Chapter 39

Gabriela had barely stepped out of the car when Wesley's face hardened into something grim and unyielding, the air around him turning frigid with menace.

Billy sat rigid, not daring to move an inch.

He had never seen Wesley like this before. Even when Brenden had pushed his limits, Wesley's temper had been measured-at most, a cutting glare or a clipped reprimand. But now, the cold fury radiating off him was almost suffocating.

With a slow breath, Wesley shut his eyes, forcing the storm inside him to settle. His hand went to his tie,loosening it with a sharp tug. "Look into that guy," he said, his voice low but edged like a blade.

"Got it, sir," Billy answered at once.

"And make sure he never gets close to Gabriela again," Wesley added through clenched teeth.

The image of what could have happened if he'd arrived seconds later clawed at Wesley's mind.

The idea of her being dragged away-harmed, vulnerable-made his blood run hot and his muscles coil with a savage, near-uncontrollable urge to destroy.

Meanwhile, Gabriela stayed locked to the spot, watching Wesley's car melt into the twilight until its taillights bled away in the distance. Shedrew in a steadying breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped inside.

Today, she was damn well going to make Phyllis pay.

But the moment she crossed the living room threshold, Phyllis pounced, her voice sharp with accusation."Rhys brought you flowers today to make you happy. In the middle of winter, he stood shivering outside your office for quite a while, waiting for you. And what did you do? You had someone rough him up and snap his wrist! I heard it won't heal for months!"

A slow, icy smile tugged at Gabriela's lips. "He got exactly what he had coming." Phyllis's tone rose, brimming with indignation. "How can you be so heartless? Rhys was willing to look past your shortcomings and give you another chance-all because of me! You should be grateful and try to get along with him. Instead, you humiliated him in public and tossed his bouquet straight in the trash.How could you be so cruel?"

Phyllis's agitation mounted, as if Gabriela had committed some grave, irredeemable sin.

Josh's gaze hardened with quiet reproach. "You crossed a line, Gabriela. If your mother were still here,she would never stand for you disgracing the family like this."

For a beat, Gabriela stood motionless, her features unreadable, though a flicker of something dark stirred in her eyes.

"That's right," Phyllis chimed in, voice laced with indignation. "Rhys is livid. I've been going out of my way to smooth things over, but nothing works. All because of you, I upset him and threw away a valuable friendship."

"If my mother were still here..." Gabriela's voice came soft at first, almost a whisper. Then she lifted her head, her eyes locking sharply on Phyllis and Josh. "If she were still here, she'd never let you-some conniving bitch-steal my room, kick me awake in the dead of night, or ban me from my own bed. And she sure as hell wouldn't stand by while you snatched my clothes and shoes, or forced me to grind through high school just to scrape up tuition."

Phyllis's expression twisted in shock as she retorted, "You're lying! This house is in my mother's name-"

"If my mother were still here, she'd never force me into a blind date with some greasy creep. No way would she let that asshole come to my workplace, spewing crap about me, and try to drag me into a car for all to see." Gabriela's voice cut like a blade, each word sharpwith unshakable conviction, her eyes blazing with unrestrained fury.

Phyllis instinctively backed away, step after stumbling step, until she collapsed onto the sofa, her face drained of color.

Gabriela closed in, looming over her, eyes blazing like a predator locking onto prey. "I don't know how much Rhys paid you off, but get this through your head-if he so much as shows his face near me again, I'll make sure you pay the price right alongside him."

The meek, long-suffering Gabriela who once swallowed every insult was gone, replaced by a woman fierce enoughto make the air between them feel dangerous.

A glacial sharpness burned in Gabriea's gaze, freezing Phyllis mid-breath.

Josh stood rooted to the spot, his thoughts in disarray.

Gabriela's sharp retort clashed starkly with everything his wife had told him.

He knew Phyllis could be a little spoiled, but he'd always brushed it off as harmless bickering between1 girls.Never had it crossed his mind that Gabriela carried such deep, simmering resentment.

His complexion drained of color, and for a moment, he didn't know which side to take.

Then Phyllis jolted back from her stunned silence, fury snapping her out of it. "Are you out of your mind,Gabriela? Your mother died young-gone before you even turned eight! Well, she spared herself the shame of seeing the disappointment you became. If it weren't for my mom, you'd have starved in some gutter.She put food in your mouth, clothes on your back, and paid your way through college-and now you're after my family's property? What kind of heartless creature are you?"

Her voice rose to a screech as she shoved at Gabriela's shoulders.

Gabriela could have walked away, could have swallowed her anger like she'd done countless times before.But when her late mother was mentioned, something inside her snapped.

Without a second's hesitation, šhe seized a fistful of Phyllis's hair,yanking her head back.

"You've been stealing what's mine since we were kids," she spat, her voice low and trembling with rage."Spreading lies, dragging my name through filth. You sent rascals after me in high school, and now you've planted a sleazy man outside my office to corner me. Tell me, how do you live with yourself being such a rotten piece of shit?"

Gabriela had always prided herself on her control-on never letting cruelty get under her skin.

Phyllis's petty jabs had never been worth more than a dismissive glance; even the bullying she endured as a child hadn't cut as deep as the little irritations life threw at her day after day.

With age and experience, she'd learned to see Phyllis's schemes for what they were-small,spiteful garnes that barely deserved a reaction. Still, some wounds, no matter how trivial, never truly healed. They lingered like faint scars, invisible until something pressed on them.

And after Rhys's humiliating stunt today, those stains flared to the surface. Her coworkers' muffled laughter and sly glances followed her like a shadow. She could fake indifference and keep her chin high and her smile steady, but Wesley had been there. He'd seen the spectacle.

What was he thinking now?

He wasn't just her boss-he was the man she'd silently admired above all others, the man she could never afford to let see her as pathetic.

Gabriela's fury mounted as she lashed out, her fingers digging in tighter.

Phyllis's scalp burned under the merciless grip, her shrieks cutting through the air as she thrashed and clawed, desperate to pry Gabriela's hands away.

"Dad, help me! She's lost her fucking mind!" Phyllis wailed, her voice cracking.

Josh froze, utterly unprepared for the chaos unfolding before him.

His gaze darted from Gabriela-her expression shadowed, jaw clenched in pure rage-to Phyllis,who had lashed out with vicious words at Gabriela's late mother.

The insult snapped something in him. For the first time in years, anger surged up and overrode his hesitation. His hand came down hard across Phyllis's cheek. "Shut your mouth. Show some respect for your deceased aunt!"

The sharp crack echoed in the room. Both women halted, stunned by the sudden intervention. Gabriela's grip instinctively tightened in the silence that followed, and with a sickeningrip, a thick tuft of Phyllis's hair tore free.

A sharp tearing sound split the air, followed by Phyllis's piercing scream. The sudden sting and rush of cold air on her scalp left her frozen for a beat.

Then her eyes widened in horror at the fistful of hair in Gabriela's hand. She touched the tender bald patch,gasping, before lunging at Gabriela in a wild frenzy.

"I'll fucking tear you apart!" she shrieked.

Josh caught Phyllis before she could hit Gabriela, creating some distance between them.

Gabriela lowered her gaze to the dark tangle of hair in her fist, her breathing gradually steadying.

She smoothed her own mussed hair back, then fixed Phyllis with an icy glare. "Tell Rhys-if he shows his face to harass me again, I'll have him thrown in jail."

Without another glance, she carried the clump of hair like a trophy and strode toward her room,her steps sharp and deliberate.

Josh and Phylis were left standing in the living room, the heavy silence stretching between them like a noose.

Phyllis thrashed even harder, her voice breaking with outrage. "Dad, you actually hit me? How could you?Look at GGabriela-so smug and arrogant! Rhys is willing to ignore her dalliance with some sugar daddy,yet she still treats him like dirt. And she hit me first!"

Josh stood rooted to the spot, confusion clouding his features, unable to decide who was telling the truth.

He couldn't fathom why the two of them were locked in such a bitter conflict.

For Gabriela, years of swallowing Phyllis's petty torments had finally paid off in this single, gratifying moment.

Even if Phyllis and Marie twisted the story and Josh took their side later, she still felt untouchable.

She set the clump of hair into a delicate box as if it were a rare keepsake, snapped a photo, and uploaded it to her WhatsApp status.

The caption read "A Meaningful Trophy"-a post visible exclusively to Phyllis.