Who are you?

****

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. He stood up and opened the door without bothering to check who it was.

To his surprise, it was his self-proclaimed archenemy, Richard Grey. Suddenly, there was an awkward silence, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Anger burned between them.

"Well, hello! If it isn't Almighty Simon Maxwell," Richard sneered. "What are you doing here?" Simon asked angrily. Richard smirked, his eyes filled with hatred.

"One of my spies told me you have a girl with you," he said. Simon became even more infuriated. "And how does that concern you?" he retorted to Richard. Richard's obvious smirk displayed his intense dislike for Simon and how much he was enjoying the situation.

With all the commotion happening between Richard and Simon at the entrance of the room, Gabriella was awoken from her deep sleep. It took her quite some time to gather her thoughts as her head was pounding.

After a few minutes, while Richard and Simon continued their argument, Gabriella was taken aback to find herself in an unfamiliar room, with the only memory being her abduction by some men.

"Where am I?" she asked, surprised. This interruption caused the argument to cease, and both Richard and Simon turned to look at her. Simon left the door open and approached Gabby, making it easy for Richard to enter the room.

"Well, well, well, so I heard correctly," Richard said. "So, you trade your body for money," he accused Gabby. "What? Are you joking? What do you mean, Richard?" she shouted, tears filling her eyes. "Do these two know each other?" Simon murmured.

"Yes, Gabriella Hart! You heard me correctly," Richard stated. "Do I even know this man? Who are you?" Gabby questioned. "Stop pretending," Richard interrupted. "I obviously don't buy it. Stop pretending you don't know him, because I really don't care," he insisted.

"My mom was always right – you're a cheap whore who sells her body for money!" Richard yelled in anger.

"Gabby, I thought you were waiting for me, just like you promised. And here you are, sleeping around with men, and even worse, with SIMON GREY!" he said. Despite everything that was happening, Richard's main concern was seeing her with his arch enemy, which crushed his ego and fueled his desire for revenge.

"Richard, it's not what you think. I've always been yours, even when you left. All I remember is being grabbed by some men at the party, blindfolded, and forced into a van. I tried to run, but then I suddenly felt suffocated when they put a cloth over my nose. And now I'm here, that's all I can remember," she explained.

But Richard was unwilling to listen, consumed by his thirst for revenge. Gabriella tried to touch him, but he snapped, "Get your hands off me, you dirty pig." He then threw her onto the bed, injuring her slightly, and all she could do was cry. Richard huffed and left the room.

Meanwhile, amidst all this chaos, Simon remained silent and confused. He wondered how she ended up in bed and how he ended up in the same room with her. However, Simon was secretly enjoying the drama, as a plan to ruin his arch enemy took shape in his mind, allowing him to keep a hold on Gabby.

On his way home from the park, Richard noticed his mother's car at the same hotel and received a call from her. He wondered why she was at the hotel.

"Hello mom!" he said. "Hello Richard! Where are you? We have been searching for you. Do you know how worried Roberto and I are?" Rosella scolded.

"Jesus Christ mom! I'm not a teenager anymore. I have my own issues sometimes," he shouted. "Where are you?" she asked. "Where are you, mom?" Richard asked, smirking.

"What has come over you? Anyway, I followed you immediately after you left the party in a rather awkward state. I wanted to know what was happening," she said.

"And by the way, what the heck are you doing at the Greys hotel? Are there any pending deals between you and dad that we are unaware of?" Rosella questioned. "It's a long story, mom," Richie responded.

"Okay, I'm almost home. We'll talk when we're both settled at home," he concluded. "Very well, drive safely, my darling," Rosella responded.

****

A few hours passed, but Gabby couldn't gather the mental balance to leave the room. Simon received a call from Tion. "Yes, Tion, tell me," he requested. "Sir, I obtained some information about the woman," said Tion.

"Okay, what is it?" Simon asked eagerly. "I found out that her name is Gabriella Hart. She and her mother, Elena Hart, work for the Maxwells. She is very humble and easy-going. I also discovered that she and Richard Maxwell are childhood friends and have been in a romantic relationship.

Furthermore, I found out that Rosella Maxwell, Simon's mother, despises Gabriella to an extreme extent. She even convinced Roberto, Richard's father, to send him abroad just to keep Gabriella away from her son. I also learned that Rosella abuses Gabriella at every opportunity she gets. That's all I have for now, sir," said Tion. "Thank you, Tion," Simon said, slightly intrigued.

"Very well, sir," he responded, and the call disconnected. Simon took a deep breath and rested his neck against the edge of the couch, focusing on his breath.

Meanwhile, Gabriella continued to cry, feeling numb and in shock from the events that had transpired. Simon felt a sense of pity for her, knowing she was innocent.

However, his egotistical nature prevented him from showing any empathy as he stared at her without blinking. After some time, he attempted to speak to Gabby.

"Are you alright, miss?" Simon asked, genuinely concerned. However, Gabriella did not respond, which irritated him slightly.

Frustrated, he returned to his seat and pulled out his laptop to resume working. In the midst of the silence, Gabby began trembling uncontrollably, but Simon failed to notice as his work took precedence over her well-being.

Later on, Gabby hastily left the hotel room, her face soaked with tears and a look of confusion and numbness evident.

She had forgotten to put on her slippers, completely consumed by thoughts of her unwavering faithfulness to Richard.

"Why would I ever betray you, Richard?" she whispered to herself, rambling as she walked out of the hotel building.

Passersby stared at her, perceiving her as a madwoman due to her simultaneous crying, talking to herself, and walking.

After some time, Simon turned his gaze towards Gabby and was shocked to find her gone. Confused, he quickly checked the bathroom, growing increasingly worried as his vengeful plans against the Maxwells seemed to be falling apart.

"Hello! Miss, are you there?" he shouted, opening the door and finding the room empty. In a state of panic, he decided to contact Emilia and Tion at the reception.

"Hello, Emilia," he said to the receptionist, trying to maintain composure. "Good day, sir. How may I assist you today?" Emilia responded.

"Emilia, have you seen a woman in a red mini gown in the lobby today?" he inquired. "No, sir, I haven't noticed anyone matching that description," she answered.

"Shall I instruct the security to thoroughly check everyone checking out?" Emilia suggested. "Yes, please do that, Emilia. Also, I will reach out to Tion for assistance in finding her," Simon replied. "Very well, sir. Is there anything else you require?" Emilia asked.

"Not yet, I will call you when I need anything. Thank you, Emilia," he concluded.

"Alright, sir. Bye, sir," Emilia responded. They both hung up the call at the same time and dropped the phone. Simon immediately called Tion.

"Find her, she is missing," Simon ordered.

"Very well, sir," Tion responded. The call ended and he got lost in his thoughts.

"Why would no one believe this lady?" he murmured to himself. "It is so obvious she would never hurt anyone, but anyways, life happens," Simon concluded. He then sat down and returned to his work.

After a long struggle of leaving the hotel, Gabriella successfully left. She began walking aimlessly, crying profusely and talking to herself in confusion.

"Why me? What have I done to deserve this?" she questioned. "Who did this to me when I have done nothing to anyone?" Gabby interrogated herself. "Why did he not believe me? I am still his Gabby, HIS GABRIELLA HART, who waited ten years to see him again," she sobbed. She continued crying and questioning herself while walking barefooted, oblivious to everything around her.

She was so lost in her tears that she did not realize when she moved from the walkway to the main road, ignoring the honking cars passing by. She was so engrossed in her pain and tears that she didn't care what could happen to her. She kept walking without a destination until the street became extremely deserted and the sky filled with fear and terror, but Gabriella was not moved by it.

After crying for hours, she suddenly realized it was already midnight. All she could hear was the silent wind passing through the trees, and she realized she was the only one left outside in the town. She stood up, wiped her tears, and started making her way home. At first, she lost her way because her eyes were drenched with tears and she couldn't see clearly.

Meanwhile, Elena was already searching for Gabriella. She scoured every corner of the Maxwell's villa, but Gabby was nowhere to be found. Elena became extremely anxious to know where her daughter had gone. Then, she noticed Richard walking in and made the decision to ask him about Gabriella's whereabouts, despite her fear of his evident anger.

"Excuse me, Richard sir. Have you seen Gabriella? I can't seem to find her anywhere," Elena asked with curiosity.

"I haven't seen Gabriella since the party," Richard lied. "Perhaps she went home to get some fresh air."

"You might be right, sir. I will continue searching," Elena responded. Richard left her standing there, confused. Elena continued her search for Gabriella, feeling extremely worried as she sensed that something was wrong.

Afterwards, Simon received a call from Tion, which piqued his curiosity. "Sir, I have information that she has left the hotel and is somewhere in the city. We're trying to track her down, and I will call you to let you know if we find her," Tion said.

"Don't bother, Tion. Find her. I need her here as soon as possible," Simon yelled.

"I will find her, sir," Tion responded. They both ended the call, and Simon grew worried because he needed his plans to succeed so badly. He was eager to exact revenge on Richard Maxwell. After a few minutes of lost in his thoughts, Simon returned to his work.