Chương 5 - The Woman He Was Never Supposed to Love
"Ask about Gabriel?"
Rose repeated the words slowly.
Gabriel stood beside her, staring at the frozen video.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Finally, she turned toward him.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to me."
His eyes shifted toward hers.
"I'm not."
Rose stepped away.
For a moment, all the fragile trust they had developed during the previous few hours seemed to disappear.
"My father lies. Victor lies. Everyone involved in this ridiculous marriage seems to have a secret."
Gabriel didn't interrupt.
"So tell me yours."
He looked at the message again.
Then reached for his phone.
"Cole. I want the original footage analyzed. Find out whether those words were placed there deliberately or whether we're looking at an old marking."
Rose stared.
"That's your answer?"
"No."
Gabriel set down the phone.
"My answer is that Victor wants you to distrust me. I'm trying to determine why."
"Perhaps because there's something I should know."
"There are plenty of things about me you should know, Rose."
"Then start talking."
Gabriel had never intended to become the man he was.
His father had managed freight operations in the harbor long before the Moretti name became synonymous with organized crime.
When Gabriel was seventeen, his father disappeared during a dispute involving several competing shipping interests.
The police investigation went nowhere.
His mother spent years waiting for a man who never returned.
Gabriel entered the family business at twenty-two.
By thirty, he controlled its largest financial interests and had inherited an extensive network of associates whose activities extended far beyond legitimate freight operations.
He had made decisions he wasn't proud of.
Trusted people he shouldn't have.
And built a life in which personal relationships were considered liabilities.
"That doesn't explain my father," Rose said.
Gabriel nodded.
"Three years ago, Richard approached one of my companies seeking financing. I refused. His books were a mess."
"Then why did you agree this time?"
"Because he offered access to the southern shipping routes."
"And me."
Gabriel held her gaze.
"And you."
Rose looked away.
He continued.
"I believed your father's description of the arrangement. I thought we were two adults entering a marriage of convenience. It wasn't romantic, but I assumed you had made your decision."
"I wasn't allowed to make one."
"I understand that now."
"Do you?"
Gabriel moved toward the window.
For several moments, he watched the rain strike the glass.
"When I saw you climbing down that fire escape, I realized I'd never actually seen you make a choice."
Rose frowned.
"What?"
"During every dinner, every conversation, every public appearance, you behaved exactly as Richard expected."
"Because he threatened to destroy my mother if I embarrassed him."
Gabriel turned sharply.
"He threatened Margaret?"
Rose nodded.
"He told me she would lose everything if I refused."
Something changed in Gabriel's expression.
He reached for his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Making certain Richard doesn't access another dollar of the funds my company has placed under his control."
Rose stared.
"You're freezing his accounts?"
"Only the money connected to our agreements. Anything else belongs in the hands of the investigators."
Gabriel made the call.
When he finished, Rose was still watching him.
"Why?"
"Because I'm tired of discovering new ways your father has used the people around him."
She looked down at her torn wedding dress.
"You could have prevented all this by asking me one question."
"Yes."
"Do you know what I would have said?"
"No."
"I would have said that I hated the idea of marrying you."
Gabriel's mouth moved slightly.
"I suspected that after the window incident."
Despite herself, Rose laughed.
It surprised them both.
The laugh faded.
"But I don't think I hate you now."
Gabriel looked at her.
"That's progress."
"Don't ruin it."
For the first time, he smiled without calculation.
And Rose discovered that Gabriel Moretti, when he wasn't attempting to command the entire world, possessed an unexpectedly devastating smile.
By morning, Gabriel's investigators had located an apartment previously rented by Victor.
More importantly, Evelyn had recovered the original records hidden beneath the floor of her former residence.
The files contained financial transfers, correspondence, ownership documents, and a series of suspicious payments made during the weeks surrounding Rose's grandfather's death.
One payment caught Gabriel's attention.
It had been sent to a freight security contractor.
A company previously owned by someone connected to Gabriel's father.
He understood the message immediately.
Victor wasn't simply trying to frighten Rose.
He was using Gabriel's family history as leverage.
Cole entered the conference room.
"Boss. We have confirmation on the warehouse."
"Margaret?"
"She's inside. Richard too."
"Victor?"
"Still there."
Gabriel opened a folder.
He had already arranged for copies of the evidence to be preserved outside his control.
The authorities had been informed through his attorney, and an independent investigator was coordinating the information.
Gabriel didn't intend to arrive at the warehouse carrying a briefcase full of documents and hope Victor behaved reasonably.
That would be foolish.
He intended to make certain the truth couldn't disappear, regardless of what happened next.
Rose entered wearing clean jeans, a cream sweater, and a pair of borrowed shoes.
Her blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders.
Gabriel stared for a moment.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're looking at me strangely."
"I've never seen you without a wedding dress."
She crossed her arms.
"Get used to it."
A knock sounded.
Cole entered carrying a small package.
"This was delivered downstairs."
Gabriel took it.
There was no return address.
Inside lay a silver butterfly charm.
Rose went completely still.
"That's my mother's."
Gabriel lifted the charm carefully.
A folded note rested beneath it.
Your time is running out.
Rose's eyes filled.
"He's hurting her."
"We don't know that."
"He took her charm."
Gabriel looked toward Cole.
"Who delivered it?"
"A courier. Paid in cash."
Rose grabbed Gabriel's sleeve.
"Please."
He looked down at her hand.
It was trembling.
"Please bring her home."
Gabriel had heard thousands of people make requests.
Some had offered fortunes.
Others had threatened him.
Many had promised loyalty they never intended to give.
But the quiet desperation in Rose's voice affected him in a way he found difficult to explain.
He placed his hand gently over hers.
"I'll do everything I can."
She swallowed.
"Don't promise something you can't control."
Gabriel nodded.
"Then I'll promise this: I won't abandon either of you."
That afternoon, Rose found Gabriel standing alone on the mansion's rear balcony.
The wedding decorations had been removed.
The white flowers were gone.
Someone had finally cleaned up the silk and lace she had abandoned upstairs.
Only the cold November wind remained.
Rose approached quietly.
"Did you find out what happened to your father?"
Gabriel glanced at her.
"Some of it."
"Are you going to tell me?"
He rested his hands on the stone railing.
"My father discovered someone was manipulating shipping contracts. He tried to leave the arrangement. Soon afterward, he disappeared."
"Do you think Victor was involved?"
"I think Victor knows more than he's ever admitted."
Rose stood beside him.
Below, the old iron fire escape was visible against the rear wall.
Gabriel followed her gaze.
"You could have died climbing down that thing."
"I nearly did."
"You should have used the main door."
She gave him an incredulous look.
"Your security guards were standing outside it."
"I would have let you leave."
"You say that now."
Gabriel nodded.
"Fair."
A quiet moment passed.
Then Rose looked at him.
"Why didn't you chase me yourself?"
He considered his answer.
"Because when I watched you running, you looked like someone who had spent her entire life being told where to stand."
Rose's expression softened.
"And?"
"And I wanted to see where you'd go when nobody was giving you instructions."
"That's a terrible excuse for spying on someone."
"Also fair."
She smiled faintly.
He returned it.
For one brief moment, the approaching danger felt distant.
Gabriel reached into his pocket.
He removed a small jewelry box.
Rose stiffened.
"If that's another engagement ring, I'm jumping off this balcony."
"It's not."
He opened the box.
Inside lay a delicate gold necklace.
Not the enormous two-carat diamond piece she had abandoned.
A simple pendant shaped like a small open window.
Rose looked up.
Gabriel seemed almost uncomfortable.
"I saw it when Cole brought your personal belongings from the bridal suite. Someone had included it among the wedding gifts. I thought you might prefer it to the diamonds."
Rose accepted the box.
"An open window?"
Gabriel's mouth curved.
"It seemed appropriate."
She laughed softly.
Then carefully placed the necklace around her neck.
"Thank you."
They stood together as the wind moved across the balcony.
Gabriel reached toward a loose strand of her hair, then stopped.
Rose noticed.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then she gently took his hand.
"You can."
Gabriel brushed the strand behind her ear.
His touch was surprisingly careful.
Rose looked into his eyes.
And the man she had spent weeks fearing suddenly seemed much more human than she wanted him to be.
His phone rang.
Cole.
Gabriel answered.
The warmth disappeared from his expression.
"What happened?"
He listened.
Then turned toward Rose.
"Victor has moved the deadline forward."
"When?"
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
"One hour."
Rose stared at him.
"And there's something else."
"What?"
Gabriel looked directly at her.
"Your father is offering Victor control of your inheritance in exchange for letting him leave without your mother."
Rose released Gabriel's hand.
She had spent her entire life hoping that somewhere beneath Richard Whitmore's selfishness lived a father who loved her.
May you like
Now she finally had her answer.
And for the first time, Rose no longer wanted to save him from the consequences of his choices.
