Chapter 168
Chapter 168:
Phyllis’s complexion had turned ashen. Her hands shook, and her eyes darted toward the curtained windows. She couldn’t fathom how netizens who had been hurling stones at Gabriela just yesterday had, overnight, turned their pitchforks on her. Now they were at her very doorstep, and it overwhelmed her.
Questions spun in her mind, each one colder than the last. What was she supposed to do now? And her future? What would her friends think of her now? Could she still command the room, bask in the glow of admirers like before?
Her chest tightened; panic threatened to spill over.
Seeing her unravel, Dustin wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll handle this. I’ve already called the police. They’ll be here soon to clear out the crowd p>
Josh was baffled. “Marie, explain this to me. Didn’t we already agree to give the house back to Gabriela? So why the hell are we still being dragged through the mud like this p>
𝗥𝘦a𝘥 𝘵𝗵𝘦 𝘭𝗮𝘁e𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝘳e𝘯𝖽𝘀 o𝗇
Marie’s eyes narrowed, her tone a mix of disdain and resentment. “Because your sweet niece isn’t just some helpless victim. She knows how to work the crowd. And because your darling sister kept her will from you when she entrusted her daughter to you.” She leaned in, each word deliberate. “Call Gabriela. Tell her we’ll be out after the New Year. And make it very clear that this mob at our gates needs to vanish. Today p>
When Gabriela picked up, Josh’s voice cracked instantly. “Gabriela! It’s me!” The sound of him crying made something in her chest tighten with guilt—unwelcome but undeniable. No matter what Marie and Phyllis had done, Josh had never treated her with malice.
But guilt wasn’t enough to soften her resolve. She’d swallowed her pride for years, enduring quietly, and this was the moment she’d been sharpening her patience for.
The house was just the first domino. Next came the company, until every ounce of power was back in her hands.
“Uncle Josh, I’ll make sure everyone knows you’ve always been good to me,” Gabriela said softly, with an edge beneath it. That way the public’s anger wouldn’t reach him.
Josh broke entirely, words tangled with sobs. “I didn’t know… God, I didn’t know you’d been through all that, Gabriela. I’m so, so sorry p>
When his sobs ebbed into silence, she ended the call and typed a short message to Farley. “We did it p>
After reading the message, Farley looked around at the peeling wallpaper and the sagging beams of his home. In his mind, he was back in the glittering boardrooms of years past, standing at Alanna’s side, untouchable. His eyes stung, his jaw tightened.
“I kept my word, Ms. Haynes,” he mumbled under his breath.
Aubrey had stayed quiet through the entire online firestorm, watching it burn from the sidelines.
By the time she called Gabriela again, the exhilaration of witnessing Phyllis’s downfall had faded. Her voice quivered on the line. “Gabriela, how could your life have been this awful? You must have been so desperate back then. If I’d known you then, I swear I would have ripped Phyllis to shreds for you p>
“I wasn’t desperate,” Gabriela replied with a soft laugh that carried a hint of mischief. “If I’d had spare time, I’d have rather spent it on a good meal and a long nap p>
Aubrey paused, certain Gabriela was just putting on a brave face. Her voice dropped to a tender murmur. “I really want to hug you right now p>