Chapter 195
“Why are you silent?” Gabriel growled, advancing toward Katelyn with a menacing glare. She instinctively clenched her fists, but the dread rooting her in place kept her from speaking a single word.
Amelie quickly stepped between them, placing both hands on Gabriel’s arms to stop him.
“Kate, you should go,” she urged gently but firmly.
“You think I’m afraid of my brother?” Katelyn snapped, her voice louder than her courage. “What exactly did I do wrong?” she demanded, her eyes burning with defiance. “It was Amelie who told you about my feelings. Then she even called Karmen. Brother Gabriel, maybe you’re blind to it now, but one day you’ll see, Amelie is nothing but selfish p>
Her voice trembled slightly despite her efforts to appear strong. Inside, she was shaking, but she held on to the belief that Gabriel would never dare raise a hand against her.
Gabriel shoved past Amelie, closing the distance between him and Katelyn with heavy, deliberate steps.
“Gabriel, please,” Amelie pleaded, turning to face him again. “This is between me and Kate. Please don’t say anything to her for my sake p>
“Get out of my sight!” Gabriel roared with fury.
Startled, Katelyn turned on her heel and bolted from the room, the door slamming shut behind her with a loud bang that echoed through the hall.
Gabriel stood rigid, his chest rising and falling with barely contained rage. His eyes remained fixed on the door as though his glare alone could burn through it.
“This is no longer just between you and Kate,” he said coldly. “She dared to speak to you with such cruelty… She won’t get away with it. She will pay for this p>
His jaw clenched tightly. The tears in Amelie’s and cheeks ached his heart.
“I did cross a line,” Amelie whispered in a trembling voice. “I shouldn’t have come between them.” She lowered her head, guilt settling in her chest like a stone. Silent tears welled in her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hands.
Gabriel stepped forward and gently cupped her face, tilting her chin until her eyes met his.
“She always wanted what was best for me,” Amelie said softly. “But it was me who broke her trust first p>
“If she truly cared about you,” Gabriel said, his voice darkening, “she wouldn’t have torn you down like that p>
His jaw clenched, and his canines now glinted through parted lips. The earlier confrontation was still simmering in him, rage seething just beneath the surface.
“Fuck!” he growled, pulling away abruptly and turning his back on her. One hand raked through his hair in frustration as he tried to compose himself. “I’m losing my head p>
Without a word, Amelie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind, her embrace tight and grounding. Her hands rested against his chest, fingers gently curled over his heart.
“Don’t let this consume you,” she murmured, her cheek pressed against his back. “Things like this happen between friends. I know Kate didn’t mean what she said… not deep down p>
She said it not just to soothe him, but to protect him, from doing something that could turn worse, from fighting his own sister because of her.
As planned, Gabriel’s trusted man had brought Idris to the capital. Since Gabriel couldn’t leave personally, he had sent Dominick in his place to escort Idris to meet Zilia.
Casaio and Zilia stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the familiar hallway to her old apartment.
“Why did you choose this place?” Zilia asked.
The moment she stepped inside and saw Idris standing there. Zilia rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him, tears instantly brimming in her eyes.
Dominick exchanged a glance with Juniper, reading the silent understanding in her eyes.
“We’ll give you two some space,” Dominick murmured softly to Casaio, before turning and stepping out of the room with Juniper close behind.
“Sister!” Idris cried out with joy as he threw himself into Zilia’s arms. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he clung tightly to her, his small frame trembling with overwhelming emotion.
Zilia held him close, her hand gently patting his back as if to reassure herself that he was truly there. Then, she pulled away just enough to cup his face in her hands, showering him with kiss after kiss, on his cheeks, his forehead, even his nose, her own eyes glistening with tears.
“My sweet boy,” she whispered between kisses. “You’ve grown so much… I missed you every single day p>
“Even I missed you, Sister,” Idris sobbed, his words muffled as he buried his face in her shoulder. “I was so scared… I thought I wouldn’t survive. I thought I’d never see you again p>
Zilia’s arms tightened around him protectively, her heart breaking at the tremble in his voice. She ran her fingers through his hair, whispering soothing words as he wept in her embrace.
Standing a few steps behind, Casaio watched them silently. His eyes lingered on Zilia, on the way she held her brother as if shielding him from all the pain in the world. In that moment, he understood. For Idris… Zilia had endured everything. She had sacrificed, lied, fought, and risked it all, not for herself, but for the boy now sobbing in her arms.
’I can’t feel anything for her,’ Casaio thought, watching the tender reunion unfold before him.
Idris slowly turned toward him, curiosity flickering in his tear-filled eyes. “Who is this man, Sis?” he asked innocently, clinging to Zilia’s hand.
Zilia hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. “Ah… this is p>
“I’m Casaio Sinclair,” Casaio introduced himself calmly, stepping forward with a slight nod.
Idris bowed his head politely. “Thank you, sir… for rescuing me,” he said softly. “I promise I won’t be a bother. Please… just don’t be angry with me p>
The boy’s words struck unexpectedly, his humility and fear far beyond his years. Casaio’s gaze softened for the briefest moment, thinking what the boy must have endured all these years.