<b>Chapter </b><b>91 </b>
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“He’s being mysterious for no reason,” James muttered, tipping back his ss and finishing thest of the wine. “This is why I hate this kind of talks.” Obviously, the only reason why James was able to <b>voice </b>his discontent was because his father already left the two of them alone.
Yes, Adam Be apologized without exining anything and then he just left.
“It’s not mysterious,” Emery said. “He’s just being awkward. Which ispletely understandable considering…. we never had a good rtionship,” Emery replied.
She had always known her stepmother, Deana, never cared for her and Adam would listen to everything that Deana would tell him. “It’s not like my grandparents ever mistreated me. If anything, they spoiled me,” she added. What bothered her was why her father seemed so determined to keep that fact hidden<b>, </b>as if letting anyone else know would be a problem.
“Well… he’s always been bad with words. Or maybe it was about that… man that he wanted you to marry.”
Emery chuckled at that. She would never understand why her father would make her marry that old man, but that is already a part of the past now.
“Anyway…” James set his empty ss on the counter. “Listen, I still have some things to take care of, my business partners just arrived. I can walk you back to Nina if you want.”
Emery shook her head with a small smile. “No, I’m fine. I already texted Nina. She knows where I am.”
James studied her for a moment. “Alright then. You’re sure you’ll be alright?”
“I will,” Emery said. Logan had arranged for a bodyguard to shadow her, and the thought of that was enough to keep her at ease. Her eyes drifted back to the city view beyond the ss, the skyline glittering against the night. A thought crossed her mind….where was Logan right now? The question sat on her tongue, but she stopped herself. It felt inappropriate to ask.
She already knew there were rogues lurking nearby, and calling him over just to ease her nerves would sound demanding. Then another thought struck her, one she didn’t like. Since when did she start worrying about what he thought of her? Since when did his opinion matter?
“After what happenedst time, I didn’t think you’d still have the nerve to walk around by yourself…”
The voice cut through her thoughts, and Emery snapped her head toward it. Standing a few feet away was <b>a </b>man she recognized instantly, the blond hair, the sharp eyes, and the single dimple on his left cheek. Gabriel.
He was dressed in all white. A tailored jacket over a crisp shirt, trousers pressed without a wrinkle. The outfit made him stand out against the darker suits and gowns around the hall, almost too clean, as if he wanted people to notice him. In his hand he held a half–filled wine ss, the stem bnced easily between his fingers as though he had all the time in the world.
Her stomach tightened. What the hell was he doing here?
Her eyes flicked past him, searching the area, half–expecting Lucille and her secret guards to appear and put him in his ce. But there was nothing, no footsteps, no shadows moving in. Her face turned ugly.
<b>9:28 </b>Mon<b>, </b><b>Sep </b>15 <b>d</b><b>. </b>
…
<b>59 </b>
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“Don’t bother looking for them,” Gabriel said casually, almost reading her thoughts. “Did you really think they would be enough to stop me? I already dealt with them. Don’t worry, they’re alive,” he shrugged. “Wouldn’t waste my strength on something so weak. Just knocked them out cold.”
“You-” Emery swallowed hard, forcing her voice to stay steady. “I’m warning you. If you think—”
“Oh, please.” Gabriel cut her off with a scoff. “If I wanted you dead, you’d already be gone. You wouldn’t even know what hit you.” His eyes flickered, and for a split second, she could’ve sworn there was disgust in them.
Emery’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Then what do you want?” she asked, her tone clipped. She thought of Logan then she realized something. “The rogues…‘
“Bingo…” Gabriel chuckled, closing the distance with unhurried steps. Emery immediately stepped back, trying to keep space between them. This only means that the rogues were only a distraction. He did it to keep Logan away!
“How could you treat your child’s uncle like this?” he asked, his eyes dropping deliberately to her stomach. “I’m offended.”
Emery stayed quiet but stopped retreating. Running was useless. He was a werewolf, she knew that much. Even the weakest among them had strength and speed she couldn’t match. If Gabriel wanted to catch her, he would.
He stopped just short of her, then shifted his gaze away as if she didn’t matter. Instead, he turned toward the ss wall, taking in the glittering skyline. “This ce looks great at night,” he said casually. “I quite like it.”
Emery’s brow tightened. He had the air of someone who ruined things just to see what would happen, a man who thrived on chaos simply because it amused him. The kind who’d burn down a house just tough <i>at </i>the
smoke.
“What do you want?” she asked. This man smelled like trouble, like mischief for the sake of it.
Finally, he looked back at her. The faint smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes. “What do I want?” He swirled the wine in his ss before answering. “I want to know why you’re still alive. Call it curiosity. For research purposes.”
“Is there a reason I should be dead?” Emery asked, forcing her tone to stay even.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at once. “Didn’t he tell you? No… wait. That doesn’t sound like the Logan I knew. He must have told you everything by now.”
Emery lifted her chin, masking her unease. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Gabrielughed, low and mocking. “Has no one ever told you that you’re a terrible liar? Truly, a terrible liar.”
Emery’s expression tightened, her difort in. He was enjoying every second of it, and she knew it.
“You look perfectly healthy to me,” Gabriel said, turning back to her. “Alive and well. Don’t you think that’s a little strange? I was honestly expecting you to be… dying by now.”
Emery kept her silence, studying him instead. From a distance he might have seemed harmless, almost casual
<b>9:28 </b>Mon, <b>Sep </b>15 <b>d</b>.
with the wine ss in his hand, but she knew better. A werewolf was