Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles ~

Monday

10:00 AM

Gabriel is in the conference room with Leah, Pam, and his lawyer, Steadman Lydon.

Mr. Lydon is a slender man in his late fifties with sharp facial features and delicate hands that show he never did any hard labor in his life. His expensive business suit is further proof that his career as a lawyer that caters to clients from the upper level of society is doing very well.

Mr. Lydon is usually calm and collected and during his two and a half decades-long career he saw many things unfold in the courtroom and under the table, yet now he is sweating bullets. The type of move Gabriel wants to do, combined with the heavy atmosphere in the room is extremely uncomfortable. Gabriel was usually calm and approachable, yet now Mr. Lydon feels like he is sitting next to a block of murderous ice.

"Are you sure you want to do this?", he asked no one in particular while nervously dabbing the sweat from his forehead with a white silk handkerchief. "Did you think this through? You can give up, you know…" He swallowed hard when he met Leah's glare.

"Mr. Lydon…", Leah said impatiently. "You are here only because you are Mr. Long's attorney. We need you to keep your shit together or you will be forced to swallow it."

Mr. Lydon nodded vigorously. 'Just as I thought... they are all monsters...'

The truth is that Mr. Lydon is here because they need everything to be legal, and neither Pam nor Leah have a law degree. If Sophia is not in Europe, she would handle this.

Gabriel, Leah, and Pam don't have anything against Mr. Lydon. They think of him as an average lawyer and nothing more. However, Leah and Pam are stressed (and overworked) because Jeff and Sophia are away, but they know that Gabriel needs their help so they came here, cutting into their already precious time to do their work. Gabriel wants to get over with this unpleasant thing as soon as possible, so all three of them are edgy.

"If you want to be paid, you need to sit and be quiet.", Gabriel reminded Mr. Lydon that made the latter shrink in his seat.

Gabriel does not like this either. If it's up to him, he would just get a clean divorce, but Victoria's parents went overboard.

Gabriel was willing to compensate Victoria's family; after all, they lost their only daughter, but their outrageous demands made him reconsider. On top of that, he does not want this to drag for long because Becca entered his life and he has no idea if that is real love, or just a crush, or a desperate need to be loved, or something in-between… in any case, he does not want to let Becca slip away without exploring the possibilities.

Gabriel and Becca met last week and since then, his heart is restless, and he is at peace only when they are at touching distance. Texts and phone calls help, but that is like a bandage on an open wound that can be fully stitched only by Becca's presence.

He spoke with Mr. Lydon about speeding up the process, but Mr. Lydon said that legally, their hands are tied. His in-laws are obviously taking advantage of the situation. Thanks to Victoria marrying Gabriel, they established a relationship with the Long family, their business prospered, and they saw significant improvement in their social standing. They are not willing to let go of their cash-cow easily.

Gabriel felt cornered and he called Sophia, hoping to get some advice because she has a reputation of creating miracles in and out of the courtroom. Sophia told him that his lawyer is correct which left Gabriel dispirited, but a few minutes later, Sophia called Gabriel back and told him to sit tight. She has a solution.

Gabriel was surprised by the amount of information Sophia provided him related to all the illegal deals and covered-up scandals that his in-laws have under their rug, but he was more surprised by the speed Sophia got her hands on all that. Sophia mentioned Sarah and Aiden, and Gabriel is aware that those two play a shady role at the White corp. More than once, Jeff assisted Steve in his climb up the ranks of the Long family, and Aiden and Sarah were behind the information that sunk and helped reign-in individuals and companies alike. Over the years, Gabriel learned not to ask too many questions. He was grateful for what he got, and he made sure they know that their help will not be unpaid.

The door opened and three people entered.

At the sight of his in-laws, the last trace of Gabriel's good mood disappeared.

Scarlett Jost is a tall woman with curves in all the right spots and her top-of-the-line skincare conceals her age perfectly. She looks like she is in her early thirties at most, even though she is close to fifty years old.

Blake Jost is half a head shorter than his wife, but his arrogance makes up for the height difference.

The third person is Adam Holt, a middle-aged man with a bald spot at the top of his head which was freely visible because of how short he is. He has a big belly, and it is not certain if he is taller or wider. Mr. Holt is the Jost family's lawyer, representing Victoria. Or in this case, her parents.

All three of them had matching victorious expressions and Gabriel guessed that they assume he folded and is willing to give them what they wanted.

After a short introduction, Mr. Holt spoke to Mr. Lyndon: "I assume that your client made a decision to sign the papers."

To Mr. Holt's surprise, Gabriel responded: "Yes, I did. With some small adjustments…" He pushed a folder in front of him.

Mr. Holt was sitting between Mr. and Mrs. Jost and they all leaned in to read the document.

Within a few seconds, they frowned.

"What is the meaning of this?", Mr. Jost fumed.

Gabriel inhaled and did his best to speak calmly: "I will divorce Victoria on the basis of her being in the asylum. She deceived me for more than a decade, and only after marriage she told me that she does not want children, and recently I found out that she never cared about me. I have evidence for all that and based on my lawyer, it will be enough to annul the marriage and not give her anything. However, I am not a monster..." Gabriel gestured to two suitcases on the side. "Once you sign the papers, you can take her personal belongings which she brought with her when we married. That includes clothes and jewelry. I agree to pay for her medical fees fully. She will get the best treatment available and if she gets discharged, I will pay the alimony worth a quarter of my base salary, until she re-marries. While we were married, she lived in my house and spent my money. We don't have children or even a pet. What I'm giving you is a fair deal."

Of course, Gabriel knows that Victoria will not come out of that place as long as she is breathing. But he can't say that in front of her parents. For them, she is sick and there is a chance of recovery.

"Fair? Our daughter is in the mental institution because of you!", Mrs. Jost screamed.

Gabriel sneered at Mrs. Jost's fake sense of justice. In a way, Gabriel feels sorry for Victoria. He wondered if she would turn out better if her parents thought of her as a person instead of a token to be exchanged for bettering their lives. But no matter how much Gabriel pities Victoria, he can't justify her greed which made her hurt others only because she was displeased. The lack of humanity in Victoria still shocks him.

"No. Victoria is there because of herself. She was unable to accept that I am not going to be the head of the Long family and since then she is mentally slipping. I have records that are proving how for the last two years, Victoria is seeking medical help…" Gabriel pushed another folder.

Mrs. Jost looked through the folder, together with her husband and their lawyer.

Of course, those documents are fake, but the three people across the table don't know that. Gabriel had help from Steve, so even if Mr. and Mrs. Jost check the validity of the documents, there will be witnesses and other supporting documentation. The only thing they are lacking is the knowledge that Victoria visited so-called therapists, but it's not uncommon for people to conceal their mental issues, out of fear to be ostracized. No one wants to be called crazy, especially not in their circle.

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