Chapter 292 Gabriel's Overbearing Protection of Jessica
Jessica never thought in a million years that Madison would catch her in the act.
She just stood there, totally floored, her brain short-circuiting, forgetting how to even move.
"Jess, what's up?" Gabriel noticed her weird behavior and followed her gaze to see Madison.
Oh, right, that was the girl who'd been holding Jessica's hand.
"Can you give me a sec to handle this?" Jessica asked Gabriel, looking desperate.
Gabriel nodded, took a few steps forward, and then stopped, waiting.
If she needed space, he'd give it to her. But she had to stay in his sight. If she couldn't deal, he'd step in.
Gabriel had one thought: he could give her space, but no way was he letting his girl get bullied.
Back at the scene, Jessica and Madison just stared at each other.
Minutes ticked by, and neither said a word.
Finally, Jessica found her voice and cautiously asked, "Madison, I'm sorry; did you see everything?"
"What do you think?" Madison's eyes were brimming with tears.
As she spoke, tears started streaming down her face. "Mom made me come out to see you off, so I did, but I never expected to see this. Jess, how could you? My brother loves you so much; don't you know? When he looks at you, his eyes are full of tenderness and affection. He's never treated any other girl like that; you're the first. My mom loves you too. She treats you like family, and I thought you'd marry my brother. Our whole family loves you, but how do you repay us?"
By the end, Madison lost it. She shouted at Jessica, her voice cracking. "Speak up; tell me. Why are you dating two guys at the same time? Why did you cheat?
"How could you be so shameless? You already have my brother. Isn't he good enough? He's handsome, has a great personality, and our family, the Lucas Family, has a good background. Most importantly, he's devoted to you. Have you ever thought about his feelings?
"Jess, we trusted you so much. How could you do this? Do you know how heartbroken my brother will be when he finds out?"
Jessica didn't say anything, just stood there quietly.
She knew anyone who saw this would be crushed and unable to handle it.
She'd already texted Vincent, and by now, he should be on his way.
Madison was his sister, and Jessica thought it would be best for him to handle this directly.
Any explanation from her would just make things worse.
Seeing Jessica just standing there, not resisting or explaining, Madison got even angrier.
She walked forward, crying and loudly questioning, "Speak up, Jess, why aren't you saying anything? Why aren't you explaining? Or do you think it's not worth explaining since I caught you?"
"Madison, you're really upset right now. Even if I explain, you probably won't listen," Jessica tried to speak gently.
But her words only fired Madison up more. "Oh, so that's your excuse?"
She took another step forward and jabbed Jessica's chest with her finger.
Seeing this, Gabriel was ready to jump in.
But Jessica shot him a look, begging him to stay out of it.
He struggled but finally agreed to let her handle it.
Seeing Jessica not fighting back, Madison got even bolder.
She kept poking Jessica, "Jess, what do you take my brother for? Let me tell you, the Lucas Family isn't to be messed with.
"When I tell my sister, you're gonna have a rough time.
"Cheating on my brother and flirting with another man, kissing and all, you're shameless."
Jessica took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling the sting of Madison's words.
Her heart ached.
Those insults cut deep.
Her finger felt like a dagger, stabbing her heart over and over.
"Madison, things aren't what you think. You don't know the whole story. Please don't judge me without knowing everything," Jessica said.
Madison sneered, "Oh yeah? Then tell me, what's the truth?"
"I've already texted your brother. He's on his way and will explain everything," Jessica replied.
Madison lost it. "What did you say? You called my brother over?
"Jess, how could you be so shameless? After doing something so disgraceful, you still dare to let my brother see it? Do you have any shame?
"Looks like I have to teach you a lesson for my brother today."
With that, Madison raised her hand.
No one saw this coming.
Gabriel saw it and sprinted over.
Jessica had no time to react and just turned her head away.
She thought she couldn't dodge it.
But the expected slap never came.
Madison looked up, furious, wanting to see who dared to stop her.
But when she saw who it was, she was stunned, eyes wide with disbelief. "Vincent?"
"You? Why are you here?"
She broke down and shouted at Jessica, "You cheated on my brother, and you had the nerve to make him see it! Jess, my brother treats you so well, don't you have any conscience?"
Vincent's cold eyes swept over Madison, and he sternly said, "Madison, watch your mouth."
"Vincent, you don't know, she actually..."
Madison pointed at Jessica, trembling, unable to speak, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing Jessica shivering, Vincent didn't hesitate to take off his coat to put it on her.
But a hand grabbed his coat.
Gabriel said, "Mr. Lucas, you should first take care of your sister. Don't let Jessica be misunderstood after doing a good deed. Let me be clear. If you don't handle this well and Jessica gets wronged, I will definitely retaliate against the Lucas Family."
With that, he threw Vincent's coat back at him.
Then he took off his own coat, put it on Jessica, and scooped her up, carrying her away.
