Chapter 35 Brothers Turn Against Each Other
When Arabella saw the trending topic online, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her!
Emily's baby was actually Gabriel's?
If this were true, then she could understand why Dominic had adamantly refused to have this child.
Could it be that Dominic had known all along that his wife was sleeping with his best friend?
After the initial shock, Arabella realized she was just as much a victim as Dominic. And here she had been feeling sorry for them!
She had become the laughingstock herself!
Her finger scrolled through the screen, reading the comments below the trending topic—vile, disgusting, and unbearable to look at.
[I've always heard that high society was messy, but I never thought it was this bad!]
[Rich people's wife-swapping games are getting wild.]
[I heard Gabriel has children, too! Setting such an example for his kids? Unbelievable.]
[In the eyes of corporate moguls, only profit matters. Everything else can be sacrificed for money.]
Arabella couldn't continue reading. She set down her phone, feeling her eyes sting and ache, and couldn't help but press the corners of her eyes.
William had just passed away, and now the Sterling family was embroiled in such a scandal. This would be devastating damage to the family's reputation.
How could this happen?
She thought back to Gabriel's unexpected phone call earlier that day, his uncharacteristic care and concern for her. Now, thinking about it more carefully, he was probably feeling guilty, which explained his humble attitude.
What a performance.
With his status as the Sterling family heir, even if all this was true, what could a powerless woman like her do about it?
The more Arabella thought about it, the colder her heart grew.
Over the past two days, she had begun to waver, thinking that for the sake of their two children and his apparent desire to change, she might give them both another chance.
Thank goodness she hadn't voiced her agreement yet.
Otherwise, she would have become a laughingstock again.
After a brief moment of pain, she took a deep breath and once again steeled her resolve for divorce.
Her phone rang, snapping her out of her sorrowful daze. Looking at the flashing screen, the pain in her eyes intensified.
It was Gabriel calling again, but she didn't want to answer.
Whether it was explanations or comfort, she didn't want to hear any of it anymore.
Meanwhile, unable to reach Arabella, Gabriel's mood grew noticeably agitated, even panicked.
After he met with the PR department, he switched to a different car to avoid the reporters camped outside the company building and hurried home under the cover of moonlight.
On the way, he received another call from Dominic.
"Gabriel, have you pissed off someone recently? Saying Emily's baby is yours—who the hell has a death wish to spread such rumors?" Dominic's voice carried a menacing edge, clearly infuriated by the whole affair.
Gabriel's expression was somber, his handsome face reflecting the streetlights, appearing even more sinister in the dim, shifting light. "Maybe you're the one who pissed someone off. After all, this affects all three of us—we all go down together."
Dominic fell silent, clearly not ruling out that possibility.
After all, the vast Kingsley family had always been cordial on the surface but hostile underneath. During the internal strife at Kingsley Group a couple of years ago, he had nearly been killed by hired assassins sent by his own family. Fortunately, Gabriel had detected the plot in time and saved his life.
Seeing that Dominic wasn't responding, Gabriel changed his tone, "How are things between you and Emily? This whole mess is affecting her badly, too. She just got pregnant and isn't feeling well—you two shouldn't keep fighting."
His words made Dominic uncomfortable.
After a brief silence, Dominic suddenly asked out of the blue, "Gabriel, do you still love Emily?"
Gabriel was caught off guard, his expression freezing.
After a moment, his tone grew tense, "What do you mean? Are you also suspecting that Emily's baby is mine?"
Dominic denied it, "No, I trust Emily. But I am genuinely curious whether you still love her."
Hearing Dominic say, "I trust Emily," Gabriel's laugh was cold and bitter.
So his lack of suspicion wasn't because he trusted his lifelong friend, but because he trusted his wife.
After all, Emily loved Dominic desperately, completely—she would never do anything to betray her husband.
This statement instantly created a crack in their twenty-plus years of brotherhood.
Gabriel clenched his teeth, suppressing his anger and disappointment, and said coldly, "I don't love her anymore. I only think of her as family."
Dominic seemed unconvinced, "Family without blood relations should probably keep their distance. Don't you think?"
Gabriel's emotions grew increasingly complex, but his rationality remained intact. He could understand why Dominic would say such a thing.
If he hadn't been ambiguous with Emily, there wouldn't have been any opportunity for people to spread rumors, dragging all three of them into this mess.
"Dominic, I understand what you mean. From now on, I won't interfere in your marital affairs, and I won't meet with Emily alone anymore."
After saying this, he didn't wait for a response and decisively hung up.
In the quiet car, Gabriel stared out the window with a brooding gaze, his handsome face cold and rigid as a sculpture.
Actually, he had already decided to keep his distance from Emily, so he wasn't particularly heartbroken. His current depression and resentment were more due to Dominic's words.
Years of brotherhood, thick as thieves, and now their relationship had developed a rift. This hurt him more than the rumors themselves.
Returning to the villa, he got out of the car and entered the house.
It was eight o'clock in the evening, but the first-floor living room was eerily quiet and empty.
He went upstairs straight to the master bedroom, but to his surprise, no one was there either.
His heart skipped a beat in panic. His first thought was that Arabella had left without saying goodbye—that she had run away from home!
Footsteps approached from behind, and he whirled around to see Mary.
"Sir, Mrs. Sterling is in the gym," Mary said, clearly understanding who Gabriel was looking for.
The gym?
Gabriel was surprised. Why had she suddenly decided to work out?
Taking the elevator directly down to the basement level, through the gym's floor-to-ceiling windows, he spotted a figure exercising on the treadmill.
Arabella was wearing form-fitting workout clothes. From behind, her figure was slender and graceful, with nearly perfect waist-to-hip proportions. You couldn't tell at all that she had given birth to twins.
He didn't know how long she had been exercising, but flowing sweat had already soaked her clothes, and droplets on her arms glistened under the lights like scattered gems.
This scene reminded him of their intimate moments, when she lay beneath him, glistening with perspiration. Inexplicably, his throat grew dry, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Seeing that she hadn't noticed him, Gabriel didn't know how to interrupt her. After taking a few steps closer, he simply stopped and watched her quietly.
Arabella was feeling truly depressed today and wanted to vent somehow, but she didn't dare go out randomly, afraid that crazy netizens might expose her.
Later, remembering there was a gym in the basement, she decided to come down and run.
As long as she exhausted herself completely, her mind wouldn't dwell on all that chaos, and she could fall asleep earlier tonight.
Exercise was indeed effective.
After working up a good sweat, she felt much more relaxed physically and mentally. After getting through that most painful period, her stride became increasingly light and effortless.
Unaware that someone was standing behind her, she kept running until her legs could barely carry her anymore, then prepared to slow down.
Unfortunately, sweat from her forehead dripped down, blocking her vision, causing her to press the wrong button. Suddenly, the treadmill began accelerating, and with her strength completely drained, she couldn't keep up!
"Ah..." As her body was thrown backward, she instinctively cried out.