8

Lily’s words to Gabriel were demeaning, but he knew he only needed to be patient for a while. The entire night was going to be about him, and Lilly would soon come to regret her actions when she learned Daniel would not be the CEO.

“Lily,” Gabriel mouthed, and she laughed loudly, sipping from the glass of wine in her hand.

“I know I am very attractive, Gabriel, but I think you should move on. You should stop bending over to impress me, because it does not work. Daniel and I would get married in a few weeks,” she told him.

It was difficult to move on with one’s first love, but Gabriel knew he had to let her go. He could have any woman at this point in his life because he was going to be the wealthiest man in the city tonight.

“Even if I wanted to speak, I know you would not let me, but all I can say is that you will undoubtedly regret your actions tonight,” Gabriel said with his hands in his pocket, causing Lily to scoff.

“If I were you, I would crawl to me before it was too late; time is running out.”

He tried to give her hints, but Lily thought they were all bogus parables and an attempt to insult her.

“I am not sure what you are talking about, but... “she paused, tipping her entire glass of wine onto Gabriel’s suit. “Oops,” she said, then looked at him with a smile on her lips.

“What have you done?” Gabriel yelled, and Lily chuckled.

“Let us see what you have to say to Brittany when she discovers you soiled her father’s suit, you impoverished rat!”

Gabriel, who was boiling over, tried to push his emotions aside, saying Lily deserved nothing but crusts. He saw Brittany approaching with a hardened expression, and he knew she was about to explode on Lily.

He raised a brow, shaking his head subtly, so that she could leave. But Brittany had other plans.

“Gabriel, what did you do? That suit is worth twenty thousand, and I knew I shouldn’t have let you have it. My great grand father wore that suit!”

Lily turned to see Brittany, and her lips curled into a smile, which quickly faded when she saw Brittany dazzling in the gown she could not afford.

“You are supposed to be an escort for my father, and you are here. To top it all off, you soiled the suit; do you poor people ever consider the value of anything?” Brittany asked, and Lily burst out laughing.

“You should have let him come in his rags, so he would not deceive innocent women and trap them with his ratchet self,” Lily said, and Brittany agreed.

“You are correct, Lily; I should get my father to fire him, especially now that Daniel is about to be CEO,” Brittany said, and a smile spread across Lily’s face..

“I apologize he dared to touch your gown. I bet it cost a lot,” Brittany said, and Lily smiled as she walked away.

Gabriel glanced at Lily as she walked away, then turned to face Brittany, shaking his head.

“I used to think Daniel was the problem, but I got married to Satan,” he explained, and Brittany laughed.

“Let us get you cleaned up,” she said, before leading him upstairs to a VIP room with a large king-sized bed.

Gabriel thought the hotel he was staying at was a little pricey, but the rooms in this house appeared much more expensive.

He quickly got dressed and returned to the party.

As he made his way down the stairs, he saw Daniel and Lily, but he was not fazed. He believed Lily was super evil because she made someone as terrible as Daniel look good.

Lily tried to hold on to Daniel, but she could tell he was not interested in her. He appeared to be fixated on Gabriel, which infuriated her.

“I would like to speak with Gabriel.” Daniel spoke, and Lily clenched her fist, letting go of Daniel’s hand.

“I will go first,” she said, approaching Gabriel.

“I am not sure how you keep convincing Brittany to keep a low-life like you around her, but I am going to make you suffer. In a few minutes, the MC will announce the new CEO of the company, and once Daniel steps onto that stage, you can kiss your job goodbye. You can rot on the streets because my mother will throw you out,” she breathed through her teeth.

Gabriel said or did nothing to her. Daniel noticed the commotion and walked up to them, staring at Gabriel in disgust.

“What does this trash bag want with you?” he inquired, and Lily scoffed before turning around to kiss Daniel.

“I do not know, and I do not want a thing to do with him,” Lily said, grasping Daniel’s hand.

“Let’s get out of here before he contaminates my dress with his dirty self.Your reward is coming, baby, and we need to make the most of it.”

She said, throwing herself at Daniel.

“Says someone putting on a dress worth five hundred dollars,” Gabriel said, and Lily scoffed, ready to unleash venom on him, until the MC tapped the mic.

“Attention everyone, it is time for the main event of the day,” he announced, and everyone turned to face him.

Lily smiled as if she had won the lottery, and she gripped Daniel’s hand tightly. He was about to be very rich so that she could afford anything she wanted and she would be his wife, too.

“We would like to welcome Mr. Whitewood to the stage.”

Gabriel watched his father take the stage and deliver a brief speech before concluding by saying. “I would like to invite my son and the new CEO of Whitewood Industries to the stage.”

Everyone applauded, except Lily, who was taken aback. She wondered if Daniel was secretly a Whitewood without her knowledge. She believed Brittany was his only child, but she kept her head up and tried not to think about what Gabriel had said earlier, but her mind would not stop.

Lily’s worst fears came true as Daniel slipped his hands away from her and walked towards Gabriel.

“Sir, are you ready to go?”

When Daniel said those words, both Lily's and Gabriel’s mouths dropped open. Brittany, who had known all along, cheered with the rest of the audience. She had had a long run as the daughter of Mr. Whitewood, and now it was Gabriel’s turn to take over what rightfully belonged to him.

Lily’s eyes welled up with tears, and she took to her heels as Daniel led Gabriel up onto the stage.

Gabriel, who had never spoken in front of a large crowd, was terrified, until his father placed a hand above his shoulders and whispered into his ears.

“You are doing great, son, and you do not need to be afraid of anybody. They are below you; assert your dominance now!”

Gabriel raised his shoulders and stood tall after his father spoke.

His father was correct; he was the richest man, and the entire world, beginning with his in-laws, would feel his wrath.

‘They will suffer,’ he told himself..