Chapter316
"I'm going to skin Yvonne alive," Gabriel answered, pausing and turning back to Mason, his dark eyes swirling with anger.
"She might wake up any moment now, and if she doesn't see you, Teresa might get restless," Mason said calmly, standing and walking over to place a reassuring hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Stay here. Let Grandpa handle Yvonne for you."
"Grandpa..."
"You don't trust me?" Mason challenged him with a stern look.
"That Yvonne deserves to die. I've never seen a woman so narrow-minded and vicious as her. What could Teresa possibly have done to her to receive such cruel treatment? It nearly cost Teresa her life." Sophia added bitterly from the side.
She had never hated someone as much as she did at that moment. Luckily, Teresa never ended up in the Evans family. Otherwise, no one knew to what extent she would have suffered under Yvonne's cruelty.
"Patrick, Sophia, don't worry. Whatever suffering Teresa endured, I'll make Yvonne pay for it bit by bit," Mason pledged with a grave tone.
"Mason, your words give us peace of mind," Patrick said, nodding with profound gratitude.
Teresa had always been the apple of his eye, his darling girl. Though Patrick kept his composure, his heartache and distress were no less than Sophia's as Teresa was now hanging by a thread.
Mason nodded, and with Raymond and Katherine by his side, they all took their leave.
Shortly after they exited, Teresa, who had laid motionless on the hospital bed, suddenly frowned slightly her long lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, awakening.
"Sweetheart." Gabriel's eyes welled up with emotion as Teresa opened her eyes. He held her hand tightly while his other hand gently touched her cheek, "Sweetheart, you're awake."
"My love..." Teresa squinted, gazing at the handsome face deeply engraved in her memory, "Am I... am I not dead?"
"Pssh!" As soon as they saw Teresa awaken, Patrick and Sophia crowded around the bed, Sophia's eyes misting with excitement, "What are you talking about? Your father and I are right here. You’re going to be fine!"
"Mom, Dad..." Teresa turned to Patrick and Sophia, a weak smile forming on her lips.
She was alive, and it was a wonderful feeling.
Seeing her, Patrick nodded with relief, "You're awake. That's what matters."
"Quick, go get the doctor," Sophia said to the guard standing outside the door, who nodded and hurried off to fetch the physician.
"Sweetheart, do you feel pain anywhere? Tell me if anything feels wrong," Gabriel asked, tenderly caressing her pale face.
Teresa turned to look at him and shook her head, "My love, I'm okay! The good Lord let me live to see you all again, and I feel so blessed."
"Silly girl, nothing's going to happen to you. You're going to be safe and live a long, healthy life," Sophia said warmly, adjusting Teresa's blanket with a mix of joy and concern.
"Mom, you and Dad have to live to be at least 120 years old so I can keep taking good care of you both," Teresa said with a smile as she looked toward Sophia.
The anesthesia was wearing off now, and a clear pain was emanating from her abdomen. But compared to the joy of a narrow escape from death, what was a little pain?
"All right, honey," Sophia nodded happily, "Your dad and I will make it to 120 so that you can keep honoring us with your care."
"Sweetie, then you gotta promise to make it to at least 110. Otherwise, I'll be so lonely," she said, turning to Gabriel with a smile.
Even though her lips were pale, her smile at that moment was especially radiant and beautiful.
Gabriel looked at her, kissed the back of her hand tenderly, and nodded deeply, "Silly sweetheart, of course, I'll be here with you, always and forever."
"Mhm," Teresa nodded lightly, her eyes brimming with happy tears.
Just then, several doctors rushed in, and Gabriel and the others quickly stepped aside to let the medical team examine Teresa.
Behind the curtain, the specialists began their examination.
Meanwhile, when Mason and Raymond returned to the estate, Yvonne had already been brought in and detained in a side building of the mansion.
Mason and Raymond went straight to the side building. Katherine couldn't stand violence, especially considering Yvonne used to be a card-playing buddy of hers. She went back to the main house to be with Croissant.
In the side building, Yvonne was tied up, her mouth sealed with duct tape. She started trembling violently when she saw Mason and Raymond enter with stern expressions.
Luckily for her, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.
But what she had forgotten was that Gabriel's ruthless streak had been inherited from someone.
Mason briefly glanced at Yvonne curled up on the floor, then gave a nod to the bodyguard beside him.
Understanding, the bodyguard promptly ripped the tape off Yvonne's mouth.
"Why did you go after Teresa?" Mason asked, staring down at Yvonne.
"That witch Teresa, she's nothing but a..." Yvonne hissed.
"Slap!"
Before Yvonne could finish her insult, the bodyguard standing before her dealt a firm slap across her face.
Teresa was a treasured member of The Garcia family, always kind to every servant and bodyguard. The idea of letting Yvonne get away with accusing Teresa was beyond the pale.
The bodyguard's slap hit hard. Yvonne's head snapped to the side, her cheek marked with five distinct fingerprints, and her ears rang with a muffled buzz. She was completely dazed.
"Yvonne, since you're so willfully blind, there's no point in wasting breath," Mason said as he glanced at his bodyguard. He ordered, "Gag her. Treat her 'nicely,' but remember to keep her alive for the J crew."
"Yes, boss," the bodyguard responded promptly with a nod.
Mason's bodyguards were ruthless, much more than Luke's guys ever were.
After giving Yvonne another indifferent look, Mason, with Raymond by his side, walked away without another word.
"No, Mason, Gabriel, I was wrong, I was so wrong..." Yvonne, after being stunned for a moment, burst into desperate sobs, pleading for mercy as they left, "I was wrong, please, let me go..."
But before she could finish, her outcry was stifled – Mason and Raymond didn't even pause. Mason's guard forcefully grabbed her by the hair, tilting her head back, and then gagged her. He turned to his minions and barked, "Get the tools."
"Yes," one of them replied, hurrying off to fetch the tools.
Yvonne's eyes were wide with terror, and she whimpered as she shook her head violently, begging for mercy.
