Chapter 32.

**Narrator’s POV.**

Gabriel had been strolling through the hallways, wondering why Tessa had not come to see him for almost a week. He imagined the worst but yet, the worst was not up to the reality of what had actually happened.

Was she tired of him?

Had she decided that picking him over his two step-brothers was a mistake?

Had she gone back to one of them?

Why wasn’t her phone going through?

Was she purposely ignoring him?

He never thought he would admit it to himself but he actually missed the blonde headed girl that was his girlfriend but was she feeling the same way about him? Did she miss him?

They had not spent a day apart since they had started dating so a week without communication was extremely hard for him. He had tried her doorbell over and over again but no one answered and every time he tried to ask her mother about her, she avoided him like a plague or acted as if she had something really important to do right the second.

The lowest point was stalking her on her social media accounts every second to see if she had updated her status or posted something- that was when he realized he had hit rock bottom and could not take it anymore. He decided that this time, he was going to take Bethel Agreste by surprise and force her to tell him where Tessa was- even if he had to threaten her life.

He had found the woman in one of the many living rooms, giving the other maids a mouthful of how terrible they were at their jobs and how she could fire them if she was in a bad mood- he could now tell why Tessa hated her mother. Luckily for Gabriel, she had her back turned to him so he could creep behind her undetected and had the chance to signal to the maids to act as if no one was there, “Bethel”, he finally called out when he was behind her.

In the speed of lightning, she turned around to face the man she had been trying so damn hard to avoid, “Young master”, she gasped,

“Ladies, please excuse us”, he said to the younger maids,

“But they are yet to-”, he cut her off before she could finish her sentence,

“Now!”, he demanded,

“Yes sir”, the women said as they scrambled away, Bethel’s eyes widened and she took a few steps away from the man- the look on his face was terrifying and she knew for a fact that he was done with her childish hide and seek games. He wanted answers and he was ready to go to any length for them.

“Now Bethel”, he walked over to one of the couches and sat down on it, crossing one leg over the other, “You will answer my question; where is Tessa?”,

“I do not know what you are talking about”, she tried to deny but unfortunately, she was a terrible actor and a terrible liar as well,

“Do not bullshit me Bethel, I know she is not home. I want to know where she is”,

“Well, incase you do not know, she never tells me where she goes”, she shrugged but he was not having any of it- he was done asking her nicely. He shot up from his seat and in three long strides, he was in front of her, giving her the most menacing glare, he could muster,

“Where is my girlfriend Bethel? I will not ask again”, he snarled at her and she could swear she felt pee drip unto her panties- he was scaring the hell out of her.

“I swear that I do not know”, she denied once again and that was when he got pissed off and grabbed her frail hand, gripping it as tight as he could- tight enough to stop her blood from flowing there,

“Tell me now”, he ordered, watching tears coat her dread filled eyes,

“Okay, okay, I will tell you”, she cried out, “I am telling the truth when I say that I do not know where she is. You should ask your father about it, please let me go”, somehow, he was not shocked that his father had something to do with his girlfriend’s disappearance but knowing it made him angrier than he should have been.

He let go of the woman’s hand and stomped out of the living room going to the one place he knew his father would be- his home office.

*End of Flashback*

“What the hell am I meant to do with that? Tell me where the fuck she is”, he had been so angry that he had not even realized that his father had called for backup. He was immediately shoved away from his father and a safe distance was kept between the both of them by Mr. O’Connell’s personal security men. Andrew O’Connell adjusted himself and sat down on his seat,

“Look son, you have a bright future ahead of you, do not waste it on some girl”, Andrew’s voice was gentle as he tried to reason with his son,

“Tessa is not some girl! She is my girlfriend and I fucking love her! Why don’t you want to see me happy?”, he yelled at his father, completely unaware that he had just admitted his love for Tessa to his psycho father,

“Love?”, Andrew snickered, “That is absurd, there is no such thing as love. There is only money Gabriel, do not mix them together- you will be weak minded”,

“Don’t you get it father? Not everything is about money, thinking that way makes *you* weak minded”, Gabriel fired back, “I know you will not tell me where she is so I will look for her myself, no matter how far away she is”, he turned to the door and began walking away,

“Gabriel!”, he was stopped in his tracks by his father, “If you leave, do not bother coming back, forget your privileges, forget you being my son, forget your inheritance”, once again, his father was threating him monetarily but this time, he was done dealing with his father’s shit, he was done listening to the threats, he was done allowing his father walk all over him like a foot mat, he was done with his father.

“So be it”, that was the last thing Gabriel said before walking out of the office and heading to his bedroom to pack his things. He was finally leaving the O’Connell mansion and it felt so damn good.