CHAPTER 336: THE PROOF OF GABRIEL’S CRIME

Gabriel froze, his whole body going rigid as shock and disbelief clouded his features. His thoughts flew back to Dimitri.

Back then, Dimitri had secretly dug into Gervis’s accident and uncovered Gabriel’s hand in it. But Gabriel had shut him up with threats, forcing him to target Augustine instead, leaving the old man with no choice but to stay silent.

For years, Dimitri had kept his mouth shut. But age seemed to have stripped him of reason, driving him to turn against his own son and put him at risk.

’So the old man told him everything,’ Gabriel seethed inwardly.

Still, he clung to one last hope. Augustine couldn’t possibly prove it. He had buried every trail, destroyed every scrap of evidence, and silenced every witness. There was no way Augustine could pin this on him.

"Enough of your nonsense," Gabriel barked. "Just because you despise me doesn’t mean you can fabricate lies. Your parents died in an accident. I had nothing to do with it."

Augustine let out a cold chuckle. "I’ve got evidence against you, and a witness."

The color drained from Gabriel’s face. ’A witness? Impossible.’

Then Augustine’s lips curled into a smirk as he pulled out his phone and pressed play. An old recording crackled to life, but the voices were unmistakably clear.

Gabriel’s blood ran cold as his own voice echoed from the speaker, each word stabbing into him like ice.

"Yes, it’s me," Gabriel’s voice rang clear from the recording. "I plotted that accident. I wanted him out of the way. Because I despised him..."

The audio went on, but Gabriel’s head spun, his ears ringing, the world around him blurring. His thoughts shot back to the past, to the moment Dimitri had confronted him after uncovering his role in the accident.

In a fit of rage, Gabriel had admitted everything, even laying out how he had staged it. Never in his darkest fears had he imagined that his father had secretly recorded that confession.

’That old man,’ Gabriel cursed inwardly, jaw tightening with venom.

All these years, Dimitri had guarded the secret, only to reveal it to Augustine now.

"With this," Augustine said with a victorious glint in his eyes, "I could have you rotting in prison." He silently thanked his grandfather for entrusting him with this evidence and unveiling Gabriel’s crime.

"But I won’t send you to jail for now," Augustine went on, slipping the phone back into his pocket. "As long as you don’t cross me, I won’t hand this over to the cops. I don’t care who you are with or how many children you produce with Tania. Stay out of my path, and I’ll leave you be. Defy me, and this recording will be in the hands of the police before you can blink."

Gabriel sank further into the floor, his body heavy with numbness. Defeat washed over him, his pride in ruins, his confidence stripped away.

Once, he had crushed Gervis completely, destroying his family and driving Augustine into exile. He had believed himself untouchable, beyond challenge. But now Augustine had overturned everything, dragging his buried crimes into the light.

None of this would have happened if the old man hadn’t turned on him.

Forcing himself upright, Gabriel staggered toward the door, each step weighed down by anguish. His chest tightened with the bitter sting of betrayal.

His father had once vowed to always stand by him, to be his unwavering support. Yet now, he had broken that promise and sided against him.

Gabriel’s face twisted, fury replacing despair. "Old fool," he hissed under his breath. "You’ll answer for this."

Alone, Augustine leaned back in his chair and shifted his attention to the file before him. But the vibration in his pocket pulled him away.

He pulled out his phone and saw Anne’s name flashing on the screen. A smile tugged at his lips before he could help it.

"Hello," he answered.

"Do you even remember me anymore?" Anne’s voice carried a playful complaint. "Lately, all you do is work. You don’t spend time with me. Feels like you don’t love me now."

"I, Augustine, will never stop loving you," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "I’m sorry. I’ve just been tied up with work. But I’d drop everything for you. Tell me—where do you want to go?"

Anne’s lips curved into a grin. "Audrey just called. Her wedding date is set, and she wants me there."

"Then we’ll go," Augustine replied without hesitation. "We’ll be at her wedding."

"But I haven’t even shopped yet," Anne teased, half-whining.

"Then let’s shop," he said, already getting to his feet. "I’ll come pick you up."

Ending the call, he walked briskly out of the office.

~~~~~~~~

Gabriel barged into the family mansion, his voice thundering, "Dad, where are you hiding? After destroying me completely, are you happy now?"

The butler rushed out, his face drained of color. "Sir, please lower your voice. The old master’s health is fragile."

"Hmph," Gabriel scoffed. "After putting me in this mess, he is acting sick now. Go call him out. I need to see him."

The butler’s expression grew strained, his eyes flicking nervously toward Dimitri’s room, afraid the shouting would disturb the old man’s rest.

"Please, calm yourself. He isn’t faking it. The master suffered a mild heart attack a few days ago. The doctor warned—if he suffers another one, he might not survive."

"Heart attack?" Gabriel sneered in disbelief. "If it was that serious, why didn’t you tell me earlier?" he barked. "Stop making excuses. I know his game. He betrayed me, sided with my enemy, and now he’s pretending to be sick to avoid me. But I won’t leave without speaking to him."

"What’s with all this shouting?" Dimitri’s voice rang out as he stepped from his room, his face lined with anger. "As the elder of this family, I expect you to show respect in this house. But you... you always do as you please."

His features twisted with fury and bitter disappointment. "Aren’t you ashamed? Coming here after everything you’ve done? Get out! I have no shameless son like you." His roar echoed through the hall.

"Yes, of course you don’t care for me," Gabriel sneered. "It’s your illegitimate son you favor most. You betrayed me, broke the vow you swore to keep. You revealed the very secret you promised to guard with your life. Now Augustine has seized the company, stealing the position that was mine. And why? Because you backed him. Without you, he’d never have dared challenge me. You must be delighted to see me fall, aren’t you?"

"You still dare to say that?" Dimitri snapped, slamming his cane against the floor with a sharp crack. "All my life, I chose you over Gervis. I ignored him, allowed injustice to crush him. Even when he and his wife were killed, I kept my silence—for your sake. I even turned my back on Augustine. And you accuse me of favoring Gervis?"

His voice grew harsher with every word, though his frail body trembled with weakness.

"You blame me for breaking my promise," Dimitri said bitterly. "You accuse me of causing your misery. But what about the misery you inflicted on others? Even your own wife was not spared."

Gabriel froze, his eyes widening. Shock and disbelief flashed across his face. Even the police hadn’t uncovered that he had killed Jeanne. How could the old man know?

’Impossible,’ he told himself with certainty.

Fury surged through him, scorching every vein. "Stop spewing lies. I did nothing to Jeanne."

"You can fool the world, but not me," Dimitri thundered, cutting him off. "I am your father—I know exactly who you are."

His frail hands clenched tighter around the cane as he stepped forward, his eyes sharp enough to cut Gabriel in two. "You want to know why I broke my promise? Then listen carefully..."

His voice carried the weight of judgment. "All these years, your insecurity never left you. Even after gaining everything, you still felt unsafe. You never let go of your enmity with Augustine. Your hatred poisoned Denis, too, pushing him down the same destructive road. That was the final straw."

The words poured out without pause, and then Dimitri exhaled heavily, clutching his chest as a dull ache spread across it.

The butler darted forward to steady him, but Dimitri raised a hand to hold him back.

Gabriel could see clearly that his father was unwell, but rage and wounded pride anchored him in place, refusing him the urge to help.

Dimitri’s gaze stayed locked on him. "I refuse to let history repeat itself. I will not stand by and watch Augustine and Denis destroy each other. That’s why I revealed the long-buried truth to Augustine. Soon, Denis will also learn it, and only then will he make peace with his brother. This is the only way I can atone for my sins."

"You are ruthless," Gabriel roared, his whole body trembling with rage. "I raised Denis as my own son. You swore you’d never let him learn the truth, and yet you betrayed me. Do you despise me that much?"

"I had planned to take the truth with me to the grave, but you left me no choice but to break my word," Dimitri rasped, coughing as the pain in his chest sharpened. His body trembled violently, and he nearly collapsed, but the butler rushed in time to steady him and ease him onto the sofa.

Gabriel’s hand twitched toward his father, a fleeting glimmer of concern flashing in his eyes. Yet he stayed rooted where he was, refusing to step forward.

"Master, please stop," the butler pleaded anxiously. "Your condition is worsening. Let me take you back to your room."

Dimitri groaned, pressing his chest harder as if to hold the pain at bay.

"Hah," Gabriel scoffed bitterly. "This is just another excuse to dodge my questions. Admit it—you want me to suffer. You are set on destroying me to avenge your precious son. And you’ve succeeded. I’ve lost everything. The company is gone from my hands. My son has turned against me. Now Augustine and Denis will unite and come after me, seeking revenge for their parents’ deaths."

His lips twisted into a cold sneer, bitterness dripping from his words. "You even recorded our conversation back then, all without my knowledge. Well done, Father. You’ve been preparing for years just to hand me over to prison."