Chapter 45

Phyllis dug into her bag, pulled out her wallet, and peeled off a few bills. "It was wrong of me to introduce you to Rhys, Gabriela. Take this as my apology."

Rhys's name had been splashed across the headlines, and because Phyllis and her friends had attended the same university as him, his scandal spread quickly among their circle.

"When did you get mixed up with Rhys, Phyllis?" one of Phyllis's friends asked.

Putting on a regretful sigh, Phyllis said, "Gabriela and I only knew he was pulling in over a million a year. She was so eager to meet him, so I set them up. Yet I didn't take the time to check what kind of man he really was...I mneant well, but I made a mistake."

The explanation landed like a stone in a pond. Her friends' eyes slid toward Gabriela, their expressions turning sharper, tinged with contempt.

Pursuing a man solely for his paycheck-without a thought for his character-was pure self-destruction in their eyes. Pathetic didn't even begin to cover it.

Gabriela's lips curled in a sharp, impatient sneer. "So desperate to smear my name that you're distorting the truth,Phyllis?"

Phyllis's face faltered, her voice taking on a wounded edge. "I know I'm to blame for introducing Rhys to you..."

Gabriela cut her off with a cold glint in her eyes. "You really want to keep up this performance? Don't come bawling to your dad when I let the rest of our schoolmates in on your little stunt."

The threat silenced Phyllis instantly.

Her friends, however, assumed she was being cornered and jumped to her aid. "Why waste your time on someone so selfish and nasty, Phyllis? And you're actually lending her money? Once it's in her hands, it's gone for good!" Phyllis bit her lip, eyes shimmering as though tears might spill. "But... she's my cousin."

"You still consider her family, but I doubt she feels the same." The red-haired woman, Vivian Vasquez,raked Gabriela with a slow, dismissive glance, her lips curling into a superior smile. "Gabriela, my family happens to need a maid. I've heard you can cook tolerably well. Why not come work part-time at my place after your shift here? I'll pay you the same hourly rate you get at this restaurant."

The others leaned in with mocking laughter. "So generous of you, V/ivian. But can you really trust someone like her in your home? What if she walks off with something valuable?"

"I'm only making the offer out of respect for PhyllisVivian said with a shrug. Her lips curled into a smirk."You should feel lucky, Gabriela. Not everyone has a cousin this generous."

Gabriela wasn't in the mood to play along with their performance. She turned on her heel and started walking away.

She'd barely gone a few steps before Vivian's voice rang out sharply behind her."Stay right where you are,Gabriela!"

Gabriela kept moving, lengthening her stride.

Vivian's irritation spiked, and she hurried after her, heels clicking hard against the floor. "Are you deaf? I told you to stop!"

Gabriela turned to meet her eyes, her tone icy."And what exactly do you want from me?"

Vivian's voice rose, sharp with accusation. "My necklace is gone.Did you take it?"

Gabriela instantly caught the calculated malice behind the words, her expression hardening to ice."|fyou can't back that up with proof, do us both a favor and keep quiet."

She turned to walk away, but Vivian's command cracked through the air. "Stop her! Don't let her slip off!"She signaled to her friends, her eyes glinting with ridicule. "You're not here earning wages, and you're not just here for a meal-so what is it? Here to steal?"

The others piled on with sneering glee. "Back in school, Gabriela, you were always stealing Phyllis's clothes, het jewelry, and even her hairpins. No wonder you've got your hands on Vivian's pretty necklace now."

Phyllis jumped in without missing a beat. "Don't say that. Gabriela was just young and a little foolish back then. And anyway, my dad asked me to take care ofher. Girls are drawn to pretty things. She was just borrowing them,not taking them for good."

Her tone was soft, but her eyes slid toward Gabriela wvith quiet reproach. "Gabriela, my dad genuinely cares about you. If you wanted a beautiful necklace, all you had to do was ask him-he'dgladly buy it for you.There's no need to take something that belongs to someone else."

Though she framed it as a defense, her verdict was already clear-Gabriela had stolen it.

They stood in the hallway just outside the private dining room, voices carrying.

The stir of their exchange had already drawn curious onlookers, with patrons drifting closer in'twos and threes to watch the drama unfold.

The patrons at Grace Robuchon were the sort who measured their worth in weaIth and influence, and this was the firsttime they had ever witnessed a supposed thief within its polished walls.

"She's easy on the eyes. Who'd have guessed she's a thief?"

"When did Grace Robuchon stoop to letting the thieves in?"

"Bet she used that pretty face to slip past the staff."

"Be careful-she's the type who wouldn't think twice about going after someone else's man."

Every stare that landed on Gabriela brimmed with judgment, a toxic mix of suspicion and scorn.

She could see they were stirring the pot on purpose, yet she felt no urge to waste her breath. With an icy glance, she sidestepped the crowd and moved to leave, her steps cutting through the thick air of malice.

Vivian's voice cracked like a whip. "Gabriela, you're not going anywhere. Hand over the necklace first."

Gabriela pivoted on her heel, her glare cutting through the air like a blade. "I didn't take your necklace.Pull up the security footage if you don't believe me." A sharp glint lit her eyes, enough to make Vivian's confidence waver for an instant.

"I never accused you of stealing," Vivian said smoothly, though her tone dripped with venom. "Maybe you stumbled across it and decided to keep it. After all, someone like you-who's clearly never owned anything finer than cheap trinkets-wouldn't know what to do with something of real value."

One of her lackeys snickered and added, "Why waste time with security footage for something so small?Just search her."

In their minds, it was only natural. A woman as destitute as Gabriela-rumored to have worked shady nightclub gigs during her school years-wouldn't think twice about pocketing a treasure she found.

They closed in on Gabriela, brazenly trying to search her as if she were a common thief.

The commotion drew an even bigger crowd, curious onlookers pressing closer.

Elegant gowns and expensive suits surrounded Gabriela, their owners wearing the same smug expression-certain she was a pathetic thief who refused to return the necklace, despite being caught in the act. Not a single one stepped forward to help. A few people even lifted their phones, grinning as they recorded the scene, no doubt eager to upload it later for their own amusement.

One woman clamped onto Gabriela's arm while another yanked at her coat, peeling it from her shoulders.Then their fingers scrabbled for the fabric beneath-her blouse now their target.

The crowd with their phones leaned in, hungry for a scandal, their eyes glittering at the thought she might be stripped completely.

A sudden rush of heat surged through Gabriela's veins, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Old humiliations from her school days-every whispered insult, every cruel shove-surged back like a tide,stoking a blistering fury in her chest.

With a sudden, explosive force, she tore free of their grip, driving the two women back before fisting a punishing handful of hair from each.

Her tone dropped to an icy blade. "I'll say this one last time-I haven't laid eyes on your necklace." The move was so fast it left the air charged.

Both women stiffened, breath hitching, their faces pale beneath Gabriela's unyielding glare.

A prickling sensation crawled over Phyllis's scalp. She eased backward, putting some distance between herself and Gabriela.

From the crowd, a voice rose, sharp and accusing. "If you're innocent, then what's the harm in letting us search you?"

Gabriela forced her fury down, her voice laced with biting sarcasm. "Well, I happen to have lost a rather pricey bracelet myself. I suspect one of you took it. How about you all line up and let me search you?"

The woman who had spoken earlier bristled, her cheeks flushing hot. "You claim you lost it-but did anyone actually see it?"

Gabriela's tone sharpened as she turned her attention on Vivian. "And who saw you lose your necklace?"

Vivian's gaze wavered, the sudden challenge making her shoulders stiffen. She looked away without answering.

Gabriela's finger swung toward Phyllis."Doyou know why she's wearing that hat? Because she pulled something dirty, tried to shove the blame on me, and almost had every strand on her head yanked out. Want me to give you the same treatment?"

The hallway sank into a tense, almost suffocating silence.

All eyes locked on Gabriela-the elegant beauty who had, in an instant, revealed a startlingly fierce side.

Her fingers tightened in the hair of the two women, her voice sharp as a blade. "Let's get this search over with. Coats off. Will you do it yourselves, or should I strip them for you?"

The women froze in her grasp, stunned, before breaking into shrill, theatrical screams."Are you insane?"

"Quiet!" Gabriela snarled, yanking their hair until their scalps prickled with pain. Terrified she might rip it out,they shook as they peeled off their coats. Her gaze shifted to Vivian-cold, unblinking, and merciless. "You started this," she said, her tone low and lethal. "So tell me...do you know what comes next?"

Vivian stood frozen, unable to believe what she was seeing.

In all her years of knowing Gabriela, she had never witnessed this side of her. Back in school, no matter how cruel the taunts or humiliating the pranks, Gabriela had always swallowed her pride and endured in silence.

But now? She was radiating defiance-grabbing hair, ordering people to strip off their coats for a search-bold enough to make the entire hallway hold its breath.

Grinding her teeth, Vivian snapped, "Even if no one saw you take my necklace, you're the only one who is poor here. Who else could it possibly be?"

"Oh? So you've been making this fuss on pure guesswork?" Gabriela's lips curved in a cold smile. "Is that how the Vasquez family settles matters-by guessing? Does your brother know you're like this?"

The mere mention of her brother made Vivian's bravado crumble. Fear flickered across her face, and she fell silent, not daring to utter another word.