“What the hell are you saying? That is my card, and my father’s name is Mr. Whitewood,” Gabriel said, to which the lady sneered.
She suspected he was a scammer because she expected the son of the richest man to be more presentable, accompanied by delegates, and draped in expensive jewelry, but Gabriel only had a bag on his shoulder and low-quality attire for a Whitewood.She picked up the phone right away and called security, while Gabriel continued to prove his identity, but she ignored his words.“You can check my information. My face, perhaps.” He said, and she scoffed, pushing Gabriel’s hand away from the counter.“The identity of young master Whitewood will be revealed tonight, so if you do not say what you have done to him, you will be kissing the gray walls of the prison every day, you riffraff.”“I am Gabriel Whitewood!” He yelled, pulling out a large sum of money from his bag and splashing it on her, but she did not care. This raised her suspicions more.People started to murmur. Knowing that it would harm her reputation, she attempted to make Gabriel look“Calm down, people; this thief will soon be removed from the premises.” She said.Her words cut deep, and Gabriel had had enough, so he took out his phone to call his father, but before he could dial, he felt strong hands grab him.“Let me call my father and prove it!” Gabriel shouted.“Or call other thieves to hijack this place? Think again.” The lady said with a straight face. “Whisk him away, boys!” She commanded.He released his hand from the men’s grip and marched towards the counter, grabbing the woman by her collar. People took out their phones to capture the scene. The guards yanked Gabriel away at once.“You will regret doing this,” Gabriel said, boring his eyes into hers..He had never faced such public humiliation until now.“This man right here might have kidnapped the boss’s son and is attempting to impersonate him. Arrest him!” She yelled, and the men grabbed Gabriel’s hands, pushing them backward.Gabriel was insignificant in comparison to the buff men standing in front of him. He tried to fight, but their grip on him was too tight, and the more he struggled, the more they tore his shirt. worst-caseworst case scenario. I am being assaulted! A whitewood!” Gabriel yelled, but the men tightened their grip on him, pulling him away from the customers’ eyes.When they arrived at the front door, they threw him into a pool of water near the hotel, causing his hands to bruise from the rough coal tar. Gabriel attempted to stand, but the pain burned and caused him to fall back. He looked at the men with pain etched in his soul.“Now, stay out!” They yelled, turning back to leave.“You will regret this, and do not come crawling on your feet,” Gabriel said, as they both laughed and walked away.Gabriel stood up right away and attempted to call his father, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice.“Gabriel?” Brittany called out in a frail tone, rushing up to him.She became enraged when she noticed his filthy clothes. Mr. Whitewood was conducting an experiment with his son, but things were getting out of control. She tried to help him inside, but he drew his hand away. It was evident he had taken too much.“I am calling my father because I am tired of playing games.” Gabriel said to her, but she grabbed his phone.“Let us go, I will handle it,” Brittany said as she walked him into the reception..She marched straight to the receptionist and threw her ID at her.“Madam Brittany, I do not need an ID to recognize you,” she remarked, and Brittany scoffed.“You may need one to recognize Young Whitewood. I want you to clean your desk right now,” she yelled, before asking the man on standby to fill in for the receptionist. “The guards that assaulted him will be demoted too,” Brittany said, and the receptionist stared wide eyed, hoping she was in a dream.“I want the confiscated card and his money!” She said and the lady hurriedly handed them over to her.“I.. I..” The receptionist stuttered, but when Brittany stared hard enough, she scurried away for safety.Gabriel, who had had enough and was already out of touch with emotions, asked to be shown his room. When he got there, he tossed himself on the bed, wondering if he was ready for the life ahead of him. Everyone would know soon that he was powerful, and they would fear him, but it all seemed weird.“Please, Gabriel, get dressed for the function. We’ll have a chauffeur come pick you up,” Brittany said to Gabriel, who was trying to figure out what his life would be in a couple of hours.The clothes Brittany had purchased arrived at once, and she opened the large bag containing a suit, and gave it to Gabriel, who reluctantly took it.“I need to get going so I can prepare.” She spoke to him, and Gabriel grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes.“You’ve been of far more help than I imagined, here,” he said, handing her the paper bag containing the gown that he had purchased earlier.Brittany’s eyes widened in surprise, because the gown cost almost her entire month’s salary, which she could not afford even if she tried.“I simply cannot take this.”“I command you to, as your boss’s son and soon-to-be boss,” Gabriel said, straight-faced. Brittany was still stunned, but Gabriel grabbed her hand.“The person I fought tooth and nail for does not deserve it anyway, so today is your lucky day,” he told her, and she thanked him.“You do not need to give me that long speech. I am tired, and I would like to rest before I come down for the occasion,” he told her, and she left the room at his request.Gabriel took a bath right away, then rested briefly before changing into his luxurious suit. He tried not to be overwhelmed by the day’s activities, but there was one thing he looked forward to: crushing Lily. He had been so blinded by love that he didn’t know she was a monster until today.When Gabriel finished dressing, he took a moment to organize my thoughts before being interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Brittany, dressed in the lovely gown he had bought for Lilly.“You look amazing,” he said, and her face turned red.She came with a couple of men who were supposed to be his aides, but after what he had seen today, he did not think he needed them, so when they arrived at the venue, he told Brittany to lose them.Brittany thought it was a bad idea, but they both noticed Lily walking in with Daniel. Brittany vanished, and Daniel went to meet his friends. When Lily saw Gabriel, a smile spread across her face.“Poverty stricken Gabe all dressed up in a borrowed suit just for me, how cute.” Lily stated that the moment she met Gabriel...Lily’s words to Gabriel were demeaning, but he knew he only needed to be patient for a while. The entire night was going to be about him, and Lilly would soon come to regret her actions when she learned Daniel would not be the CEO.“Lily,” Gabriel mouthed, and she laughed loudly, sipping from the glass of wine in her hand.“I know I am very attractive, Gabriel, but I think you should move on. You should stop bending over to impress me, because it does not work. Daniel and I would get married in a few weeks,” she told him.It was difficult to move on with one’s first love, but Gabriel knew he had to let her go. He could have any woman at this point in his life because he was going to be the wealthiest man in the city tonight.“Even if I wanted to speak, I know you would not let me, but all I can say is that you will undoubtedly regret your actions tonight,” Gabriel said with his hands in his pocket, causing Lily to scoff.“If I were you, I would crawl to me before it was too late; time
While the celebration was going on, Lily dashed out to call her mother. She called her twice, but she did not answer, and then a car pulled up next to the door where Lily stood.“What is the rush, young woman?” Lily’s mother yelled, and Lily turned off her phone to see her mother dressed in a stunning gown that glowed like a disco ball.Freda got out of the car and dashed towards Lily. “I know you are excited about Daniel being on top, but you can’t...”Freda paused when she noticed Lily’s mascara-smudged face.“What happened?”“Gabriel,” she said, and Freda’s brow wrinkled. Without asking questions, she grabbed Lily’s hand and marched into the hallway. “For the past twenty-four hours, I was the poorest man on the streets. My in-laws kicked me out and used me as a dirt bag, among other things. If someone had told me I would be here giving this speech, I would have punched them in the face, but this is the best birthday I have had in my twenty-five years on this planet. Happy birthda
Lily was heartbroken when she saw Gabriel with another woman. She had completely loved Gabriel, but her mother poisoned her against him, and he was becoming a burden to her, but she expected him to love her back.She watched him talk to the petite brunette, who did nothing but giggle while she drank shots from the alcohol table until her throat burned.“If I were you, I would leave right now,” someone said, and Lily dropped the shot glass to find Mr. Whitewood standing beside her, a smile on his lips.“Look at my son. I have never seen him happier in a long time, and I thank you for leaving his life,” he said, to which she hissed.Mr. Whitewood seemed off to her. He was a con artist because he could fool the entire city all year by going undercover with no face reveal.But she was not here to argue; she just wanted Gabriel back, and all she could think about was what she could buy with all of his money.“You and I both know how much I love Gabriel. No woman will love or satisfy him as
Gabriel enjoyed feeling Lily’s lips on his after a long time, but his heart ached so much that he knew he had to save himself the last bit of respect he had left in the world, so he gently pulled her away from him.“Gabriel, please accept my apologies; none of those things I said were intended.”When she said this, Gabriel averted his gaze, knowing she was only trying to blackmail him.“Lily, please do not start this now. There are many people at this party, and I do not want to start a fucking fight.”She scoffed as he said this.Gabriel was about to speak when he noticed Maureen entering the hall with a group of men, her brow wrinkled and her body soaked. He sighed inwardly, wondering what the universe had in store for him, and he knew if he did not attend to Maureen, his father would be furious. “Excuse me,” he said, brushing Lily aside and approaching Maureen.When Lily spotted Maureen, she dug herself deeper into the crowd and headed for another exit.“Maureen?” Gabriel called o
After the saga with Maureen, Gabriel searched for Lily through the crowd, and when he could not find her, he sat outside, thinking about how to best punish Lily for what she had done. “She deserves nothing but crusts,” he yelled, drawing everyone’s attention. “The house is burning; everyone run!” someone yelled, causing panic. Everyone started running around, but Gabriel remained glued to his seat for a split second because he did not understand what was going on. “Gabriel, what the heck are you doing here? The house is on fire, and we need to get out of here,” Brittany said, grasping his hands. The warmth of her hands jolted him back to reality, prompting him to rise to his feet. They ran as fast as their feet could carry them, jumping into an awaiting vehicle. ** “No lives were lost last night at the swearing-in party for the new president of Whitewood Industries, but I must admit that it was a chaotic event. Let us hear from our correspondent about what exactly…” Gabriel cl
“What is wrong, babe? You appear stressed,” Lily said in a low tone, a smile on her face. “I saw you on the streets helping those poor people, and I came over with a couple of gifts for you, because I am proud of you,” she said, but Gabriel’s expression remained as hard as concrete. Gabriel, who was angry, looked at Brittany, who kept a straight face, prompting Lily to turn around. “Has she done anything to you?” Lily grabbed his hand. “If she did, you know we can.” “Oh, fucking stop the act, Lily!” Gabriel said in a loud voice, drawing his hand away from her and startling her. “What do you take me for? A fool?” Lily stepped back as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Her heart raced as she imagined he had discovered her secret. “Gabby, what are you talking about? I love you and sincerely hope you can forgive me. I apologize for what happened, and…” “Enough with the pity story, Lily. We all know you started the fire, and you put my family’s company at risk. Do you even think b
Gabriel’s disagreement with Lily had made the week less than pleasant. His father arranged for him to attend the Astor’s charity event, which was being hosted anonymously by Whitewood Industries.“This would be an excellent opportunity to make amends with Maureen for what happened the last time. A wonderful friendship may blossom.”His father’s last words rang in his ears, and the next thing he could tell, he was highlighting from a car after hours of flight to an event he didn’t want to be at. Maureen stood in front of the house in a beautiful black dress, smiling at every visitor who passed through the door, while Gabriel walked nervously to the door, wondering what Maureen would do after what had happened the previous time.“Gabriel Whitewood,” she said, giving him the warmest smile as he approached the door.Gabriel, who was confused, forced a smile on his face and took her hand, which she extended for a handshake. The handshake lingered for a while before Gabriel cleared his thro
“Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on, Dad?” Gabriel asked his father, who only smiled faintly.“You will not understand right now, son, but you will in a few months or years. No matter how long it takes,” his father said, gently patting him on the back.Maureen slipped her hands into Gabriel’s arms just as he was about to speak.“Ms. Astor,” Gabriel’s father said with a huge smile on his face.The two shook hands, and Mr. Whitewood walked away, leaving Gabriel to stare at his father until he vanished into the crowd. He was lost in thought for a while as he walked toward the crowd with Maureen.“Mr. Quiet, it is almost time for the charity, so please cheer up.”Maureen’s words sliced through his thoughts.Gabriel faced her, trying to maintain a cheerful expression, but all he could think about was Brittany’s sad expression and what his father had done. Lily’s words about his father rang in his ears, but he did not consider Brittany evil. He felt something was wrong with hi