💔 Gabriella's Mansion
The air in the Obsidian Mansion always felt heavy, like velvet curtains soaking up the sun. It wasn't a gothic, spooky house; it was sleek, modern, and utterly suffocating. Picture towering, black marble walls, vast windows that showed off an infinity pool, and silence so thick you could almost chew it. This was Gabriella's Mansion.
🏡 Homecoming and Hidden Lies
Gabriella, exhausted, slammed the front door shut, the expensive soundproofing swallowing the noise instantly. She was dressed in her private school uniform—a crisp, dark green blazer over a tailored plaid skirt. She had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her silk blouse, a tiny act of rebellion after a relentless day of pretending she cared about calculus.
"Gabriella."
The single word, spoken with the cool precision of a scalpel, froze her mid-step.
Roselette, her mother, stood in the center hall. Roselette was an unnerving masterpiece: an art collector's dream of elegance. She wore a sapphire blue silk dress that flowed like liquid around her, and diamond studs that probably cost more than Gabriella's entire tuition. Right now, her face was composed, except for one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in a silent, deadly question.
"Why didn't you come home last night?"
Gabriella's heart hammered against her ribs. She glanced sideways. Her Aunt Fiona was there, leaning against a pillar, fiddling with a designer clutch. Fiona, always the cool, casual, slightly bohemian aunt, gave a barely perceptible jerk of her head. The signal.
It's too late. Mom knows.
"I… I got drunk," Gabriella stammered, hating the weakness in her voice. "I had to stay at Dona's house. It's nearer."
Roselette's eye lowered. The tension eased, but only by a fraction. "Don't repeat it. Whatever happens, you will come home."
A cold dread coiled in Gabriella's stomach. Does she know? The whole thing? Did she see the posts?
Roselette, sensing the turmoil, smiled faintly—a politician's smile. "Don't worry about what others say, darling. If we haven't done anything wrong, why should we hide?"
Gabriella nodded, trying to look convinced. She turned to leave, but her mother's grip, surprisingly strong, clamped onto her arm.
"Stay away from That boy."
Gabriella's breath hitched. Jake. She met her mother's gaze, a complicated swirl of defiance and agreement flashing in her eyes. She just nodded.
"Sister-in-law," Fiona interjected, moving gracefully towards them. "I have to go back abroad."
Roselette's composure cracked. "What? But… you said you would stay for more days!"
"Yes, Auntie, why are you in such a hurry?" Gabriella asked, a spike of genuine curiosity overriding her stress.
Fiona smiled—a small, knowing smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Are you relieved, or worrying, Gabriella?"
Gabriella scoffed.
"There are still a lot of pending works to do," Fiona mumbled as her phone rang. "I have to attend this. I will tell you the exact date when I am leaving." She picked up the call and walked briskly to the other side of the vast foyer.
Roselette went to the kitchen. Gabriella tossed her expensive backpack onto a leather sofa and followed, a sense of impending doom and exhilaration battling inside her. This was it. The real conversation.
☕ Secrets Over Coffee
Roselette poured a perfectly brewed cup of coffee for Gabriella.
"Aren't you about to say something about yesterday?" Gabriella asked, then quickly changed tack, knowing that conversation was a minefield. "You know, when I was talking about that little girl… the dream I keep having?"
Roselette turned, her hands trembling as she set down the sugar bowl. She hesitated, her strong façade finally wavering. "That's… The girl is My brother's daughter."
Gabriella's eyes widened in genuine disbelief.
"Yes. Richardson's second daughter. Han's sister," Roselette continued, her voice growing soft, heavy with old, painful memory. "Her name was Christina."
The name hung in the opulent kitchen like a fragile crystal ornament.
"When I was three months pregnant with you, my parents forced me to abort and marry someone else. I was stubborn. I didn't." Tears welled up in Roselette's eyes. "Your father's parents and my parents were against our love. They are both billion-dollar rivals in business—competitors who act as friends in public. Your father was abroad, studying. He was unaware I was pregnant. I had to leave my home, struggling hard for a permanent shelter."
Roselette wiped a tear. "Your father's parents died in a car accident ten years ago. If they were here, they would never allow us to leave with your father. They would force him back into the business war."
"How dare they?" Gabriella raged, the years of hidden family trauma finally boiling over. "Those old people—"
"Gabriella! Watch your mouth. They are elders," Roselette warned, though her eyes held a shared pain.
"Two years later, my brother found out where I was. He came with his daughter, Christina, often. You two played. She was one year older than you, I think." Roselette's voice broke. "But… who knew she wouldn't…"
"...be with us now," Gabriella finished quietly.
Roselette was visibly shocked. "Do you know that?"
"Han told me," Gabriella admitted. "What happened to her?"
"She had a brain tumor."
Gabriella leaned back, the name Christina ringing in her mind. This girl—her cousin, the girl she unknowingly dreamed of—was the key to the entire, awful mess.
💥 The Shattered Truth
Meanwhile, in Han's house—a home that was all stark white walls and uncomfortable modern art—Han walked in. He was still wearing his school uniform, tie loosened, his dark hair messy.
"Where were you gone yesterday?" His mother, Jannet, called from the sitting room.
Han stopped at the foot of the sweeping staircase. "I was at a friend's home."
Jannet's face was stone. "Why did you slap her?"
"Because she brought my sister's topic up!" Han shot back, anger flaring.
Jannet scoffed, her gaze burning. "Are you pissed because of Gabriella, or your own sister?"
"Mom!" Han shouted.
Jannet's voice dropped to an icy whisper. "I don't want your excuses. You have to convince Selina and correct everything before it gets worse."
"No," Han refused, his jaw set.
Jannet strode forward, grabbed his hand, and turned him to face her. Her grip was punishing. She stared into his eyes, a depth of coldness there that Han had never seen before.
"Gabriella isn't your biological sister," Jannet stated, her voice flat, devoid of emotion.
Han blinked, confused.
"Your sister died two years ago."
Jannet released his hand and walked away, leaving Han standing alone in the vast, silent hall, the lie he had been told for years dissolving like smoke.
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To be Continued.....
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