Is this destiny?

Mr. Jost was angered by Gabriel's insolence. How dares him not help them! They are (were) his in-laws. "You owe us! Vicky is in the mental institution because of you!"

Gabriel shook his head in disbelief. "I don't owe you anything, Mr. Jost. But you are correct. Victoria is in a mental institution because of me. If I didn't use my connections to put her in one of the best mental institutions in the country and if I didn't agree to pay her medical fees, Victoria would not be there. She would be with you, at home, trashing the place because I don't want to pay for her clothes and shoes and spa and any other thing she took for granted over the years."

"Vicky didn't take that for granted… She never took you for granted...", Mrs. Jost sobbed.

Mrs. Jost didn't lose hope that Gabriel will change his mind. After all, Gabriel was always timid, and he easily agreed to their demands. The only thing they need is to be persistent, and he will crack and give them what they want. Now that those two women (aka Pam and Leah) are not by his side, Gabriel does not have support or compromising evidence. Steve is there, but he is quiet, so he will not help him out. Right?

"Yes, she did. Victoria took for granted every dollar and every minute I spent on her." Gabriel could not believe how persistent Victoria's mother is. "If Victoria appreciated what I did for her, at least she would be honest. Or maybe she would not sabotage me and the Long industries. If we didn't find the right security footage, the compromising evidence would point at me as the culprit. It would be me who helped competitors to attack the Long Industries. It would be me who betrayed the Long family. If Victoria cared about me even a bit, she would never put me in such a situation. What do you think my family would do to me? Millions were lost in merchandise and hours. Do you think that an apology would fix that?"

Mrs. Jost opened her mouth to say something, but Gabriel was still talking.

"Because of Victoria's actions, we lost ten times the worth of your measly business. Don't come here asking for help, because no one will help you."

Mr. Jost narrowed his eyes. "It was you."

Gabriel didn't understand. "What?"

"It was you…", Mr. Jost repeated. "You sabotaged our business! It's not enough that you ruined Vicky and cut her off, but you had to go after us as well! When will you have enough? What…?"

'BAM!'

A loud bang of Steve's palm on the surface of his executive desk made everyone jolt in surprise.

Steve stood up slowly and the hostility he extruded was almost tangible. "Mr. and Mrs. Jost... I am tired of your charade. You came here asking for help. Your request is denied. If I hear from you any word other than goodbye, I will sue you for slander. Victoria lived in the Long family house. She used my staff and ate my food while spending Gabriel's money. And then she used her position to hurt Longs and our business. Tell me, what should I do to you when after all that you come here and accuse a Long of sabotaging you without any evidence? No one cares about your shitty business. For the Long family, you are no bigger than ants. If I hear that you approached Gabriel with intentions to ask for favors or to slander him, you will disappear, and I guarantee that no one will find your bodies. Now, get out of my office!"

Mr. and Mrs. Jost stared at Steve with their mouth open.

Gabriel walked to the door and opened it.

By the time Mr. and Mrs. Jost came around, they were surrounded by ten security guards.

"Are you going to leave on your own, or do you need our assistance?", one of the security guards asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Jost scrambled out of Steve's office while their minds struggled to process what happened.

…

"Thanks, Steve…", Gabriel said when Mr. and Mrs. Jost were out of sight with security after them.

"Don't mention it. Are you OK?"

"Yeah. Never better." Gabriel said and paused. "Do you know something about their business failing?"

Steve shrugged. "It was not me. Whoever did it, you owe them a treat."

"But you have an idea who did it."

"And so do you, Cousin…", Steve chuckled and checked the time. "We have twenty minutes until the next meeting. Do you want to go over notes again, or grab a drink?"

"Uhm… I will go to my office and call Becca. If you don't mind."

Steve waved to Gabriel that he can leave. "I don't mind. I will see you at the meeting…"

Steve watched as Gabriel walked out with a spring in his step.

…

~ Los Angeles, Becca's apartment ~

Two years ago, on her sixteenth birthday, Ben and Penny gifted Becca her own two-bedroom apartment. They also included paying for all the fees and utilities associated with the apartment for the next five years (until Becca is 21 years old).

Becca is getting from Ben a monthly allowance that is enough for food and there is extra to cover any clothes or accessories she would like to buy, as long as she does not overspend. Ben said that this will help Becca learn to manage her money and stick to a budget. For any school-related expenses, Ben is giving her extra money on top of her allowance.

The two-bedroom apartment is nothing fancy, but it's Becca's personal piece of heaven where she can relax and do whatever she wants. It's in a safe neighborhood with top of the line security. Bonus is that the apartment is close to her (now ex) high school and to UCLA, so attending classes starting September will not be a problem.

On most weekends, Becca goes to Ben's and Penny's villa and spends time with Oliver, but on weekdays Becca is in her apartment.

Usually, she would study, but now it's summer vacation and she is taking it easy.

Becca was watching a serial on her laptop when her phone rang. Her face lit up with a smile when she saw the caller ID.

"I thought you are working.", Becca said as soon as she answered the call. "At this rate, you will not be able to buy another fancy car, Mr. Long, because your boss will punish you for idling on your phone instead of making money for him."

Gabriel smiled at the sound of Becca's voice. And he knows that she is teasing him because this is the third time he is calling her during work hours. He called her in the morning, before work, so this is their fourth phone call today. He could listen to her voice all the time and not get bored of it.

"I caught a break, Miss Casano, and thought of indulging in the sound of your voice. Am I interrupting something?"

"Nothing important. I was watching something, but I paused it."

"I see… Do you have plans for tonight?"

Becca felt her heart racing. "I thought that we will not see each other until Saturday."

Gabriel stifled a laugh. "I didn't say that we will see each other. I only asked if you have plans."

Becca narrowed her eyes (even though he can't see her). "Yes, I have plans."

Gabriel's good mood was cut off abruptly. "What plans?"

"I'm not telling.", Becca said stubbornly.

"You are making it up.", Gabriel guessed and hoped that he is right.

"You started teasing me first."

"I did. Becca, I want to see you."

"I want to see you too…", Becca admitted.

Gabriel took a deep breath while cursing himself for being weak. He is planning a romantic date for Saturday, but his desire to see Becca is unbearable and he cracked. "At five o'clock I am meeting with the realtor to check out two apartments. Do you want to join me?"

"Is that a date?"

"Only if you want it to be. We can see the apartments and have dinner after that. I will appreciate your opinion because it's the first time I'm buying an apartment. I will drop you off home by ten o'clock."

"Eleven."

"Then… it's a date." Gabriel said happily. Well, him seeing Becca today does not mean that they will not have a romantic date on Saturday. 

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