My father, with a clenched jaw, nods, confirming that I got it right from his explanation.
“I don’t care anymore, George. She’s our daughter! Do not let your recklessness as a teenager, and your infatuation with sharing Gabriel’s success blind you into losing your family in the process. It’s not like we don’t have enough money. We’ll not be as rich as Gabriel, but we will still have millions that will secure our lives even after you pay. Just do what you have to do because I’m not sacrificing my daughter for the sake of your company. I may have been a fool to believe you once with all your blabbers on a luxurious life, but I don’t care anymore. If I have to choose between losing all I have, turning into a beggar in the streets or losing my daughter, I’ll choose to be a beggar. That’s how much I’m willing to sacrifice to have her in my arms, and that’s how much I’m willing to sacrifice for her happiness.”
“I agree with mom, dad. Back then when you signed this contract with Gabriel, it was for the sole reason of avoiding complications and developing your companies even more but look at you now. You no longer need each other’s help, and there are no more problems between your companies. You no longer need to feel obliged to stick up to the contract,” Trevor speaks out, defending me for the first time.
I guess I’ll have to thank Lexi for the punch, seeing as her physical knock to his jaw mentally knocked some sense into my brother.
He offers me a soft smile which I return before his attention goes back to our father as he says, “What if both of you agree to throw the contract behind your backs as if nothing has ever happened? In this case, both partners would agree to disregard the contract as if it was never signed, and Evangeline and Adrien will be free from each other.”
“If Gabriel’s willing to do this, I don’t mind.” My father responds coolly as if we’re talking about the weather.
We all look at Gabriel, awaiting his response. His eyes travel from Adam to Adrien to Gina to my mom to me and lastly to my dad before he confidently says, “I’m willing to disregard it if you pay me half your fortune.”
My mind hasn’t even gotten the chance to fully register what he had just said because as soon as the words came out of his mouth, Adam’s fist collided with his face. Gasps coming from both my mom and Gina hit my ears, while Trevor and my father seemed weirdly satisfied with Adam’s action as if they wanted to have the honours to do it themselves. Adrien, on the other hand, strolled over to where his brother and father were and pushed Adam slightly to back off from Gabriel.
Adam shrugs Adrien’s arms off of him as if they were some sort of a contagious disease before adamantly saying, “Listen here, Gabriel. You will free Evangeline and Adrien from the contract right now or so God help me! Don’t forget that I was your son once, and I know some things that I shouldn’t know. If it were ever to be posted in the news, the illegal side-businesses you deal with, that would surely ruin Gabriel Sanderson’s reputation, wouldn’t it?”
Gabriel’s hand hasn’t left his bleeding, broken nose.
His eyes widened in shock at Adam’s words, yet the bastard has still got the audacity to smirk daringly. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to, boy. You’d be surprised what money can do. Unless you want to end up in prison for dealing drugs, you’ll keep your mo—”
“Have you lost your mind?” Gina yells for the first time, her eyes widened in disbelief at what Gabriel’s insinuating he can do. “You’d wrongfully accuse your son for dealing drugs just to keep him quiet about your illegal drug selling? When has this started? And since when do you know about this?”
Adam looks saddened by his mother’s apparent stress as he honestly replies, “Five years ago-just after our accident by a few days.”
Gabriel was about to reply when an idea lights up in my mind, so I cut him off with a smile. “I have a deal Gabriel.”
“And what would that be?” He rolls his eyes; his disinterest apparent.
“If you, in any ways, are concerned for the slightest bit about Adrien ending up in jail, you’ll free me from this contract,” I say confidently, watching Adrien’s confused eyes widen in fear as the realisation hits him.
Finally, he realised that I know what he did.
“What are you talking about?” My father questions.
“I’m talking about this.” I pull out a video tape from my beige Michael Kors handbag, giving Adam a grateful smile, for he is the one who gave it to Lexi to hand it to me a few days ago.
“What is that?” Gabriel eyes the video tape nervously.
“That, Gabriel, is my free ticket out of your supposedly called truce. A few days ago, I’ve learned something about your dear son -Adrien, and let’s just say that you disowned the wrong brother.” I sent Adrien a disgusted look.
“What did you do?” Gabriel’s questioning hard gaze falls on Adrien suspiciously.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Adrien responds, feigning innocence.
“Oh, is that it then? You don’t know about this security footage which videotaped you personally talking to your two dogs, who were driving the same cars that ‘accidentally’ crashed into us, in the exact place of the accident right before it happened?”
All of the parents’ jaws as well as my brother’s drop in absolute flabbergast at my words. A few days ago, when Lexi came over, she came clean to me about
