Chapter Ten

Gabriel's POV.

Arriving at my family house, I felt an immediate sense of apprehension settle inside me. The reason being that I knew I was about to face my father, a man with whom I rarely saw eye to eye. He had suddenly called me earlier today and demanded that I visit the family house.

He said he and I needed to have a talk, and the thought of having a conversation with my father made me feel uneasy, as our conversations often escalated into heated arguments that left us both frustrated and angry.

Walking through the grand corridors, I soon ran into Collins, the family butler. He greeted me respectfully, bowing his head and referring to me as "Sir Riel," which was the nickname I was called while growing up here.

"Good afternoon, Collins," I acknowledged. "I suppose my father is waiting for me in his office?"

Collins nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir," he replied. "He requested your presence specifically, and I'm afraid he's not in a very good mood."

As I let out a frustrated sigh, I offered my thanks to Collins before making my way toward my father's office.

Every step brought me closer to an inevitable confrontation, one I knew would revolve around my newly announced relationship with Antonia.

My father had always been critical of my choices, particularly when it came to dating, and his number one rule has always been: no public relationship with models—a profession he despised for reasons that I found understandable and also relate to.

I already expected that he would call for me to question why I was dating a model like Antonia, which was completely against everything we both stood for.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door to my father's office, I entered the room, steeling myself for what I knew was going to be a tiring conversation. My father, seated behind his desk, acknowledged my presence with an icy glare.

"Hello there, son," he greeted. "I'm glad you actually decided to show up instead of disrespecting my order."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes, opting instead to speak with a measure of restraint. "Good afternoon, Father," I replied calmly. "You asked to see me. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

My father leaned back in his chair, his steely gaze fixed on me. "I heard about this new relationship of yours with some model named Antonia, and I wanted to understand what was happening," he began. "So tell me, Gabriel, is there any truth to it, or is it just another publicity stunt?"

I let out a frustrated sigh, steeling myself for his reaction when I responded.

My father's disapproval had always been a constant presence in my life, and I knew he wouldn't take kindly to my relationship with Antonia. Still, I had no intention of revealing the true nature of my relationship with her—that it was a temporary arrangement meant to serve as a façade to get me out of the crazy gossip surrounding her name.

"Father, I understand your concerns, and I apologize if this disappoints you, but I am with Antonia, and it's not a publicity stunt," I responded firmly. "I'm going to kindly request that you refrain from interfering in my personal life, no matter how dissatisfied you are with my choice."

My father's face contorted with anger, his brows furrowing in a deep scowl. He immediately stood up from his seat, his body tensing with rage. Without warning, he grabbed a nearby stationary set and hurled it in my direction. Instinctively, I dodged, sidestepping it just in time to avoid being struck.

This display of anger didn't surprise me—I had expected my father's furious reaction to my public relationship with a model, and I knew his reaction could be worse.

"Father, like I said, I understand your anger, but I will not tolerate this kind of behavior," I declared. "My relationship with Antonia is my choice, and I'm going to have to ask that you respect that."

My father scoffed in annoyance; his reaction was evidence of his anger and frustration. I could see the disapproval etched on his face, the disappointment he couldn't conceal. I knew what was coming—the reminder of my mother's betrayal and the belief that all models were like her.

"How can you even consider dating one of those disgusting sluts, Gabriel? After everything you witnessed your mother do to me?" he asked. "I've warned you countless times about getting involved with those good-for-nothings. They are nothing but gold diggers, opportunists who will use you and discard you."

I let out a frustrated sigh, fully aware of the reasons behind my father's anger. The wounds from my mother's betrayal still ran deep in his heart, creating an animosity towards people like Antonia that he could never let go of. He couldn't differentiate between them, painting them all with the same brush.

"Father, I understand your concerns," I replied. "But not all models are the same. Antonia is different. She's not like my mother or the negative stereotype you hold against her profession. She's nothing like what you have in mind."

If my relationship with Antonia had been real, his words would have hurt me and made me rethink, but since it wasn't, I wasn't bothered. I was simply determined to defend her and paint her as the perfect girlfriend for my father.

My father rolled his eyes at me, and I could see that my words had failed to sway him and that he remained convinced of his preconceived notions about my relationship with Antonia.

"There is nothing you can say, Gabriel, that will convince me that your model girlfriend isn't an opportunist," he sneered, the contempt clear in his voice. "I'm giving you a few days to quietly end things with Antonia and publicly announce that your relationship has come to an end. Or else, I assure you, you will regret it."

I stood there, stunned by my father's audacity. I had expected his anger and disapproval, but not to the point where he would try to tell me what to do.

"Father, I cannot believe you would go so far as to try to dictate my life," I said. "What makes you think you have such a right? You have no right to tell me who I can and cannot be with, and the sooner you realize that, the better it will be for both of us."

My father chuckled bitterly, the sound echoing in the room. "You underestimate me, son," he replied. "I won't hesitate to make sure you face the consequences if you refuse to do as I say, and you better believe that slut is also going to face consequences if you don't get rid of her."

I took a deep breath, steadying myself against the anger brewing in me.

"Listen carefully to me, father. You had better not try anything funny with Antonia, because if you do, I won't take it easy with you," I warned sternly. "My relationship with her is my business, and I have no intention of ending it."

The room fell silent, my father's stern gaze locked on mine. With one final sigh, I broke eye contact and turned away, accepting that my father and I were now back to being on worse terms.