CHAPTER 308: GABRIEL IS WITH TANIA

He sat there, eyes fixed on the phone, still feeling the burn of want beneath the surface.

A moment later, her reply lit up the screen: ’Heartless. You don’t want to see me while I miss you so much.’

Gabriel barely had time to process the message when another photo followed. This time, she was pouting dramatically. She looked sulky, as if trying to guilt him into coming over.

He let out a quiet sigh, a flicker of amusement crossing his face, and began typing back.

’Don’t make things difficult for me. I already told you—I’ve got a pile of work to finish. Go to sleep. I’ll come to see you when I’m free.’

With that, he placed the phone face down on the desk and returned to the open file in front of him, determined to focus. But he barely skimmed the first line before the phone rang.

A video call.

Gabriel looked at the flashing screen, jaw tightening slightly. Tania wasn’t going to let him go that easily.

Gabriel’s finger moved to cut the call, but instead, he answered the call. He held up the phone in front of his face and asked grimly, pretending to be annoyed, "What is it? I was working. Why are you disturbing me?"

"Because I wanted to see you," Tania said with a sultry smile, her fingers brushing over her exposed cleavage. "I really missed you. Can’t forget you for a moment. I keep thinking about the night we shared."

She dragged her toe up against her other leg, her fingers pushing the hem of her nightdress up.

Gabriel’s breathing slowed as he watched her, his eyes glued to her slender, smooth legs. His anticipation ran wild when he saw her pushing up her dress over her thigh. He wanted to see if she was wearing anything beneath that silky dress. But her fingers paused, not revealing what he desired to see.

He cursed under his breath. "Stop teasing me. This is not going to work." He sounded frustrated. Her teasing had already started affecting him. He was tight down there, heat spreading inside out. He shifted in his seat, growing uneasy with every passing moment.

"Really?" she smirked. "It is not working, or you are pretending." She pushed the straps of her nightdress, exposing her cleavage even more. "Now tell me: is it working?"

His breathing grew heavier. "Tania, what are you trying to do?"

"Don’t you know?" she asked in a teasing tone. "I am seducing you. Will you come to me? Or do you want me to find someone else?"

"Don’t even dare to think about another man," he growled as he rose to his feet. "I’m coming."

With that, he ended the call and went out.

Jeanne saw him hurrying out of the house. She frowned. "Where is he going at this hour? Is everything alright at the office?"

The next day...

As soon as Augustine stepped into his office, he called for Gustave without wasting time.

The man arrived promptly, and Augustine got straight to the point. "Anne is resigning. She is joining Nathan’s company as the general manager. Prepare the necessary documents and clear her accounts. I want everything handled quietly and efficiently. Also—" he paused, looking up at Gustave, "I need a secretary. Hire someone from within the company. No outsiders in my office."

"Understood, sir," Gustave replied crisply, jotting down notes.

Augustine leaned back in his chair. "And keep tracking Hugo."

"We are on it," Gustave assured. "We have someone inside the jail. He’ll keep feeding us updates."

"Good." Augustine gave a short nod.

"There is something else you should know."

Augustine glanced at him, immediately catching the shift in tone. "What is it?"

"Tania has been released from prison," Gustave said quietly.

"What?" Augustine exclaimed, straightening up on his seat. "Already? How?"

"Reports claim it’s due to good behavior," Gustave explained. "But that’s not what concerns me. Right after her release, she was seen with Gabriel at a bar. And just last night, Gabriel was spotted at her rented place. According to sources, he is paying her rent and taking care of her expenses."

Augustine’s brows drew together with confusion and doubts. "Why the hell would he help her?" he asked with disbelief.

Tania had betrayed his son, dragged the Beaumont family’s name through the mud. For Gabriel to be seen with her, supporting her, felt like a betrayal of his own family.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still skeptical.

"Completely," Gustave said with a nod. "I pulled footage from the bar." He unlocked his phone, fingers scrolling through the screen until he found the video. "Here," he said, handing the phone over. "Take a look. She was spotted taking Gabriel out of the bar."

Augustine took the phone from Gustave and studied the footage intently.

The video showed Gabriel, clearly intoxicated, stumbling around the bar, yelling at the bartender, and drawing unwanted attention. Moments later, a woman entered the frame. She approached him and wrapped an arm around his back, guiding him out of the scene. Her face was briefly caught on camera as she turned toward the exit. It was unmistakably Tania.

Augustine’s eyes narrowed, his mind struggling to accept it. Why would she help Gabriel? Was it remorse for her past actions? Had prison changed her already? Or was this just another calculated move?

Augustine’s gut twisted with suspicion. He couldn’t afford to fool himself into believing that a few months behind bars had truly changed her.

’Something about this doesn’t sit right,’ he thought.

He raised a finger to the screen. "This woman..." he muttered. "What is it that she really wants from the Beaumonts?"

It wasn’t the first time he had questioned her motives.

Tania had walked away from Denis once, fled abroad, lived a separate life, and even got involved with someone else. But then, she returned all of a sudden, pursued Denis, and rekindled the relationship to insert herself into the Beaumont family.

Augustine had always suspected that her goal wasn’t just to marry into a wealthy family. There was a deeper motive behind her actions.

After being exposed, humiliated, and imprisoned, she should have disappeared for good and stayed far away from the Beaumonts. But instead, she had approached Gabriel of all people. And worse, she had managed to gain his sympathy, his financial support.

This couldn’t be coincidental. It was deliberate.

The questions and doubts piled up in Augustine’s mind.

"This doesn’t add up," he said thoughtfully. "We are missing something. This is not normal. She hasn’t approached the Beaumonts without purpose. First Denis... now Gabriel. This woman is up to something."

His thoughts raced.

"Dig deeper," he ordered. "Find out more about her and her parents. Check if there is any past connection between them and Gabriel."

"I already looked into her past," Gustave began. "Her father was a doctor, and her mother worked as a nurse. They were a small, contented family of three. But everything fell apart after her parents were killed in a car accident. Since then, she has been staying with her aunt—her only remaining relative."

Augustine listened closely, his expression thoughtful. The story struck a chord. The image of his own past stirred in the back of his mind. He, too, had once lived a peaceful life with his parents—until their sudden death changed everything. For a moment, he could relate to the grief Tania must have endured.

"Dig deeper into the accident," he said. "I want to know if there was more to it. Look for anything unusual. I need the full picture."

He was convinced that the answers he was searching for, the reason behind Tania’s deliberate attempts to get into the Beaumont family, were buried in her past.

Gustave gave a sharp nod. "I’ll look into it thoroughly. Anything else?"

Augustine’s expression shifted, the trace of empathy vanishing from his eyes, replaced by a glint of shrewd calculation.

"Get the photos of Gabriel with Tania." He handed the phone back to Gustave. "But don’t reveal her face yet. Keep her identity hidden for now. Send the photos to Jeanne. Let’s see how long Gabriel can pretend nothing is going on."

"I get it, sir. I’ll take care of it." Gustave turned and left the office.

Augustine reclined in his chair, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slow, sly smile.

Gabriel, involved with the same woman his son once dated...That twist was too ironic to ignore.

"I wonder what is really going through your head, Gabriel," he murmured. "This is going to be entertaining."

~~~~~~~~~~

Anne had just wrapped up the final bit of paperwork. It had taken what felt like an eternity, and every part of her body ached with fatigue. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, finally allowing herself a moment to breathe.

Knock, knock...

The sound came just as her body began to relax. She opened her eyes and straightened in her seat.

"Come in," she called out.

The door opened, and Nathan stepped inside, his face lit up with a bright grin.

"How is it going? You look wiped out."

"I am," Anne admitted with a weary shrug and a long exhale. "But the team here has been really supportive."

"I told you," Nathan said, walking further in. "You are not alone here. Everyone has got your back—unlike Augustine’s office."

Anne chuckled. "It wasn’t that bad."

Nathan gave her a pointed look. "Sure, you’ll say that. But I remember how you kept your identity hidden, working like an ordinary secretary while being the CEO’s wife. You really endured a lot, especially from Megan, Lorie, and the rest who bullied you."

Anne’s expression turned thoughtful. "Speaking of Megan," she said, cutting in. "I heard she was in an accident. What exactly happened?"

Nathan’s smile faded instantly. A shadow passed over his face. The memory of what really happened that night hit him hard.

Augustine’s ruthless way of dealing with Megan still haunted him. Nathan couldn’t stop thinking that Augustine wasn’t just an ordinary businessman.

He hesitated, unsure if this was the right time to tell her about his suspicion.

’Should I talk to her now?’ he wondered.