Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Nora didn’t know anything of what happened in the next few minutes, but Gabriel held her, and she just collapsed. She sobbed in a way she never had before. For the parents she had lost, that pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Anger at her aunt and uncle for taking everything from her. The unfairness and rage flowing through her body at being sent to live on the streets.
“I’ve got you,” Gabriel said.
And if he didn’t have her, she would have already fallen. The pain was real. The feelings inside her were not going away. She felt so sick, so alone, and yet there was Gabriel, the man she had fallen in love with and yet tried so hard not to.
“It hurts,” she said.
“I know. I know.”
The tears kept spilling, and she knew she soaked through his shirt, but she let go. For the first time since losing them, she finally let go. She didn’t care that she must have looked a mess. Gabriel held her and kissed the top of her head.
“You’re safe now.”
Nora pulled away. “Thank you.”
“You loved your parents,” he said.
“They were amazing and would have adored you.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I highly doubt that. A man with my reputation? They would have been horrified at me even looking at their daughter.” He stroked her cheek.
She shook her head. “No, they wouldn’t. They didn’t listen to gossip, and they always gave everyone a chance. They would have loved you.” She wasn’t about to tell him she would have asked them to give him a chance because she loved him.
“I wish I could have met them, and they should know I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to make sure no one takes from you again. All of this will belong to you.”
She looked down at the paperwork and sighed. “How?”
“Simple, I’ve already got a lawyer looking over it, and we’ve got the details of the nurse who signed off on your treatment, who was discharged for illegally selling prescription medications. I’ve got this, Nora. You’ll have your family home and everything that was once your parents’.”
Nora didn’t know what to say. Did she feel happiness? Relief?
“You’re not happy?” he asked.
“Oh, I am. I am happy, it’s just so overwhelming. I mean, for a long time I didn’t know what went wrong, and I’d spend so many nights looking up at the skies, asking for answers and getting nothing. I guess I figured I was never going to get what I was looking for.”
Gabriel cupped her cheek. “And now?”
“It’s a little surreal.” She blew out a breath, put the file on the coffee table, and leaned back. “Tell me about your parents.”
He chuckled. “There’s not much to tell.”
“There is enough for them to send an ex to try and get you to pay for a baby that is not yours,” Nora said. She reached out and cupped his cheek. He was there for her, and now she wanted him to realize she was going to be there for him. No holding back. “Talk to me.”
He leaned back, and once again he cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“I don’t know, to be honest. My parents have always been a crazy train. It’s what my grandfather used to call them.”
“Who is your grandfather related to? Your mom or dad?”
“My dad. I don’t think he approved of my mother. She was a failing model, and well, she got her claws into my father, and he doesn’t like to work. He didn’t think he should have to work, seeing as they were already rich. Of course, my grandfather took his father’s work, and built it up to make it an amazing empire. What he built, my father nearly destroyed within ten years of taking over.”
She watched as Gabriel rubbed his eyes.
“But you run the company?” Nora asked.
“No, this is all mine. My grandfather saw what was happening and had already passed over the reigns to my father. Seeing the decline of the company and knowing what I wanted to do, he took a chance investing in my company, and it paid off. At first, my parents didn’t give a shit. I was a small name, among them. Once I became wealthier than them and their company lost viability, the tricks started.”
She listened as he told her about the rape allegations. How they also tried to have his company shut down through slave labor complaints, and jumping through hoops.
“Your parents did that?”
“My father was a jealous man. Being the only child to my grandparents, they spoiled him. They struggled to have children, and then out of the blue, they have this healthy baby boy, and he could do no wrong in their eyes. They gave him everything. I don’t think he ever heard the word no, until he was an adult. Anyway, my grandfather, realizing his mistake and seeing that my parents wanted nothing to do with me, took control. He raised me up, and my grandmother had already died by the time I was ten. Cancer took her, and I know it hit my grandfather hard, but he had me. He said with me, he was righting all the wrongs he did with my father. I did get taught to accept no for an answer.”