Lock You In My Heart

Chapter 23

Chapter 23 I’d Rather Be An Orphan

Wendy arranged a driver to send Gabrielle to Vineyard Villa. She instructed him repeatedly to take her only there.

Gabrielle could tell why she was so erratic, She was afraid Gabrielle would run away.

“Ronin, stop the car!” Gabrielle urged the driver when they reached downtown.

Wendy had told Ronin not to let Gabrielle out of the car. She was rather stubborn. Wendy knew if she got out, it would be difficult to coax to get in again.

“Miss Jones, what is the matter?” Ronin asked in a low voice. He took a look at Gabrielle through the rearview mirror. She looked calm and composed.

Before Gabrielle could say anything, her phone rang. It was a call from Tobias.

She hesitated for a while, then answered the phone.

“What’s up, Dad?”.

She was in no mood to fake niceness.

“Gabrielle, have you reached Vineyard Villa?”

anxiously.

“We are just crossing downtown. It will take a while. Dad, what can I do for you?”

Gabrielle knew something was up. Otherwise, Tobias would never have called her.

“Our stocks are falling! It must be because of Westley. When you reach Vineyard Villa, can you urge him not to brutally drive us to a dead end? The Jones has brought you up. I know you are upset with your mother. But I can assure you once this problem is solved, such a thing will never happen again!” Tobias was a middle-aged man. He had never been humble, and was dragged into this trouble by Wendy. 4

Gabrielle was shocked to hear him. Their stocks were falling?

Westley was acting too fast!

Her face turned pale. “Dad, you know why Westley did this. Whether he listens to me or not depends on his mood.” 3

3

Gabrielle felt desperate and helpless. Every second in this drama was causing harm to her mental- health.

“You are Westley’s wife and the only hope of our family! Who else can we rely on? We have raised you for twenty years, for god’s

Please help us! Our business is the fruit of your grandfather’s painstaking efforts! I don’t want it destroyed at my hands!” Tobias said in a low voice. He was trying his best to hide his frustration.

It was humiliating that he had to beg Gabrielle for help. If the stocks hadn’t fallen too low, he would never have begged her like this!

“I know, Dad. But you better focus on bringing Bryce and Nellie back. The Jones family has now offended Westley even more. I can try to talk to him. If he doesn’t agree, I can’t help you.” Gabrielle felt aggrieved. She wanted to cry her eyes out.

“I know you can do it. I believe you,”

said Tobias through his teeth. It was useless to believe her.

After all, Westley didn’t trust her. Tobias had begged her for nothing.

“I have to hang up now. I’ll talk to you later.” Gabrielle hung up and looked outside the window.

Countless lights from the city lit up the night sky. But for the first time, she felt she had been abandoned by the whole world. There was no place where she belonged.

The Jones had married her off to Westley, and he would never treat her like his wife. She was just a scapegoat for everyone. As soon as Nellie would be back, she would have no home. She could not imagine going back to the Jones after what they had done to her.

How poor and lonely she would be.

Now it seemed to her being an orphan and living in an orphanage was much better. At least there she wouldn’t have been used like a pawn.

“Miss Jones, are you okay?” Ronin asked, looking at her sad face in the rearview mirror.

He had heard her talk to Tobias and could roughly tell what the conversation had been about.

Gabrielle’s mood plummeted further. Ronin had watched her grow up. She had always been a gentle and kind-hearted girl. If Bryce hadn’t acted so ridiculously, her life wouldn’t have changed so drastically. Ronin felt sorry for her.

“Ronin, I’m fine. Can you get me a cup of iced coffee? I need to drink something cold.” She looked at him with a somber expression. She could tell he felt pity toward her.

“Okay, Miss Jones. I’ll be back in a moment.” Ronin pulled up and got out of the car without hesitation.

Gabrielle seized her opportunity. She climbed to the driver’s seat and locked the doors.

Ronin was shocked when he turned back. He rushed toward the car and tried to open the door. “Miss Jones, what are you doing?”

His voice sounded muffled and alarmed. Gabrielle rolled down the window and looked at him calmly. “Ronin, you can take a taxi home. I’ll drive to Vineyard Villa myself. Don’t tell my mother. I promise I’ll find Westley.”

“Miss Jones, you can’t do that,” Ronin said anxiously, scared of what might happen to her.

He wasn’t worried that she would not go to Vineyard Villa, but that she was mentally unstable and she could meet with an accident.

“I’ll be fine! I’m completely sober and I know what I’m doing.” Gabrielle turned the key and drove off, leaving Ronin holding his head.

She called Westley on the way, but he didn’t answer.

Angry and impatient, Gabrielle hung up. She

knew he hadn’t answered the phone on purpose. She called his assistant, Alvin.

“Hello!”

“Alvin, it’s me, Gabrielle. Is Westley with you?” Gabrielle answered softly, but Alvin could sense her anxiety.

He was in Westley’s office at the moment. He turned his head and looked at him sitting on the sofa with a cold expression. Westley looked at him suddenly, frightening him.

“Yes, Miss Jones. Mr. Morris is here.”

Alvin hadn’t received any other instructions from Westley, so he answered truthfully.

“Could you please give him the phone? I need to talk to him about something.” Gabrielle knew she had gone too far, but she had no choice. Westley would be pissed.

“Mr. Morris, it’s Miss Jones. She wants to talk to you,” Alvin walked up to Westley and whispered to him, keeping his palm on the speaker.

Westley picked his phone up from the table and slid the screen. He showed Gabrielle’s missed call to Alvin. 1

She had only called him a minute ago.

Westley had refused to pick up the phone.

Alvin understood that he didn’t want to speak to her at all. “I’m sorry, Miss Jones, Mr. Morris is busy. He can’t talk to you right now If you need to pass on a message, you can tell me.”

“No, thanks. I want to talk to him directly. Are you at the Morris Group right now?” No middleman could do pleading Westley for her. She needed to talk to him herself.

“Yes, we are at the office.” Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“Okay, please tell Westley that I will be there soon.” Without giving Alvin a chance to respond, Gabrielle hung up and drove speedily. 1