Chapter Three

GABRIELLA. I walk out of the station with a thousand and one things on my to do list. The familiar feeling of actual fresh air hits my skin, making my pores react with pure satisfaction and I couldn't be more grateful for that feeling. "Don't forget my instructions miss Johannson. You can not under any circumstances leave the country, go anywhere near the hospital and always make sure you keep us informed of all your movements," Manuel Reeds, the bastard who interrogated me reminded me for the billionth time and honestly, I was getting sick and tired of his unnecessarily rude attitude. "My client is…," Micheal is about to reply but I'm quick to stop him. "Let me Micheal," I told him. "The next time you open your mouth to speak with me Mr Reeds, you better make sure you talk to me with respect. I'm not some criminal that you can use that tone on and you have nothing on me until the court proves otherwise so until then, you better show me some respect," I hissed furiously at him and I'm not even surprised when he seemed unbothered. "I know a criminal when I see one miss," he simply replied and I smirked. "I think you're getting too old for this job since you can boldly call an innocent person a criminal. I don't blame you though, I think years of being in one position is really starting to get to you and since you're so desperate for a promotion, you want to use me as a stepping stone but guess what Mr, you're gonna be here for a really long time cause you've got the wrong person and mark my words, when all of this is over, I'll be suing you for harassment and verbal abuse, you just wait for it. Have a nice day!" I reply with a small smile, immediately turning to leave with Micheal right beside me. "Miss Johannson?" Reeds calls out and I turn to look at him. "I'll be looking forward to your threats," he says cockily with a confident smirk on his face and I swore to myself at that moment, that I'd personally wipe that shitty look off his face. Once all this is over, I'll make it a mission to ruin his career so he doesn't go around threatening and making innocent suspects cry. "You didn't have to say anything to him. He's already quite notorious for being rash and everybody knows he lives in past glory," George tells me and I chuckle. "Well, I don't intend to let a good for nothing nobody like him get away with insulting me and trust me George, this isn't the end of it," I reply to him confidently and both he and Micheal stare at me with confused yet curious stares but they chose not to say anything. "Liam sent a car to pick you up since he couldn't make it himself. Would you be going home first or are you heading somewhere?" Micheal asks. "Uhm, I think there's someone I need to see first before heading home," I told him. "Oh okay then but please put in mind that you cannot under any circumstances, go over to Martin's place where you normally lived, you can't see him at the hospital and please try not to do anything that the police could hold against you. We need to make this case as easy as possible," he pleads and I nod in understanding. "Don't worry Micheal, I promise to stay out of trouble although, I rarely ever go looking for it, it just happens to always find me. I just want to put it out there that I'm going to see Martin's father and I may not be the most polite human," I tell him upfront so it doesn't come as a surprise to them later on. "Can I stop you?" he asks. "Unfortunately, you can't Micheal cause I feel like that old geezer really needs to hear from me," I said to him, "What good would it do you exactly? Deville is a very influential man and if he's really trying to bury this case, it won't be nice of you to provoke him," he advised and I scoffed. "I can't let him keep insulting Martin however he pleases. It's already terrible that he abandoned his only son but going as far as protecting the actual criminal who wants him dead is just despicable and I won't take it in quietly. My life is on the line here and so is Martin's, so please Micheal, don't expect me to just watch him try to ruin my life," I say to him and he sighs. "Just be careful Gabriella. We can't give them an excuse to lock you up cause if that happens, I may not be able to help you out," he advised and I nod in understanding. "Don't worry about me Micheal, I'll be fine. I'll let you know if anything comes up," I say to him before getting into the car and instructing the driver on where I was headed. **** "Miss, you can not be here. Please leave!" A lanky looking wench who I'll assume is Mr Deville's secretary yells at me rudely and I scoff. "Why can't I?" I question, earning a disgusted look from her. "He's in a meeting at the moment and you can only see him if you have an appointment," she replies sternly. "Well, listen to me you crazy bitch, get in there and tell that old baboon that Gabriella Johansson, the girl he's trying to put in jail is here to see him and if he doesn't want me screaming all kinds of things to the media then he has five fucking minutes to let me in or I swear to God, he's gonna have to sue me," I threatened boldly and although she seemed like she wished she could chop my head off or throw me out by my hair, she restrained herself, breathing deeply before walking into his office very quickly. I already knew meeting him would be difficult but to think I had to get rid of the stupid security, had to lie about my relationship with him to them and when they insisted, I had to go as far as lying to be one of his booty calls that he was expecting. Disgusting as hell! I paced impatiently outside his office for about ten minutes and honestly, I was definitely getting tired. I haven't had proper rest in more that twenty four hours and to think I'd have to be dealing with this right after getting released made my head hurt even more but I have to at least try to get him to look into the real murderer instead of trying to pin this on me. It makes absolutely no sense to me that a father would be so nonchalant about his own son's life and safety and since I can't even protect Martin because of this nonsense, I have to make him come to his senses so he does the right thing. The displeasing figure of his secretary appears and I can't even express how much this wench irritates me. The heavy foundation on her face alone is definitely more than enough to build an actual palace and don't even get me started on the blush and the red lipstick. For someone who thinks she's all that, she doesn't look the part. "Mr Deville will see you now. You may go in," she says and I scoff. "Didn't you say he was in a meeting? Why isn't anyone coming out yet?" I ask. "Lady, just go in already and don't bother me," she hissed, earning an eye roll from me. "The name's Gabriella you skank," I hissed before heading towards the office and mentally preparing myself for a very lengthy conversation. As soon as the door flies open, I turn to where he was seated but I'm surprised by who was seated right opposite him. "Mom?" I ask, wondering why in the world my mother of all people would be here. She stares back at me with a nonchalant look on her face and I couldn't help but consider the possibility that mom could really be up to something fishy with Martin's dad and I can't be too confident that it won't end badly for me. "So you're the one making all the noise Ella? Is that how I raised you?" she hisses at me and I'm confused. "What the hell is happening here mom? Why are you with him of all people and of all days?" I ask, ignoring her previous remark. "I don't think I owe you any explanations my dear," she replied and I lost it. "Explanations? Really mom? This man right here is trying to lock me up for a crime I know nothing of and here you are telling me that you owe me no explanations for meeting with him? So what? Is this a business meeting of some sort? Since when did fashion companies and construction companies have any business together?" I yelled furiously at her and she seemed to have been taken aback by my sudden outburst. "Stop trying to embarrass me you fool! I did not raise an idiot who can't even compose herself," she snapped and I scoffed. "Of course you didn't raise one cause you didn't raise me mom. You know what mom, you're not gonna distract me from why I'm here. I only came here to warn Me Deville to stop trying to pin an attempted murder on me," I reply, immediately facing Martin's father who had an amused look on his face. "Did you just say I'm trying to pin an attempted murder on you miss?" he asks rhetorically, chuckling in a low tone that felt like he was indirectly mocking me. "Well, am I wrong? What kind of father doesn't care about his son enough to really investigate who's trying to kill him. How can you be so selfish! You're putting your stupid reputation over your only child's life and you're not even ashamed of yourself," I yelled angrily at him, he frowns. "Mind your words young lady. I do not like to be insulted," He warned in a stern tone that irritated me. "Really? Well, neither do I old man and if you think for a split second that I'll let you bury this case and lock me up then you have another thing coming for you Deville. Since you've refused to do what any sane father would do, I won't hesitate to do what any pissed off crazy bitch would, so you better watch out, you old piece of shit!" I threatened and from the look on his face, my words got to him. He looked furious and I liked that cause this is only the beginning. "I am so ashamed of you Gabriella. I know you're desperate and scared and instead of begging and pleading so he would understand that you are innocent, you walk in here to insult the only person that could save you from going to jail. How foolish of you!" Mom says in an irritated tone, earning a bitter laugh from me. "I should be the one who's ashamed of you mom cause I never thought you'd be shameless enough to watch your own daughter go to jail and you still have the effrontery to meet up with the sick bastard who wants to put her in there. I'm ashamed to call you my mother Rebecca and I curse the day I ever looked up to you as one. You both can go straight to hell, where you belong," I hiss sharply at both of them, immediately turning my back and heading out of the office. I fight back my urge to cry cause I've come to realise over the years that my mother's attitude wasn't worth my tears. At this point, I just want her to never appear in front of me ever again. She doesn't deserve to be called a mother.