro
room, his suspicions were confirmed.
The taller one stepped forward, extending his hand. “Mr. Pierce, I’m Detective Howell, and this is Detective Grant. We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us”
Gabriel ignored the outstreiched hand as he wasn’t interested in playing friendly. “What’s this about?” He got straight down to the point
The sooner they arrived at it, the faster they would leave his house.
The detective dropped his hand and pulled out a small notepad.
“We wanted to ask you a few questions regarding the death of Zain Pierce, your younger brother, Howell said smoothly
Gabriel remained impassive just as he had trained himself, but internally, his entire body stiffened, and his mind was thrown into chaos.
They reopened the case. He remembered William’s words. He had been too preoccupied with his son that he had totally forgotten about that.
“That was years ago Gabriel said, keeping his tone neutral 1 don’t see why it’s relevant now
“New evidence has come to light, Howell replied.
Gabriel’s fingers twitched at his sides, but he gave nothing away
“Is that so he asked, feigning mild curiosity.
“Yes.” Detective Grant chimed in. “And we’re speaking with anyone who may have had knowledge of his death or involvement with him prior to the incident.
Gabriel exhaled, keeping his face unreadable. “Like I said the last time, he lost his mind when he found out he lost his child, said life wasn’t living. and then went for a drive. The next thing I know, I’m receiving a call about him driving his car off the edge of a cliffTM”
Detective Howell nodded as he jotted something down. “Of course, But we’d still like to clarify a few things. Where were you on the night of his death?”
Gabriel leaned back slightly, slipping into his usual mask of arrogance. “I was at a business meeting”
“With whom?”
Gabriel smirked, “Do you expect me to remember everyone I’ve had a meeting with years ago!”
“Surely a a man like you keeps records, Howell said smoothly.
Gabriel’s jaw ticked.
These men weren’t here just to ask questions,
They were fishing.
Trying to see if he would slip up. If they were doing so, then he was one of their
Damn William.
suspects
But he wouldn’t slip up, not in a million years. He had nothing to worry about. Plus there was no evidence tying him to Zain’s death.
“T’d be happy to cooperate, Gabriel said with a cold smile. “If you get a warrant. You see, I owe a duty to whom I do business with, and I can be sued for breaking that trust”
The detectives exchanged a look before Howell slid a card across the table.
“We’ll be in touch, Mr. Pierce,”
Gabriel took the card and watched them leave.
The moment the door shut, his fingers curled around the card tightly.
So.
They wanted to dig up old ghosts?
Fine.
But he would make sure that whatever evidence they thought they had, disappear.
Just like thirty years ago X
would rule Zain’s death a suicide, and he would win once again.
