Chapter 48 Breaking The Chains

• The café was too elegant for what it was about to witness, silk-draped chairs, glistening chandeliers, and Gabrielle Richards seated at the corner table, radiating controlled power. Her red-lacquered nails tapped an impatient rhythm against the porcelain teacup, her smile a razor-thin facade.
• Clara sat opposite her, fingers wrapped tightly around a cup of untouched coffee. Every instinct screamed to walk away, but she held firm. Gabrielle didn’t show up without a dagger hidden behind her velvet words.
• “Such a shame,” Gabrielle purred, sliding a glossy envelope across the table. “I thought you’d be smarter than this.”