Chapter 403 Acting Spoiled with Sophia
Gabriel got the boot from Sophia. He rubbed his nose and gave a bitter smile.
Just then, the door creaked open again. He thought maybe Sophia had a change of heart and was inviting him back for lunch.
But no, it was Emma. She peeked out, stretched her little hand, and said, "Daddy, you forgot your phone."
"Emma, can I come in?" Gabriel asked.
"Nope, Mommy's really mad this time. You better go," Emma said, quickly shutting the door.
Gabriel sighed.
With an empty stomach, he headed back next door. Betty was at Lancaster Manor to takecare of Ruth, so he had to fend for himself.
Gabriel was cooking pasta when Alex called.
"Mr. Lancaster, the police found a mutilated skeleton on the northwest beach. DNA confirmed it's the psychologist Alfred!"
Gabriel turned off the stove, leaving the half-cooked pasta, and grabbed his car keys.
At the police station, the officers filled him in.
No wonder they couldn't find Alfred abroad. It was like he vanished after leaving the country.
Now, it all made sense. Alfred had been murdered long ago, and the clues leading abroad were a setup.
But who killed Alfred?
"We're still investigating," the police said, having no leads.
Whoever did this wasn't an ordinary person.
The police had contacted Alfred's family, who thought he fled the country after committing a crime. Alfred had made plenty of enemies, so a vendetta was possible.
Leaving the station, Gabriel got into the car and told Alex, "Check on Raskolnikov Rodion."
"Yes, Mr. Lancaster."
At the maximum-security prison, Gabriel met Raskolnikov but got nothing useful from him.
Back in the car, Alex asked, "Do you think Raskolnikov killed Alfred?"
Gabriel shook his head. He had a theory but no proof.
"Keep a close watch on Raskolnikov."
"Okay."
With Alfred's body found, the killer might panic and slip up.
Gabriel closed his eyes and leaned back, his stomach cramping. He hadn't eaten all day, feeling dizzy and in pain.
At a red light, Alex glanced back and saw Gabriel slumped over, his hand clenched on his stomach.
"Mr. Lancaster?" Alex called out, but Gabriel didn't respond. Panic set in.
Gabriel wasn't asleep; he had passed out!
An hour later, Gabriel woke up in the hospital. It was dark. Lying on the bed with an IV drip, Alex handed him porridge.
"What did the doctor say?" Gabriel asked, sitting up.
"Acute gastritis. Have you been skipping meals again?"
With Harrison abroad, Alex had been too busy to keep tabs on Gabriel's eating.
"Don't tell Ruth about this," Gabriel said, frowning.
Alex sighed. Gabriel always tried to keep his family from worrying.
He handed the porridge to Gabriel.
"The doctor said your condition is pretty serious. You need to stay here for observation," Alex insisted.
Gabriel frowned, clearly not on board with the idea.
"Mr. Lancaster, you need to take care of yourself. You have kids to think about," Alex urged. "Plus, you could use this to get Ms. Kelly to take care of you. Maybe if you act cute, she'll forgive you."
It was a tempting thought, but Gabriel shook his head. "Don't tell her or the kids. If they ask, just say I'm on a business trip."
He knew trying to use his illness to win Sophia's sympathy would likely backfire. She was already furious with him, and any more stunts might make her never want to see him again.
Alex sighed inwardly.
Late that night, Sophia was restless. Gabriel's recent behavior made her wonder if he was jealous of Jake. The thought kept her up, leading to another sleepless night.
In the following days, neither Sophia nor the kids saw Gabriel.
'He just disappears without a word?' Sophia thought. 'Did I go too far that day?'
She started to doubt herself.
The kids' birthday arrived. Sophia took the day off to take them to the Lancaster Manor and then went to the hospital to bring Caroline out temporarily.
Under Ruth's direction, the Lancaster Manor was decked out with blue and pink balloons. The birthday was more of a family affair than a big celebration.
Emma invited Josie. Caroline hadn't seen Josie in four days and was thrilled to see her at the Lancaster family gathering.
"Great-grandma, where's Daddy?" Sam asked, gesturing with his hands. They hadn't seen Gabriel for days.
"Your daddy said he'd be back tonight to cut the cake with you," Ruth reassured him.
Sam was disappointed. It was his first birthday with Ethan and Emma, and Gabriel wasn't there.
Emma was also upset. In previous years, only Sophia celebrated their birthday with them. This year, with Gabriel around, he was missing.
She decided she wouldn't talk to Gabriel anymore. She wouldn't help him win Sophia back, either.
Poor Gabriel sneezed twice in the hospital.
With a livid expression, he demanded to be discharged.
"We'll decide after the results come out this afternoon," the doctor said.
But the hospital's machine malfunctioned, and the results didn't come out until it was dark. Gabriel was so frustrated he wanted to flatten the hospital.
"We suggest you stay for another two days, Mr. Lancaster," the doctor said, his voice trailing off.
Gabriel had already changed into his own clothes. "Alex, handle the discharge procedures."
This time, Alex couldn't stop him. It was the kids' first birthday with him, and Gabriel didn't want to miss it.
At 8 P.M., Gabriel finally returned, just in time to cut the cake.
The three kids were all angry, and Gabriel spent a long time trying to coax them to no avail.
He had no choice but to pull out the property deed. "Ethan, Sam, Emma, this is my birthday gift to you."
The Harbor Bay property he had bought at the auction was now in the names of the three kids. The house belonged to them.
Sophia was shocked when she saw the address on the property deed.
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