Chapter 42 Do We Have Trust Between Us?
The trailing tone of that comment made everyone understand—unless the man was completely unsuitable or married.
Mabel panicked completely, suddenly standing up and frantically apologizing, "Gabriel, I'm sorry! I... I overheard what you said to Aunt Joanna that day. I was just chatting with my friend, but I never imagined she'd post it online, let alone that it would cause such a media storm and damage your reputation."
Mabel was clever enough—before finishing her sentence, she turned to look at Arabella sitting nearby, appearing pitifully contrite as she explained, "Arabella, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I know this must have caused misunderstandings and trouble between you and Gabriel. I... I really...I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Arabella wasn't familiar with any of the Sterling family's younger generation. In her memory, this was the first time Mabel had ever addressed her so politely and respectfully, which caught her off guard.
She looked up at Gabriel.
Gabriel stood in his tailored suit, tall and handsome, his stern features appearing noble and distant under the lights, utterly commanding.
Not only did his peers fear him, but even the older generation, like Helen and Lydia, remained silent under his imposing presence, keeping their expressions carefully neutral.
No one dared say a word in Mabel's defense.
Arabella was secretly shocked.
For the first time, she witnessed firsthand how Gabriel, despite his young age, commanded such respect and authority within this powerful family. His naturally noble and aloof image suddenly became even more unreachable, stirring an involuntary sense of admiration and awe within her.
Many people were drawn to power and strength.
Her love for this man had begun with his looks and culminated in worship.
Realizing her heart was wavering again, Arabella quickly lowered her gaze and looked at Mabel with sympathy, remaining silent.
Gabriel hadn't spoken yet, so she certainly couldn't express any opinion.
The atmosphere remained tense, everyone's faces showing different emotions.
Finally, Isolde, unable to bear seeing her daughter suffer, stepped forward, "Gabriel, Mabel was just careless. She absolutely didn't mean it—she couldn't be that foolish."
Gabriel curved his lips slightly but didn't respond to Isolde. Instead, he looked at Mabel, "Mabel, tell me exactly what you heard that day."
What? Mabel looked up at him, stunned for a moment, her eyes shifting nervously.
Isolde nudged her. "Speak up! What exactly did you hear that day?"
"I..." Mabel lowered her lashes again, wanting desperately to lie, but knowing Gabriel held her secrets, she hesitated before finally telling the truth.
"That day, Aunt Joanna asked you if Emily's baby had anything to do with you. You were very angry and said of course not. Aunt Joanna said, since Dominic refused to accept the child, she assumed it might be your child... so she was just asking."
The living room fell completely silent, though everyone's expressions varied.
Gabriel spoke again, "So how did you tell your influencer friend about it?"
Mabel clenched her hands tightly, trembling like a leaf. "I... I..."
"She's already been taken in by the police and given a statement. I'm sure she wouldn't dare lie to them."
This was both a reminder and a warning—don't lie, or face the consequences.
Mabel didn't dare let her family know about her outside activities, so she gritted her teeth and confessed everything, "I told her Emily's baby was most likely yours, and that you two had grown up together and always had a close relationship."
"Oh, you wretched girl! Have you lost your mind? What were you thinking?" Isolde erupted upon hearing this, grabbing Mabel's arm and pinching hard.
Mabel felt utterly humiliated, crying out in pain while defensively shouting, "It's because you all constantly badmouth Gabriel! Saying he's ruthlessly ambitious, that he doesn't even spare family members, demoting Harold and issuing that company-wide reprimand. If you hadn't been constantly cursing him, I wouldn't have thought to frame him to vent your anger!"
"You! You're talking nonsense!" Hearing Mabel's incredible stupidity, Isolde became even more furious and began hitting her. "I've wasted twenty-two years raising you! Do you have any brains at all?"
Isolde chased Mabel around the room, mother and daughter running and dodging while the other women naturally moved to break up the fight.
However, everyone was clearly enjoying the drama while pretending to mediate, adding their own sarcastic comments.
Gabriel found this scene uninteresting.
Having achieved his purpose, he was too lazy to stay any longer. He bent down and took his wife's hand, preparing to leave.
Joanna quickly intercepted, "Since you're already here, at least stay for dinner."
"No need. We'll eat at home."
With the house in such chaos, who could focus on eating?
Seeing them about to leave, the fighting group finally stopped.
Isolde released Mabel and rushed over, grabbing Gabriel's arm pleadingly, "Gabriel... we're all family. Please show mercy. I'll discipline her properly—just don't take this out on all of us."
Upon hearing this, Gabriel's expression darkened, "Isolde, I haven't done anything yet, and you're already accusing me?"
Such a clever defensive tactic.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just..." Isolde tried to backtrack but couldn't find the right words in her panic.
Gabriel had no interest in dealing with them. He'd only returned for one thing—to prove his innocence.
So he pulled away from the elder and left with his wife.
After the black Bentley drove out of Sterling Manor's private road, it suddenly pulled over.
Arabella turned to look at him, puzzled.
Gabriel also turned to face her, his dark eyes seemingly filled with expectation.
"Now you know the truth. Emily and I are innocent—her child has nothing to do with me."
Arabella stared at him, her emotions complex.
He'd specifically brought her back, gone to all this trouble, and offended relatives and elders just to prove this point.
But did this really prove his innocence with Emily?
After a moment of silence, she replied with complete indifference, "She's the woman you love most—that's common knowledge. Whether her child is yours or not, what does it matter? Besides, you have leverage over Mabel, don't you? She can only say what you want her to say."
Mabel's boyfriend was clearly a secret she couldn't reveal, and Gabriel obviously knew the man's identity, giving him perfect control over her.
Upon hearing this, the man's handsome, chiseled face showed an indecipherable expression, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"You don't trust me at all?" He frowned deeply, turning his entire face toward her with disbelief.
Arabella maintained her unmoved composure, asking in return, "Do we have trust between us?"
Trust was built on the foundation of deep mutual knowledge and understanding.
Though they'd been married for over two years and had children together, they rarely communicated, and their relationship consisted of her one-sided infatuation while he maintained an ambiguously protective attitude toward a third party. Under such circumstances, how could she be expected to trust him?
This single sentence from Arabella was clearly adding fuel to the fire.
Gabriel was so angry that his mind went blank. He stared at her intensely for a moment, about to explode in rage, when suddenly his face contorted in pain, and his body tensed up in agony.