Chapter 9

Evelyn didn't just lean close; she actually reached down, trying to slide her hand over his arm, stepping closer to his wheelchair as if she already owned the place.

She made a move toward the doors leading inside, clearly planning to push her way past him and into his private wing.

"Let's go inside, Gabriel," she purred, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "It's so cold out here, and we have so much catching up to do..."

She didn't get past his footrest.

In one blinding, violent motion, Gabriel’s large hand shot out and gripped her wrist. He didn't just stop her—he squeezed.

Evelyn let out a sharp, pathetic shriek, her fake smile shattering instantly. "Gabriel! You're hurting me!"

"You touch me again," Gabriel rasped, his voice dropping into a dark tone that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, "and I will break every finger on this hand."

He shoved her back so hard she stumbled on her high heels, nearly falling flat on the cold marble of the portico.

The dark, terrifying monster everyone whispered about had finally woken up. His eyes weren't just cold anymore; they were deadly, burning with a dangerous rage that made even the air feel heavy.

"Luke," Gabriel barked without turning his head.

"Boss?" Luke stepped forward instantly, his hand resting on the dark holster at his belt.

"Take this trash to the cliff edge," Gabriel commanded, his jaw tight as stone. "If she makes another sound, throw her into the sea."

My heart hammered against my ribs. He wasn't joking. The raw deadpan tone in his voice told me he would watch her hit the crashing waves below and not even blink.

Evelyn’s face turned completely white, the bright red lipstick on her mouth making her skin look like paper. "You... you can't be serious! I'm Evelyn Montgomery! You can't treat me like this!"

Luke didn't hesitate. He grabbed Evelyn by the upper arm, hauling her backward toward the low stone wall overlooking the crashing ocean.

Evelyn began to scream, thrashing against his iron grip, her tight silk dress ripping at the seam as her high heels dragged across the wet gravel.

"Stop! Please! Gabriel, stop!" she wailed, tears smearing her heavy eye makeup as she looked down at the dark, jagged rocks below. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Gabriel rolled his wheelchair toward the edge of the stone wall, watching her struggle with utter indifference. He raised one hand, giving Luke a lazy signal to pause right at the brink.

"Look at you," Gabriel sneered, his voice cutting through the sound of the howling wind and her ugly sobs. "You stand here in your cheap perfume, selling yourself like a piece of meat, thinking a pretty face makes up for a rotten soul."

He leaned forward slightly in his chair, scanning her trembling form with pure disgust.

"You are fake, Evelyn. You are plastic from head to toe. Your father thought he was keeping the prize by hiding you away, but he kept the useless shell."

Evelyn shook like a leaf, her chest heaving, too terrified to speak a single word.

"Clara may be quiet, but she has spirit," Gabriel said softly, his deep voice carrying clearly over the balcony railing where I crouched. "She faced me with a bruised face and no fear. She helped me up when I fell. She has more strength in her pinky finger than you will ever have in your entire pathetic life."

My hands shook against the cold stone balcony.

Hearing him defend me—hearing him compare me to Evelyn and actually choose me—sent a strange, dizzying rush of heat through my body.

Nobody had ever taken my side. Nobody had ever looked at Evelyn and seen right through her fake beauty. Gabriel was protecting me. He was standing between me and the family that had tortured me for eighteen years.

But as I watched Luke hold her over the edge of the cliff, I felt a sharp chill run down my spine, too.

Gabriel wasn't a knight in shining armor. He was a dangerous, ruthless tyrant who didn't play by the rules. His protection was a terrifying thing, wrapped in dark power and brutal force.

He could destroy my sister without a second thought, and if I ever crossed him, he could do the exact same thing to me.

"Throw her in the car," Gabriel ordered coldly, turning his wheelchair around and heading back toward the grand entrance. "If she sets foot on my land again, don't bother asking. Just shoot her."

"Yes, Boss," Luke replied, shoving Evelyn toward her red sports car like a sack of trash.

Evelyn didn't wait around. She scrambled into the driver's seat, sobbing uncontrollably, and slammed the door shut. The engine roared to life, tires screeching wildly against the gravel as she sped away toward the main gates, completely broken.

I stood up slowly on the balcony, leaning against the railing as I watched the red car disappear into the dark trees.

The doors below slammed shut with a deep thud that echoed through the entire courtyard.

I backed away from the balcony and walked slowly into the quiet hallway, my head spinning. Gabriel had fought off the golden daughter. He had rejected the girl everyone idolized and kept the unwanted twin instead.

I walked down the stairs, my feet making no sound on the thick red carpet. When I reached the ground floor, I saw Gabriel sitting in the middle of the grand foyer. He was alone, his broad shoulders squared, his eyes fixed on the front door as if waiting for another enemy to try their luck.

He heard my footsteps and slowly turned his chair toward me.

The dark, dangerous aura was still hanging over him, but as his eyes landed on my face, the harsh lines around his mouth softened just a fraction.

"Did you hear everything?" he asked, his gravelly voice quiet in the vast room.

"Yes," I whispered, stopping a few feet away from him.

Gabriel watched me carefully, searching my eyes for fear. "Are you scared of me now, Clara?"

I looked at his sharp jawline, at the jagged scar running down his neck, and at the steady strength in his gaze. I knew what he was capable of now. I knew how cruel he could be to his enemies.

"I'm scared of what you can do," I admitted honestly, taking one small step closer to his chair. "But for the first time in my life... I'm not scared of being hurt in my own home."