Chapter 356 Concern and Confusion: A Mother's Care and a Brother's Alarm
With that, Katherine stood up, carrying Michael upstairs, followed by the housekeeper.
Upon entering the room, Katherine gently wiped the little one's face and hands and changed his clothes. The toddler was still sound asleep, looking even more peaceful than a piglet in slumber. After planting a kiss on his forehead, she instructed the housekeeper with a few words before heading downstairs.
Just as she reached the bottom step, Gabriel returned.
"Gabriel—"
"Mom, where's Teresa and the baby?"
Before Katherine could reply, the urgency in Gabriel's voice cut her off.
"Teresa's in her room, and Michael's asleep. What's wrong? Is there some emergency?" Katherine asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Gabriel shook his head, and without saying another word, he strode toward the staircase.
"Gabriel, when Teresa got back, she seemed a bit off. Could you check on her and see if she's not feeling well?" Recalling Teresa's odd behavior, Katherine quickly called out to him.
—Something was off when Teresa returned.
Hearing his mother's words, Gabriel's deep, dark eyes briefly darkened, and he stopped in his tracks, turning back with a hint of urgency. "What do you mean, 'off'?"
Katherine frowned. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but she just handed Michael over to me as soon as she got back and then went upstairs. Also, it seemed like Michael had been crying before he arrived; he's been sleeping so deeply since and hasn't woken up."
Gabriel listened, his gaze growing more intense.
Without hesitation, he went upstairs to CroissanCroissant. There, he saw the little one sleeping soundly, watched over by the housekeeper. Everything appeared normal. Gabriel sighed in relief.
Walking over, he tenderly caressed the toddler's chubby cheek. After ensuring there was nothing amiss, he left satisfied and returned to his and Teresa's bedroom.
At that moment, inside the bedroom, "Teresa" was admiring herself in the full-length mirror of the walk-in closet. She had never imagined herself looking so beautiful and sexy and certainly never dreamed of the day she would wear an exclusively designed lingerie piece from Victoria's Secret adorned with a fortune in rare jewels.
The reflection of Teresa was breathtakingly seductive, almost suffocatingly so.
Suddenly, a soft click at the door made "Teresa's" nerves instantly tense up.
It had to be Gabriel entering.
Thinking of what was about to unfold between her and Gabriel, Teresa's heart raced uncontrollably, softening her body, a sensation spilling unbidden within her.
In the quiet expanse of the bedroom, Teresa listened to the man's approaching footsteps. She strove to remain composed as she padded barefoot, with a coquettish flair, toward the walk-in closet.
"My darling, you're home," she called out as she emerged.
Seeing him stride towards her—tall and statuesque, exuding an intense alpha presence, his manliness palpable—Teresa's heart hammered about to burst from her chest.
Gabriel's dark eyes flickered as he took in the sight of Teresa wearing nothing but a Victoria's Secret number, her sultry voice nearly dripping with honey.
Three months ago, he remembered vividly giving Teresa this jewel-encrusted lingerie. She hadn't appeared very excited about it. It was only after he persisted that she reluctantly wore it. The platinum fastenings embedded with precious stones had scratched her skin during that heated encounter.He vividly remembered, three months ago, when he'd gifted her this jewel-encrusted lingerie, Teresa hadn't seemed too enthralled. Only after his persistent cajoling did she wear it reluctantly. The platinum fastenings embedded with precious stones had scratched her skin on that heated occasion.
Though the scratch was superficial, Teresa had since refused to do it again, and he stopped asking. Yet, the lingerie had stayed on display in the closet like an ornamental piece.
Why would Teresa suddenly wear it today?
When Gabriel's steady gaze didn't waver, Teresa mistook his depth for desire, approached him with an enchanting smile, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tiptoed to kiss his cheek, whispering seductively, "Do you like it, my love?"
Gabriel's arms enveloped her slim waist, and he bent down to inhale her scent. There was nothing unusual about the fragrance she wore, yet as he closed his eyes to savor it, his brows furrowed.
Why did the Teresa in his arms feel different than before?
"My love?" Teresa's voice, tender and enticing, snapped Gabriel back.
"Hmm," he hummed nonchalantly.
"Am I beautiful? Do you like it?" Teresa pressed, burying her face in the nape of his neck, cuddling and cooing within his embrace.
"You're gorgeous, my sweetheart. Of course, I adore you," Gabriel murmured, leaning in to kiss Teresa's ear.
It was puzzling. In the past, whenever Teresa made a move like she just did, he would have been set ablaze with desire.
But now, there was nothing. No reaction at all.
He distinctly remembered a tiny mole behind Teresa's right ear.
Basking in the man's tender affections, the woman posing as "Teresa" wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into his embrace, her voice becoming increasingly sultry, "Darling, I love you—" Her words were abruptly cut off by his firm hand around her throat, yanking her off him. His dark, intense eyes bore into her as a torrent of cold fury suddenly overtook him, visible veins throbbing on his forehead.
This woman was not Teresa; there was no mole behind her right ear.
If she wasn't Teresa, then where was the real Teresa? How could someone who looked and sounded exactly like her, who even carried her scent, be pretending to be her in the Garcia household? It had to be a conspiracy – someone was targeting Teresa.
In just a few seconds, Gabriel battled to control his rage, resisting the temptation to lash out at the woman in front of him. However, he knew he couldn't act yet.In just a few seconds, Gabriel was struggling to contain his fury, fighting the urge to tear the woman before him to pieces.
But he knew he couldn't act – not yet.
"Dar... Darling, what are you... I'm your sweetheart!" the imposter gasped, her breathing hampered by Gabriel's iron grip, panic flashing uncontrollably in her eyes.
She never anticipated Gabriel would uncover the truth so quickly.
"Are you going to talk?" he bellowed, tightening his grip, eyes nearly bursting with rage.
"My dar... I..." Before she could finish her feeble excuses, Gabriel delivered a punishing kick to her midsection.
The fake Teresa let out a sharp cry of pain as she was sent flying across the room to crash heavily onto the carpet.
But at that moment, Gabriel didn't spare her another glance. He turned on his heel and dashed to the door, bellowing, "Someone get in here!"
"Gabriel, what's wrong?"
"Son, what happened?"
Gabriel's thunderous shout echoed through the house like a clap of lightning. Mason and Raymond, who had been deep in discussions in the study, rushed out immediately. Katherine, having just returned to her room, darted back into the corridor. Mason and Katherine nearly spoke in unison, their voices filled with urgent concern as they addressed Gabriel.
Hearing the commotion, the housekeeper and bodyguards downstairs hurriedly scrambled up the stairs like bees swarming to their queen.
"Grandpa, something's happened to Teresa!" In a flash of raw emotion, Gabriel's eyes became bloodshot, revealing a ferocity rarely seen, even as his mind remained sharply focused. "Mom, you need to take Croissant to the hospital, and get the doctors to do a full-body check on him."
Everyone was stunned, unsure what to make of the situation.
"Gabriel, what's going on? Explain yourself!" demanded Raymond, quickly pressing for answers.
"Yeah, son, isn't Teresa..." Katherine's voice trailed off as Gabriel, with a near-growl, cut her off, his eyes brimming with tears he couldn't hold back. "The Teresa who came back is a fake, altered to look just like her, but she's not my Teresa, not my sweetheart. Mom, no more questions. Go to the hospital now for the check-up, and make sure you have enough people with you for safety."
"Alright, alrightAll right, all right!" Confronted with Gabriel's alarming intensity, a sight Katherine had never seen before, she knew better than to pry. She nodded swiftly. "I'll take Michael to the hospital right now."
With that, she hurried toward the impersonator's room.
"Gabriel, where's the fake Teresa?" Mason, catching up to the gravity of the situation, quickly approached Gabriel with his question.
Raymond, having pieced it together himself, followed closely behind Mason.
"In her room," Gabriel replied tersely, then dashed downstairs...
