Chapter 43
“To adopt Grace?” Gabriella asked.
Victoria leaned closer, lowering her voice. “More than that. She asked Asher’s mother to have him marry Grace when they grew up.”
Gabriella’s eyes widened in shock.
“Christ,” Charlotte exclaimed. “The nerve of her!”
“Lady Blackwood must have found some way to refuse,” Victoria continued. “The housekeeper eventually accepted just the adoption as repayment.”
Charlotte scoffed. “Obviously. As if Lady Blackwood would let her only son marry a housekeeper’s daughter.”
“Exactly. The heir to the Blackwood name? Impossible.”
Gabriella sipped her cocktail thoughtfully.
None of them noticed the woman watching them from across the bar, her eyes cold with hatred.
After a few drinks, Gabriella stood. “Just need the ladies“.”
In the narrow corridor outside the restroom, two men blocked her path.
One was heavily built, head shaved, tattoos covering his arms. He whistled crudely. “How about some company, love?”
Gabriella, who’d been checking her phone, glanced up briefly. Discreetly, she switched to her recording app before slipping the phone into her pocket.
His companion, thin with bleached hair, smirked around his cigarette. “Pretty thing like you must be fun.”
“Charming,” Gabriella said coldly. “Is that mouth always so delightful?”
Bleached Hair grinned nastily. “Name your price, sweetheart.”
The corridor was too narrow to slip past them. Gabriella crossed her arms, maintaining her composure.
“Let’s see… funeral services start at five thousand. Extra for the wake, two thousand for professional mourners, brass band’s another three… Cremation’s the budget option. Shall I price up a coffin? Family discount for multiple deaths.”
“Mouthy bitch,” Bleached Hair spat. “Think you’re clever?”
Tattoos stepped closer, unbuckling his belt. “Playing hard to get? Let’s see how innocent you are in the gents‘.”
They moved toward her.
As Tattoos reached for her, Gabriella’s kick landed precisely between his legs with devastating force.
He collapsed with an agonized scream, curling into a fetal position.
Bleached Hair lunged with a snarl.
Gabriella caught his arm in a joint lock, twisting until something popped. His scream joined his friend’s.
“Is that all?” she asked mildly, wiping her hands with a tissue. “Pity. My Krav Maga’s getting rusty–I was hoping for a workout.”
The insult stung more than the pain.
Bleached Hair tried to swing with his good arm. Gabriella executed a perfect throw, pinning him with her stiletto against his cheek. “Do practice
more.”
“Help! Someone help!” Tattoos was writhing, blood seeping through his jeans.
Gabriella glanced over. Perhaps she’d used excessive force.
16:33
The Encrypted Line to the White House: A Scorned Heiress’s Annihilation
Chapter 43
Bar staff arrived, freezing at the scene.
“Call a bloody ambulance,” Tattoos gasped. “She’s broken something!”
A crowd gathered quickly.
Charlotte and Victoria, worried about Gabriella’s long absence, pushed through–and stopped short.
“Holy shit!” Charlotte exclaimed. “The ninja skills are back!”
Victoria assessed the groaning men, then Gabriella. “You’re not hurt?”
Gabriella flipped her hair. “Please. They couldn’t touch me if they tried.”
“Remind me to take those self–defense classes with you next time,” Charlotte said admiringly.
The police and ambulance were called. The men were taken to hospital while Gabriella and the bar manager were escorted to the station.
Charlotte and Victoria followed.
As the crowd dispersed, Grace emerged from behind a pillar, eyes glinting coldly.
Useless thugs. Two against one, and they couldn’t handle her.
Who would have thought the delicate–looking Gabriella was trained in combat?
Ordinary roughians wouldn’t do. Next time she’d need professionals.
Asher arrived while Gabriella was giving her statement.
The CCTV footage confirmed the men had initiated the confrontation, making it self–defense.
However, the hospital reported serious injury–a ruptured testicle requiring surgery.
The police suggested Gabriella’s self–defense might have exceeded reasonable force.
As Asher reached for his phone to make calls, Gabriella stopped him.
Calmly, she addressed the officer: “A single testicle constitutes minor injury, both would be major. If both were ruptured requiring removal, then yes, it might exceed reasonable force and warrant assault charges.”
This was her legal territory now.
“However-” She played the audio recording.
The men’s threats were captured clearly.
“Officer,” she said evenly, “I have evidence of attempted sexual assault. Against such a violent crime, my response was entirely proportionate. I’d like to formally report their attempt to rape me.”
Cammad Hairose’s Annihilation
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.