Chapter 14 - The Confrontation
The heavy oak doors of the Vance estate library flew open with a blinding crash that made Eleanor Vance jump in her leather chair.
Gabriel stood in the doorway, his chest heaving, his dark eyes burning with a terrifying, murderous fury that seemed to darken the entire room.
In his arms, he carried Clara, who was clutching her bruised shoulder with a pale, tear-stained face, her dress dusted with dirt from the conservatory floor.
“Gabriel, what on earth is the meaning of this intrusion?” Eleanor demanded, standing up from her desk as Julian trailed nervously into the room behind them.
Gabriel didn't answer immediately; he walked over to the leather sofa, gently lowering Clara onto the cushions with absolute, protective tenderness.
Once he was sure she was secure, he turned around slowly, fixing Julian Vance with a stare so lethal the younger man actually took two steps backward.
“Your nephew just assaulted my fiancée in the conservatory,” Gabriel said, his voice dropping into a quiet, vibrating register that promised pure violence.
“That is a lie!” Julian shouted, holding up the manila folder like a shield between himself and Gabriel’s approaching figure.
“She isn't his fiancée, Aunt Eleanor! Look at these contracts! Gabriel hired her! He paid for her brother's medical treatment in exchange for her acting as his date to trick you into signing the merger!”
Eleanor Vance took the folder from Julian’s shaking hands, her sharp blue eyes scanning the legal agreements and financial bank transfers in silence.
The room went dead silent, the clock ticking on the mantle sounding like a hammer striking an anvil with every passing second.
When Eleanor finally looked up from the papers, her face was an unreadable mask of disappointed aristocracy as she fixed Gabriel with a hard stare.
“Is this true, Gabriel?” Eleanor asked coldly. “Did you fabricate this entire engagement simply to manipulate my board of directors?”
Gabriel didn't flinch, nor did he try to deny the signatures on the paper or invent another clever PR spin to save the deal.
He walked back to the sofa, sitting down beside Clara and taking her uninjured hand between both of his own without breaking eye contact with Eleanor.
“The contract is authentic, Eleanor,” Gabriel admitted clearly, his voice ringing with absolute, fearless honesty.
“I originally brought Clara into my life as a business transaction to secure your confidence. It was cold, manipulative, and purely professional.”
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He looked down at Clara, his thumb brushing over her knuckles as his expression softened into genuine, unmistakable worship.
“But somewhere along the way, the contract ceased to matter. I fell completely, irrevocably in love with her, and I would burn this entire deal to the ground before I let anyone hurt her again.”
