Chapter 396 Waiting for Your Explanation
On the drive back to the cabin, Teresa sat in the backseat, gripping her phone tightly. Her pale cheek was pressed against the cold car window, and she stared blankly at the scenery flashing by.
A heavy snowfall had blanketed the landscape overnight, leaving a pristine white world outside.
Under different circumstances, Teresa would have found it breathtakingly beautiful.
But now, her eyes saw only shades of gray.
Just earlier, Raymond had called her, informing her that he had landed and was en route to the ski resort where the incident occurred.
Raymond reassured her that Gabriel must still be alive since he hadn't been found at the ski resort.
Right—Gabriel must still be alive. After all, she still loved him so deeply; how could he dare die?
Teresa thought that someone must have taken Gabriel away.
Then, Gabriel got injured and hadn't awakened yet, which is why he hadn't called her.
Once he woke up, he would surely call her immediately.
Therefore, Teresa held onto her phone with white-knuckled determination, waiting for Gabriel's call.
"Unity, due to the major avalanche, most of the resort's surveillance system has been damaged. We can only access the records of people who entered the resort before the avalanche took place. Among them, we found Jocelyn and a classmate from the University of Zurich who accompanied her," Luke reported after half an hour of driving, turning his head to look at Teresa. "After the avalanche, while most people were trapped at the resort, neither the resort staff nor the search and rescue teams have found any sign of Miss Jocelyn or her companion."
—Jocelyn?!
Hearing this, Teresa furrowed her brows.
"Is Jocelyn Hayden's sister?" Teresa asked.
"Yeah." Luke had momentarily forgotten about Teresa's selective amnesia, but now remembering, he quickly explained, "Jocelyn and Gabriel know each other."
—Jocelyn knows Gabriel.
Teresa had a moment of realization. "Are you suggesting that Jocelyn and her companion might have rescued Gabriel?"
Luke nodded. "It's possible."
"Look into it now. Check the whereabouts of Jocelyn and her companion," Teresa ordered immediately.
"Yes," Luke nodded and immediately made a call to set things in motion.
Buzz—buzz—buzz—
Just then, Teresa's cell phone vibrated in her palm, and she quickly glanced down.
An unknown number.
Could it be Jocelyn's? Gabriel woke up and was using Jocelyn's phone to call her own.
Yes, it must be.
With these thoughts flashing through her mind, Teresa's heart raced with excitement as she answered the call.
"Hello......."
"Sweetheart, it's me!"
—Sweetheart, it's me!
Four words, so simple and ordinary, yet at that moment, they were like a heavenly sound drifting from a distant horizon. Teresa froze on the spot, overwhelmed with tears.
"Sweetheart, I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I'm in Zurich, at Jocelyn's villa. I'll be heading back soon, back to our little cabin. Just wait for me there," Gabriel said urgently from the other end of the phone, unable to hear Teresa's response.
On the passenger side of the car, Luke sensed something was off with Teresa and turned to look. He saw her holding her phone with a tearful, joyous smile.
"Teresa, what happened between you and Gabriel?" Hayden, completely baffled, interrupted with a question.
"Sweetheart, sweetheart!" Gabriel called out again, becoming more anxious because he could not hear Teresa's voice.
"I'm here, I'm here......." Trembling, Teresa covered her mouth, tears choking her words, "My love, I'm here......."
On both ends of the phone, Gabriel and Hayden sighed in relief upon hearing Teresa's voice, especially Gabriel, whose heart, hanging in anxious suspense, finally settled.
"Sweetheart, I'm okay. Don't cry. I'll be back soon." Gabriel's voice was crystal clear, even though it was just coming through Hayden's cell phone speaker. He could hear Teresa's trembling sobs, and he could almost picture her covering her mouth, trying to stifle her cries.
"Okay." Hearing Gabriel's voice inside the car, Teresa started alternating between crying and laughing, looking absurdly naive and foolish.
She nodded vigorously, laughing and declaring unabashedly, "Darling, I miss you... I miss you so much..."
"Sweetheart, I miss you too. Be good and wait for me at our cabin," Gabriel replied with a warmth that transformed his usually harsh face into an expression of endless tenderness.
"Okay," Teresa responded, her face streaming with tears as she nodded and laughed. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she couldn't speak.
"Teresa, Gabriel, what's going on?" Hayden pressed again for an explanation.
"Hayden, tell the security team at your sister's mansion to get a car ready for me to leave," Gabriel commanded, his voice suddenly turning stern.
At that moment, Jocelyn was still holding Gabriel tightly against her chest, the broken glass in his hand pressed against her face. Though fearful, she wasn't deaf, and hearing Gabriel's tender pet names for Teresa finally made her realize that his earlier intimacy with her was nothing but a ruse to get the antidote.
On the other end of the phone, Hayden, irritated by Gabriel's unfriendly tone after disconnecting the call with Teresa, followed up, "Gabriel, what's happened? At least let me know so I can make arrangements."
"I was skiing with Teresa at the ski resort when an avalanche hit. Your sister happened to be there and saved me after I had passed out, barely escaping death. Damn it, she drugged me, kept me under house arrest, demanded I sleep with her, and then divorced Teresa to marry her. Now, do you get it?" Gabriel growled, gripping Jocelyn's throat, knowing well Hayden had finished speaking with Teresa.
"What?!" Even Hayden, who had seen plenty of intense situations, was stunned and completely baffled by Gabriel's revelation.
She could never have imagined that the sister she doted on and held dear as her daughter would do such a thing.
"Cough... cough..." Gabriel's strength had fully returned, and he tightened his grip on Jocelyn's neck. She struggled for breath, her face turning a hue of deep red, "Sis... sister, save me... please save me..."
Hearing Jocelyn's plea for help, Hayden finally snapped out of her daze. She couldn't contain her fury and roared, "Jocelyn, tell me, is what Gabriel just said true?"
"Cough... cough... Sister, Garcia... Gabriel, he's going to... going to kill me..." Jocelyn wasn't afraid of Hayden; it was Gabriel she feared at that moment.
She could feel that Gabriel was indeed on the verge of snapping her neck.
"Gabriel, don't be rash. It's Jocelyn's fault, but don't kill her. We can talk this out." Young and naïve, Jocelyn didn't comprehend the extent of Gabriel's ruthlessness and methods, but Hayden did. Frightened for her sister, she immediately began to plead with Gabriel. She quickly added, "I'll notify the security at the villa right now to safely escort you back, and no one will trouble you again."
With that, Hayden had Finley make the call to the guards at Jocelyn's villa.
Soon, the head of the security details at the villa received a call from Hayden.
Between the two sisters, Hayden was clearly the real boss. The guards naturally took her orders first, so they complied with Hayden's instructions, stood down, and waited for Gabriel's commands.
"Gabriel, all the guards at the villa are at your disposal now. Let Jocelyn go. I'll deal with her and ensure you receive a satisfying resolution," Hayden promised Gabriel once she finished instructing the security.
"Fine, then I'll await your disposition." With those words, Gabriel released Jocelyn's neck and snatched her phone from her hands.
Now that her neck was free and she could breathe again, Jocelyn was about to gulp in the air when Gabriel kicked her.
With a sharp scream, "Ahh!" she was sent flying onto the bed, then curled up in agony, clutching the stomach where Gabriel had struck her.
Gabriel's cold gaze briefly swept over her before he took her phone and strode out of the room, down the stairs, and left.
The bodyguards looked on, none daring to intervene, each one treating him with the utmost respect. Having a bodyguard fetch a car for him, Gabriel took Jocelyn's phone, got in the vehicle, and floored the gas, speeding away toward the town of Estherville as fast as he could.
...
