Chapter 201

“Please, Chris, you’ve got to help me. I can’t go back there,” Daniella begged, her eyes bloodshot.

Christian unlocked his phone and passed it to her. “If you can stay with a friend, that’s the way to go. Dad and Grandpa are all over my properties. I can’t risk letting you stay at any of them.”

“I get it.” She sniffled, wiping her nose.

Christian watched her with a distressed expression as she texted in the backseat.

He pulled a cigarette from his pack, lit up, and stared out the window.

His softness for Daniella was simple—she was his sister. He couldn’t wrap his head around what Stephen and Abigail were thinking.

So I like Dani. What’s the problem? he wondered.

After texting for ages with no replies, she handed the phone back, defeated. “No one’s answering. I deleted the messages in case Dad checks your phone.”

“Your friends are that snobbish?” Christian frowned.

He wanted Daniella out of Gibson Villa before the stress drove her over the edge.

“Fair-weather friends, indeed,” she said with a rueful smile.

The moment they stepped into the living room, Gabriel and Stephen were there.

Gabriel shot Daniella a cold look and said in a disgusted tone, “Get up to the attic. You’re a goddamn eyesore.”

To her shock, he didn’t mention Quentin.

Stephen seemed to read her mind. “You should thank Abby. She might despise you, but she still stopped you from marrying that piece of trash, Quentin. Next to her, you don’t stand a chance.”

Daniella felt zero gratitude. Abigail’s “rescue” was just another form of degradation.

How noble of her—waited until I was humiliated and then played the hero. What a performance, she thought.

With a stony expression, she marched toward the stairs.

She’d already made arrangements with someone. Just wait and see. When I return, no one in the Gibson family will get away unscathed.

“Seriously, what’s your problem?” Stephen exploded, fuming. She might as well have been taken away by Quentin. Not an ounce of gratitude in her, he thought.

“Cut it out,” Christian snapped, fixing Stephen with a furious glare. “Do you think talking like that helps? How would you feel if you were in her position?”

“Pretty damn good, actually. She dodged marrying that loser Quentin. Not like Abby did it for her sake, anyway. Just helping out a fellow woman. Shows who the bigger person is, doesn’t it?” Stephen scoffed and stalked off.

Christian knew Daniella was hurting.

She’d had nowhere to go, no friends to turn to, and now she was back in this godforsaken house, getting attacked from all sides.

If Abigail’s “rescue” is just a way to play the hero, it works. She made Dani look worthless.

I actually thought Abigail was decent. Turns out she’s so scheming.

Gabriel gave him a cold stare. “Hand over your phone.”

“I’m an adult. You can’t just search my phone.” Christian seethed, his temper flaring.

“This is on you for bringing her back. Give it up now!” Gabriel roared.

Dani’s really sharp. She knows Dad so well and saw it coming, Christian thought.

Christian almost laughed in bitter anger as he tossed his phone over, then slumped onto the couch.

He couldn’t stand another minute in this house.

If it weren’t for Daniella, he’d have moved into his own place long ago. Let them spy on him from a distance—anything was better than living under their constant scrutiny.

After checking the phone, Gabriel threw it back and warned him, “Stay away from her. She’s going to jail. Ralph and I are tracking down the victim’s family. They’ve got surveillance footage.”

“With today’s tech and those internet sleuths, it’s only a matter of time before they figure out it was her.”

“Are you trying to kill her? She was your daughter once. She loved you,” Christian said, his voice breaking as tears stung his eyes.