Chapter 97

Chapter97 Murder Attempt

After finalizing their next move, Gabriela enjoyed a hearty meal with Farley. Then she carried a deck chair into the courtyard, letting herself sink into its gentle embrace beneath the radiant sun.

The sunlight poured over her like liquid gold, warming her skin and brightening the quiet corners of the garden.

Two young olive trees stood sentinel nearby, their branches bowed under the weight of delicate blossoms,filling the air with a heady, sweet fragrance.

Gabriela's gaze lingered on the trees, distant and unfocused, as if she were elsewhere entirely.

Gone was the usual spark of playful innocence in her expression; in its place, her eyes were shadowed,carrying the faintest trace of lingering resentment.

Farley observed her quietly from the side, a soft sigh escaping him.

There had always been a hidden chamber within Gabriela's heart, a shadowed enclave that no light could penetrate. Since the events of four years ago, she had closed herself off from everyone.

Gabriela remained there, still and solitary, until the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon.

Farley strolled over, cradling a jug of homemade wine,his face bright with a mischievous grin. "Gabriela, you have to try my latest batch."

Her gaze,previously fixed on the olive trees, softened immediately, and she was that sweet, familiar Gabriela once more.

She smiled, "Okay, I will take a sip."

Alcohol always had its peculiar effect on her. While she could usually hold her own, some drinks demanded no more than a single taste to send her reeling, leading to foolish antics she never remembered afterward.

The memory of her last tipsy episode in Wesley's office still haunted her.

Yet the wine's rich, intoxicating aroma called to her irresistibly. She found herself unable to resist.

"Relax," Farley said, pouring the amber liquid into two delicate glasses. "The alcohol isn't very strong. A couple of sips and you'll be fine." Gabriela, aware that she needed to return to Wesley's place later, drank with restraint-just two glasses.

As dusk painted the sky in dusky shades, she bid Farley farewell and made her way down the narrow alley,her steps lighter with thoughts of a hopeful future.

She didn't notice the crimson Maserati parked silently along the alley's edge.

In the backseat, a young woman with long, dark purple hair leaned back, her oversized sunglasses hiding most of her face. The tight line of her mouth spoke of cold intent.

"Are you sure it's her?" sheasked.

The driver, equally masked by sunglasses, gave a curt nod. "Yes. It's her."

A cruel smile twisted the woman's lips. "Hit her. Now."

The driver hesitated, voice low. "Isn't this a bit extreme?"

"What's there to fear?" she snapped. "My brother will take care of the fallout."

A weary sigh escaped the driver. "Shouldn't we check with him-"

"I'm telling you! Go!" she barked, before he could even finish.

Sensing there was no arguing, the driver slammed the accelerator. The red car lunged forward like a predator, aimed at Gabriela.

Instinctively,Gabriela leapt aside,her heart hammering,but the car clipped her, sending her sprawling to the edge of the road.

Pain flared in her elbow as the vehicle roared past,leaving only a fleeting glimpse of a long-haired woman's silhouette in the backseat.

Crouched on the roadside, Gabriela pressed her hand to her throbbing elbow, her mind racing as the red blur disappeared into the distance. Despite her thick coat, Gabriela's elbow throbbed, each movement sending sharp jolts of pain up her arm

"Crazy! Who drives in a busy neighborhood like that?"she complained.

The car had vanished too quickly for her to catch the license plate or the occupants' faces, otherwise she would have reported them.

"Are you alright?"

A gentle voice cut through the air, accompanied by a hand extended to help her up. For reasons she couldn't explain, Gabriela recoiled,avoiding the hand and rising on her own. "I'm fine.Thanks."

She looked up to see a young man standing there, his expression calm, almost casual.

"Looks like that elbow took a hit," he said softly. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Gabriela shook her head. "No need. It's nothing serious."

With a polite nod, she thanked him and walked away,quickly booking a car through her phone, which arrived within a few minutes.

The young man didn't follow or press further. He simply watched her retreat, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he murmured to himself, "Do I really look like a thug or something?"

Gabriela couldn't hear him as she was already slipping into the car.

When she returned, only Miriam was left behind, quiet in the vast, empty house.

Wesley and Brenden were away at a family dinner,and Loretta had gone back to the countryside. Gabriela slipped into her room with a first aid kit,carefully dabbing ointment onto her bruised elbow.

The sting made her wince, but it was nothing compared to the questions swirling in her mind. She turned the incident over again and again, yet no clear answer surfaced. Aside from Phyllis, she couldn't think of any woman who held such hatred toward her.

And the woman in the car didn't resemble Vivian at all.

Could it have been nothing more than some spoiled rich girl tearing through the streets, reckless and thoughtless?

That would be far too convenient.

Gabriela picked up her phone and called Tyler.Transferring money to his account, she asked him to pull strings and see if surveillance footage could be recovered from that stretch of road.

Tyler readily agreed but refused the money.

"Please take it, Tyler," Gabriela said. "I'll need your help again in the future."

Only then did he relent.

In fact, his bar had been struggling, and he was strapped for cash. "Don't worry, Gabriela," he said firmly. "I'll have someone look into this."

The enemy of his friend was his enemy as well

There was a dangerous edge beneath his promise, as though he was prepared to go further than she had asked.

"Thanks, Tyler."

After hanging up, Gabriela stared at Wesley's number in her contact list. Her thumb hovered over it for a long moment, but in the end, she let the screen go dark without making the call.

Though Wesley had told her she could turn to him whenever trouble found her, Gabriela knew how busy he was. For something so small, she preferred to bear it alone.

Meanwhile, Wesley and Brenden arrived at their grandfather's residence.

The house stood in the eastern district,its modest facade blending almost too perfectly with the neighboring rows of homes. Only the two stony-faced bodyguards stationed at the entrance betrayed its importance, their presence lending a gravity that the house itself did not boast. Inside, it was alive with voices. The entire Moss family had gathered to celebrate the New Year.

In the living room, a dozen younger relatives clustered together, their laughter and chatter filling the air, until Wesley and Brenden stepped in.

A hush fell almost instantly, respect laced with unease.

Wesley's quiet dominance seemed to press upon the room, stirring a tangle of emotions in the hearts of the younger generation: envy at his brilliance,jealousy of his standing, fear of his authority and the burning ambition to one day rise above him.

Before long, the servants arrived with coffee, setting the cups down with practiced grace.

The first to speak was Davion Moss, one of Wesley's cousins. His eyes flicked toward Billy standing behind Wesley, and a crooked smirk tugged at his lips."Wesley, since when do you bring your assistant to family gatherings? Careful, people might mistake this for a business meeting."

Wesley offered no reply.

Billy, for his part, stood tall and composed, as though he hadn't heard a word.

The silence cut deeper than any retort. Davion's smirk faltered, his expression darkening with humiliation.

He quickly pivoted, his gaze landing on Brenden."Ah,and Brenden's here too? Wesley, it's one thing to drag an assistant into the old house, but why a Saunders?"

Brenden's smile froze mid-curve.

Though his father was a Moss, his parents' divorce had left him carrying his mother's surname. The word "outsider" followed him every time he crossed this threshold.

Yet Wesley never treated him as such. To Wesley,Brenden's blood was Moss through and through.

Still, other members of the Moss family were unfriendly toward him, viewing him as a threat to their share of the fammily inheritance.