Chapter 92 A Sharp Slap Across the Face
This bastard had no respect for his own wife. Gabriel was nothing but an animal, selfishly dominating Arabella for his own twisted desires.
He only dared act so brazenly because Arabella had no family to protect her, no one to stand up for her!
If he'd married someone from his own social circle—a well-connected socialite with powerful family backing—he'd never dare behave so outrageously!
After connecting all the dots, Manuel became even more determined to help Arabella escape Gabriel's clutches!
Even if it was just about standing up for justice, he had to help her break free from this twisted monster!
The creaking sounds suddenly accelerated, accompanied by violent banging against the wall—then everything stopped abruptly.
Moments later, muffled sobs drifted through the thin walls.
No question who was crying.
Manuel gripped the bedsheets, eyes squeezed shut, forcing himself not to storm across the hallway. His knuckles went white as he nearly tore the fabric apart.
In the room across the hall, silence finally fell.
Gabriel collapsed beside her, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath.
He reached around blindly, remembering they weren't at home, then turned toward the woman beside him. "Do you have any tissues?"
Arabella faced away from him, sobbing quietly, completely ignoring his question.
Getting no response, he grabbed his expensive dress shirt and used it as a makeshift cloth to clean them both up.
When he reached for Arabella, she thought he was going to start again. Furious, she whipped around and delivered a sharp slap across his face.
The sound cracked through the air. Even Arabella startled at the impact, her palm stinging and numb.
Both of them froze. Gabriel looked at her gleaming eyes in the darkness and asked calmly, "Feel better now?"
"..." Arabella didn't respond, just sobbed again.
"If that didn't help, you can slap me again," he said. "I promise not to hit back."
She remained silent, turning away from him again.
Gabriel felt satisfied and vindicated, his anger mostly spent, his mood considerably improved.
Lying back down, he possessively pulled the woman into his arms, even finding room for mockery: "Not cold anymore, are you? I'm actually sweating. You just got to lie there and enjoy yourself."
"Get off me!" Arabella finally responded, her voice dripping with hatred.
Gabriel actually laughed. "We're married. This is perfectly natural between husband and wife—nothing to be embarrassed about."
"..." She couldn't be bothered to respond, treating him like he didn't exist.
After such a long night, both were exhausted.
Arabella tried to twist out of his grip a few times but couldn't break free. As drowsiness overtook her, she finally fell into a deep sleep.
Gabriel had driven for hours, then spent more time searching for Arabella. Equally drained, he held the soft woman in his arms and drifted off contentedly.
————
Dawn brought the familiar sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking in the countryside.
Whether from exhaustion or something else, Arabella slept so deeply that even the rural cacophony couldn't wake her.
When Gabriel opened his eyes, he found the woman curled tightly against his chest. He couldn't help but smile.
Last night she'd said such cruel things, clawing and biting him as if filled with hatred. Yet here she was, instinctively seeking his warmth in sleep.
Ha!
Women—always saying one thing and meaning another.
He heard movement outside, probably Manuel getting up.
His smile deepened as he prepared to face his rival head-on.
Unlike the misunderstanding with Zachary, Manuel genuinely made him feel threatened.
After all, this guy had real substance.
Gabriel was actually worried Arabella might be swayed.
Moving carefully, Gabriel slipped out from under the covers, looking down at his wrinkled dress shirt on the floor. No way he could wear that again.
Fortunately, he'd thrown on casual clothes when he'd rushed out yesterday. The soft cotton would have to do, though it wasn't ideal.
The countryside was much colder than the city. Even with his coat on, he felt chilled to the bone.
Opening the door, he saw the main room door was already open—his rival Manuel was indeed awake.
Manuel stood in the courtyard wearing a mid-length wool coat, his frame straight and his features refined, giving him an air of scholarly elegance.
He was stretching and breathing in the fresh morning air.
Gabriel watched him, irritated by the knowledge that his wife was attracted to this type of pseudo-intellectual pretense.
After mentally cursing him, Gabriel cleared his throat and walked toward the courtyard.
Hearing the sound, Manuel turned around. Seeing Gabriel, his refined face showed a complex expression.
"How did you sleep, Mr. Wright?" Gabriel asked with a slight smile, the question deliberately pointed.
Everyone knew Manuel had been forced to listen to last night's "performance"—how could he possibly have slept well?
But Manuel smiled mildly and said casually, "Quite well. The countryside is peaceful—very restful."
"You're certainly magnanimous, Mr. Wright," Gabriel said mockingly.
Manuel smiled again. "Of course. Unlike some people who let their paranoia make life difficult for everyone around them."
Gabriel laughed bitterly at that comment.
So Manuel could be quite the passive-aggressive type!
"What exactly are you implying? Do you think it's normal to spend the night alone with another man's wife?"
"Arabella and I are completely innocent. Though I would very much like to take her away, she's still your wife, and I won't put her in a compromising position or damage her reputation." Since they were speaking plainly, Manuel decided to lay all his cards on the table.
Gabriel's expression turned ice-cold, his eyes sharpening dangerously.
"Dream on! She's my woman, the mother of my children. If you dare destroy my family, I'll make sure you lose everything in Luminara."
This wasn't an empty threat.
With the Sterling family's power in Luminara and Gabriel's ruthless methods, even though Manuel was an accomplished returning businessman, he wouldn't be a match. If Gabriel really wanted to crush him, he'd find a way, regardless of the cost.
Some things—a man's dignity and pride—couldn't be measured in money.
Seeing his anger, Manuel gave a light laugh. "Mr. Sterling, your reaction suggests you love your wife very much. But your actions... don't quite match your words."
With that, he walked toward the courtyard gate without waiting for Gabriel's response, clearly done with their confrontation.
Gabriel stood there, turning Manuel's words over in his mind, growing angrier with each repetition.
The morning chill was biting. After standing there for a few minutes, he was frozen through.
Remembering he had clothes in the car, he retrieved them and returned to the house.
Pushing open the door, he found Arabella awake and sitting up in bed.
She'd just sat up when he burst in, startling her into quickly pulling the covers up to cover herself.
Seeing who it was, she looked at him coldly and said curtly, "Get out. I need to get dressed."
Gabriel smiled, not taking offense, and asked casually, "Why not sleep a bit longer? It's rare to have a morning without the children waking you."
Arabella couldn't be bothered to respond.
How could she sleep? The sheets were a mess, her clothes were unwearable, and she felt completely disheveled.
Seeing her clutching the covers with an awkward expression, Gabriel suddenly understood, his eyes darkening with amusement. "Need some help with that?"