Chapter 11
This morning. Sophia brought me the termination contract from Golden Stage Entertainment. Mr. Lancaster, a stern- looking man in his fifties, came with her to handle the paperwork and payment. He must be the same business partner Grayson warned me about yesterday.
11
Curled up in the tub, Gabriel’s mother’s call came unexpectedly. She had just returned from abroad with her husband, a Silicon Valley executive she’d married years ago–not Gabriel’s father.
“I saw all the rumors online while I was in Singapore,” she said, her voice edged with worry. “I ignored them at first–I know you don’t listen to gossip, and I trusted Gabriel to be faithful… But then Leo called to tell me Gabriel was in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. That’s when I realized what was going on between you two.”
She sighed softly over the line. “Isabella, don’t believe the rumors. My Gabriel wouldn’t do this. He cares about you–you know that.”
The grip on my phone tightened. Gabriel had been bombarding me with calls all night, so I had turned it off. I only switched it back on this morning, as I was expecting a call from Grayson.
“Monica,” I said, using her preferred name–she wasn’t even fifty. She always found ‘Mother‘ or ‘Aunt‘ too formal for someone who still ran marathons and hosted rooftop yoga sessions. “There’s no going back for Gabriel and me.
“What? How can you say that, Isabella? You’ve been together for five years,” she replied, her voice a mix of shock and regret.
“He cheated on me the night before our wedding, Monica.”
The line went dead silent, save for her sharp intake of breath. “Th–there must be some explanation. Some misunderstanding.”
“Monica,” I cut in before she could continue. “you know exactly how things have been between Gabriel and me. You’ve seen his social media feed.” I swallowed hard, fighting back the familiar ache. “I was never mentioned in his posts… never included in any part of his public life.
“But I thought it was fine with you since it was just for public image. You told me before you were okay with it,” Monica murmured, her voice thick with disbelief.
There was truth in her words, and I almost wanted to laugh at myself for only now admitting this to her.
“Monica, I’m sure you understand better than anyone how something can be okay until suddenly… it’s not.” The weight of meaning in my words hung between us.
She would understand. Of course, she would.
Monica had been Mr. Sterling’s–Gabriel’s father–first love, but he married someone else, leaving Monica as his mistress for years. She endured that until Gabriel was ten. Five years ago, when I started dating Gabriel, she finally broke free and married her businessman husband.
“But Isabella,” she whispered, “my son loves you.”
“If Gabriel truly loved me, he wouldn’t slept with someone else. He wouldn’t hurt me,
Monica…”
The silence that followed was deafening.
“I’m ending this call…” I said finally after a long pause.
“Please, just see my son… talk to him…”
“I’ll think about it,” I replied, even though I knew I wouldn’t.
1/3
༥ .38%2
Chapter 11
If I saw Gabriel now, it would only drag things out. He’d likely brush it off as me sulking, not realizing that I had already ended everything between us when I left his apartment that night. There was no turning back.
The moment I ended the call with Monica, Charlotte’s name flashed across my screen. I answered, already knowing what she’d say.
“You bitch!” Her voice cut through the speaker like a knife. “I didn’t think you’d stoop so low as to seduce Mr. Lancaster just to pay off the two hundred million,” she spat, her teeth gritted in anger.
I let out a cold laugh. “So what? As long as I paid for my freedom, that’s all that matters.” Let her think whatever she wanted.
“So, you admit you’re sleeping with him? Gabriel couldn’t help you because he’s already fallen for Sabrina, so now you’re turning to some businessman?” It was almost laughable that Charlotte thought this way. She loved seeing me struggle.
“Think whatever you want, Charlotte.” My voice was steel now. “What matters is that I paid Golden Stage Entertainment for my freedom.”
And with that, I hung up.
I sank deeper into the bathtub, letting the lavender–scented water lap at my collarbones. Grayson had told me he’d call soon. but in the meantime, I didn’t want to appear like a heartbroken woman left behind her boyfriend.
As I scrolled through social media and news sites, my phone teetered on the tub’s edge. The story about my contract termination with Golden Stage Entertainment was all over. The truth was almost funny–I was just another artist at the company, but the story blew up because Mr. Lancaster paid the termination fees. The headlines made it seem like a scandal.
Charlotte was behind this, and I could almost picture her smirking as she spread the rumors to eager journalists. As I skimmed through the comments on one article, I felt indifferent.
‘I knew it. She’s just a kept woman.’
‘My cousin works at Golden Stage, and they said she’s not even taking jobs anymore because her income ‘outside the industry is much higher than being an artist.
I was used to that kind of speculation. Even my own mother had once believed I was some high–end escort for business executives. It was hurtful enough that she’d deny me in public.
After reading, I just sighed, soaking in the tub. I wasn’t going to give it more attention. Let them talk–most of these commenters were just bored people hunting for drama, and the general public would forget about it by next week anyway.
Closing my eyes, I slid down until the water touched my chin, letting its heat seep into my tired muscles.
Just then, my phone buzzed against the marble, the screen lighting up with an unknown number.
At first, I thought it might be Gabriel again, but then I remembered Grayson had said he’d call with updates. I reached for the phone with damp fingers.
“Hello?”
I heard a deep sigh on the other end.
My heart skipped a beat when I recognized Grayson’s voice. “The contract is settled. I’ve also handled those rumors about you online.”
“That was fast!‘
“I’ll pick you up from your apartment,” he added.
I blinked in surprise.
2/0
Chapter 11
ཀ་
“You know where I live?” How did he know?
