<h4>Chapter 763: Gabriel has punished me</h4>


    "He cried for a little while, but he settled eventually," Amelie replied, her voice softening as she watched Gabriel’srge hand look so protective against their son’s small head.


    "I am truly d you apologized to Brother Nick. It was... frightening, Gabriel. But why did you go so far as to remove Denzel?"


    "Because he bypassed me," Gabriel said. "He contacted Nick behind my back, intentionally sparking a confrontation he had no right to provoke. He broke the chain ofmand, and in doing so, he broke my trust."


    He stepped away from the bed, closing the small distance between them. Taking her hands in his, he looked down at her with eyes that had finally lost their predatory edge. "Are you still upset with me? I am so sorry you had to witness that. I should have been a better man, a better husband, in that moment."


    Amelie didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she reached up, her thumb grazing the dark, swollen bruise on his lower lip. "Does it hurt?" she whispered.


    "No," Gabriel murmured, though he winced slightly at the contact. He caught her hand, pressing her palm against his cheek and holding it there, closing his eyes as if her touch could finally ground him after the chaos of the day. "Having you here, like this... That’s the only thing that makes it stop stinging."


    "You should not remove Denzel from his position," Amelie whispered as he pulled his hands away.


    "He deserves a punishment, Amelie," Gabriel stated firmly, the wall of authority sliding back into ce. He didn’t want to argue about the chain ofmand.


    "We were supposed to have lunch together hours ago. Did Noah have his milk? I don’t think you’ve eaten a single bite since the confrontation."


    "Noah had his milk and fell asleep shortly after," Amelie replied, her eyes searching his. "I couldn’t eat. I wanted to wait for you."


    Gabriel’s expression softened at her words, the guilt of the day’s events resurfacing. He reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Then let’s have our lunch now. I’ll have the servants bring it up here so we don’t have to leave the wing."


    He moved toward the bell-pull to summon a attendant. Ashna walked in and bowed to them when Gabriel asked her to set the lunch table for them.


    ~~~~


    Aisha paused, her thumb hovering over the tablet screen as she looked up at him in genuine surprise. "Wait, you’ve really never had a strawberry shake? Not even as a kid?"


    Karmen offered a small, somewhat sheepish shrug. "It wasn’t exactly a staple in my diet. We usually stuck to what was functional."


    "Well, ’functional’ is taking a break today," Aishaughed, setting the tablet down. "Trust me, it’s a ssic for a reason. If you hate it, I’ll drink it and order you a boring vani one."


    Karmen took a sip as he processed the sweetness and the tart burst of fruit.


    "And?" Aisha prompted, leaning forward with an expectant grin.


    "It’s surprisingly decent," Karmen admitted, a small smile finally breaking through his usually stoic expression. He set the shake down and nced at the tray of burgers. "Though I think the burger is still going to be the highlight of this ’functional’ break."


    Aisha reached for a golden fry, a yful smile dancing on her lips as she looked across the table.


    "Once we finish this, would youe shopping with me? I still haven’t found a dress for Princess Katelyn’s wedding. My sister is usually my go-to, but she’spletely buried with her daughter’s school admissions right now."


    She punctuated the request by taking a confident bite of her burger, watching his reaction over the rim of her drink.


    "I should have been your first choice, Aisha," Karmen replied, his voice dropping to a smooth, resonant tone. He leaned back, his gaze steady and focused entirely on her. "You don’t need an excuse to ask. Besides, I need to find a new tuxedo for the ceremony anyway. It’s high time I traded the uniform for something a bit more formal."


    Aisha paused, her expression softening. "I know how demanding your schedule. I truly didn’t want to disturb you with something as trivial as dress shopping."


    Karmen slowly shook his head. "You could never be a disturbance. We’ll head out as soon as we’re done here."


    Suddenly, he felt his phone buzzing. He picked it up from the table and checked a message from Gabriel.


    Karmen’s thumb hovered over the screen of his phone, the text message from Gabriel glowing.


    {Denzel will return his badge to you. Make sure you grab it.}


    The appetite he’d managed to find vanished instantly. He lowered his half-eaten burger, his jaw tightening as he stared at the words.


    "What happened?" Aisha asked, her smile fading as she caught the sudden, sharp shift in his expression.


    "I need to make a quick call," Karmen said, his voice clipped. He offered a small, apologetic nod before excusing himself and stepping out of the small booth. He didn’t stop until he was outside the restaurant, the cool air hitting his face as he dialed Denzel’s number.


    The line rang three times before a weary voice answered.


    "Denzel, what the hell happened?" Karmen demanded. "Gabriel just messaged me saying you’re handing over your badge. Tell me he’s just blowing off steam."


    "He’s not," Denzel stated, his voice devoid of its usual spark. "I went behind his back to bring Nick to Juniper. I thought I was helping, but I only seeded in lighting a fuse in the middle of the pce. I did something terrible, Karmen. Gabriel has punished me, and honestly? I can’t say I don’t deserve it."


    Karmen paced a short circle on the sidewalk, his brow furrowed in frustration. "Exin. What did you do to make Gabriel this angry?"


    "Umm... I called Prince Dominick and told him he should be responsible for what was happening with Juniper. He fought with Gabriel. I think they hit each other," Denzel exined, feeling guilty.