Chapter 172: Diaries Don't Lie

Chapter 172: Diaries Don't Lie
Oliver's POV

I stormed into Gabriel's office, irritation all over my face. I'd been in the middle of a killer dinner with Isabella when my phone started blowing up with Gabriel's "emergency" calls. And now here I was, standing in his spotless office while he sat there looking totally chill.

"Gabriel, I was literally halfway through dinner with Isabella. This better be a real crisis that needs all three of our genius brains to fix." I didn't even try to hide my annoyance.

Gabriel glanced up from his computer, totally unfazed by my dramatic entrance. "Thanks for coming, Oliver. We're just waiting on Luke."

"Waiting on—" I blinked. "Hold up, what exactly am I here for?" Confusion was starting to edge out my irritation.

Right on cue, Luke walked in, looking just as confused and a little winded. "What's the emergency, Gabriel?"

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, cool as ever. "No emergency. I just... needed some company. Luna's tied up tonight."

I stared at him, my jaw dropping. "You gotta be fucking kidding me. You dragged us both here because your wife's not around?"

Gabriel shrugged, zero apologies. "Don't sweat it—I've got some work for you guys while you're here." He grabbed a stack of files from his desk and handed them over.

"Unbelievable," I muttered, snatching the files and dropping into a chair.

Luke looked more amused than pissed, eyeing Gabriel with a smirk. "Looks like our boy's got the birthday blues. Not in the mood to celebrate without your new fiancée?"

Gabriel fiddled with the wedding ring on his finger, a small smile tugging at his lips. "When you're the only one of us who got proposed to by his girl, you don't get the blues."

I rolled my eyes hard. "God, you're insufferable."

We actually dug into the files for a while—reviewing some boring merger docs and jotting notes like it was a real meeting. I was starting to think maybe Gabriel wasn't totally full of it. But then, out of nowhere, he stood up and grabbed his suit jacket.

"Where the hell are you going?" I called out as he headed for the door.

"To pick up my woman," he said without even glancing back.

"Typical!" I yelled at his back. "The second Luna calls, we're chopped liver!"

Luke, always the chill one, turned to me. "So, you sticking around to finish this or grabbing a drink?"

"Screw this," I said, tossing the files back on Gabriel's desk and snagging my jacket. "I'm heading home. I've got better things to do."

---

I pushed open the door to Isabella's place, wiped out from the pointless detour to Gabriel's office. The last thing I expected was to find my dad chilling by the fireplace with some elegant middle-aged woman I didn't recognize, their fingers lightly laced together in a way that screamed "more than friends."

I froze in the doorway, suddenly wide awake. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

Dad stood up, flashing a rare smile my way. "Oliver, chill. I've got something big to announce, but I wanted to wait till everyone was here."

I stayed planted by the door, suspicion kicking in. My dad didn't do casual drop-ins. The woman next to him had this quiet poise that felt oddly familiar.

Isabella came out of the kitchen with a teapot, looking way too at ease with this surprise party in her own home. "Oliver, you're back. Perfect timing."

I shot her a "what the hell?" look that she totally ignored. Before I could drag her aside for answers, Gabriel and Luna walked in, both looking as thrown off as I felt by this random family reunion.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. He leaned in close to Luna, whispering something that made her smile despite her obvious confusion.

Isabella greeted them with a warm grin. "Luna, Gabriel—glad you could make it!"

What the hell is going on? I thought, finally sitting down next to Isabella, my gaze locked on my dad and the mystery woman.

Once we were all settled with tea nobody really wanted, my dad cleared his throat, his arm slipping casually around the woman's waist in a move that was straight-up intimate.

"I'd like to formally introduce Brenda Gray, Luna's mom," he said with total confidence, knocking the wind out of me. "We've decided to go public with our relationship."

I nearly choked on my tea. "What?! You're kidding, right? You're giving me a... stepmom?"

Isabella elbowed me hard, her eyes screaming "behave."

Realizing how that came out, I backpedaled fast. "Sorry, Brenda. Nothing personal. This is just... a total curveball."

Brenda smiled graciously. "No offense taken."

I turned to Luna, my brain suddenly connecting dots I wasn't ready for. "So, does this make you my sister now?"

Luna nodded, her lips curving into an amused smile that was eerily like Gabriel's smug grin.

I couldn't resist flashing Gabriel a mischievous smirk. "Gabriel, since I'm Luna's brother now, that technically makes me your brother too!"

Gabriel's face was gold—a perfect mix of horror and resignation. I wished I could snap a pic and frame it.

---

After everyone cleared out and the house went quiet, I paced outside Isabella's study, the diary I'd scored burning a hole in my hands. When she opened the door, she frowned at me hovering there.

"What are you doing lurking outside my door?" she asked, suspicion all over her voice.

I stepped closer, like a hunter closing in. "I've got a question for you."

"Shoot." Her tone was wary.

I watched her face closely. "Is it true you've had a crush on me for ten years?"

Her pause said it all.

"Who told you that?" she asked, not confirming or denying.

That non-answer made my heart pound. Isabella really had feelings for me! All this time...

I pulled the diary from behind my back. "This did."

"That's not—" Isabella grabbed it, flipping through the pages with growing horror. "How did my old diary end up with you?"

She explained it'd vanished from her drawer back when she lived at the Lawson house. She'd grilled Reed about it, but he denied everything, and she'd eventually let it go.

"Reed wanted us to cut him some slack in prison," I said, unable to hide my triumph. "I asked for proof of good faith, and he handed this over."

The last entry was seared in my brain: 'He's finally an adult. Now I can have feelings for him.'

Isabella clutched the diary to her chest, eyes blazing. "How dare you read my personal diary!"

I grinned wide. "I already know everything I need to."

As she turned to head to her room, I followed, a lightbulb going off that explained so much. "So all those crappy boyfriends you dated... were they just distractions because you couldn't have me?"

Isabella stopped by the bed, whirling around with fire in her eyes. "Who says I couldn't have you? I got you, didn't I?"

I laughed, victorious. "Isabella, you just admitted you love me."

She bit her lip, closing her eyes for a second. She'd walked right into that.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her. "I love you too."

"Isabella, I love you."

Things were heating up, and we were about to take it further when Isabella pulled back suddenly. "The baby's not stable yet. No sex allowed!"

I groaned in frustration but held her close anyway.