Chapter 5 He Wanted To Take Over

Before her death, Gabrielle's depression had become so severe that she suffered from insomnia day and night. With this in mind, she found herself clutching her phone so tightly that it felt as if she could crush it into pieces. “Having you replace her for a month doesn't mean sending you to your death. Why are you still bullying her like this? Is it because she's adopted and got in your way? I've promised that as long as you replace her, once that man is dead, I'll agree to be your boyfriend. What more do you want?” Caleb gritted his teeth as he asked. It was clear he was so angry that he seemed to forget his usual calm and composed persona. “Ha!” Gabrielle couldn't help but laugh at his words. It felt like he was a clown, really giving himself too much credit. Why had I ever fallen for him? I almost became his simp, fooled by his terrible acting, and willingly brainwashed by him. “What are you laughing at?” Caleb asked, furious. Gabrielle stood up, walking to the window to admire the flowers and plants in the garden. She absentmindedly fiddled with the potted plant in front of the window. “What are you? Do you think I'd substitute for you willingly? Who gave you the confidence to think I like you? You're harassing me now, do you understand?” Gabrielle said coldly. “You're still hoping that after he's gone, you'll be my boyfriend? Who do you think you are? At least now I'm the mistress of the Zechman family. What are you? Do you think when I'm widowed, I'll still have a lot of wealth, and you'll come crawling to date me, swallowing all my assets? That way, you get rich while I lose both my wealth and my life?” Gabrielle asked with a low laugh. Her words made Caleb almost spit blood. “What nonsense are you talking about? Am I someone who wants your money? Gabrielle, you've really disappointed me. If you keep thinking like this, I'm never going to consider being with you,” he threatened. His words piqued Gabrielle's interest. “Then that's great. Please stop calling and harassing me! Aren't you supposed to protect Chloe? Go be with her now, see if she'll marry you, you simp,” she mocked. Chloe, that pretentious b*tch, wanted to give all men a home. How could she ever be interested in someone like him? To put it bluntly, celebrities in wealthy families were nothing but performers, with no real status. Her words stunned Caleb into silence. In the past, whenever Gabrielle heard him speak, she immediately acted like a simp, never daring to defy him. But now, it was as if she had completely changed. He was so angry that his chest was rising and falling rapidly, but in the end, he suppressed his fury and said, “Gabrielle, I'll give you one more chance.” “No need! I wouldn't want someone like you even if you begged! Stop harassing me, or I'll expose you,” Gabrielle said coldly, hanging up the phone before he could respond. She looked at the recording she had just made when the call came in, quickly storing it in the cloud and backing it up to her email. “Ugh,” she grunted softly, rubbing her temples. She thought about how foolish she had been in her past life, being controlled by these people, and ultimately losing her life because of them. Knock knock knock! At that moment, the door was knocked on. Gabrielle composed herself, walking over to open it. A towering figure was seen standing outside the door. It was none other than Jonathan himself. At this moment, he had clearly showered and changed into comfortable black loungewear. A faint minty fragrance surrounded him, masking the strong scent of blood. He stood before her, looking down at her. “Jonathan? You need something?” Gabrielle was a bit surprised upon seeing him. Locking eyes with the man's profound dark pupils, she noticed his assessing gaze. Unfazed, she lifted her chin, meeting his stare without a trace of fear. The man couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Seeing the coldness in her eyes, he smirked, clearly surprised by her boldness. It was then he realized that she wasn't afraid of him at all. “You only glanced at me, so how did you know I was poisoned? And how did you know how to suppress the poison?” Jonathan's voice was husky, his tone slightly cold. Gabrielle casually placed her hands behind her back. Seeing how straightforward he was, she immediately knew he must have taken medicine and had someone check them. “It's simple, really. I studied traditional medicine,” Gabrielle said with a soft laugh. She stepped aside, signaling for him to come in. He stood outside. Seeing her turn aside, he entered her room. A faint scent wafted from him, inexplicably pleasant. She stood still, casually tying her hair up while saying, “My mentor is a religious master, a practitioner of both metaphysics and traditional medicine. I've been with him since I was three, learning for seventeen years. The stench of blood on you is too strong, I could smell it even before your veins burst open. There's also an unusual scent mixed with your blood, leading me to believe that you've been poisoned,” Gabrielle said softly. She didn't hide her religious background but rather took pride in it. Upon hearing that she had studied for seventeen years, Jonathan was a little surprised. “You can cure it?” Jonathan turned to face her again. Looking into her clear almond eyes, which seemed to hold endless mystery, he felt that her calm demeanor betrayed no emotions. She had weathered much, hiding her character and emotions from view. “Whether I can cure it is still uncertain, but I can suppress it for a while. I can guarantee you'll live for another month, maybe even six months,” Gabrielle said calmly. Her words made Jonathan frown deeply, clearly shocked. He hadn't expected her to be so straightforward. Even top doctors wouldn't dare claim they could extend his life for a month, let alone six months! He might not have believed her if it were anyone else, but seeing her suppress her own poison earlier forced him to trust her. Her words gave him a tremendous surprise, akin to a man on his deathbed suddenly seeing a glimmer of hope—a hope for life. Jonathan's large, broad hand clenched tightly, his long fingers turning white with excitement, though he hid it well. His imposing presence made it difficult to meet his gaze, but no one would notice his subtle movements. “What are the conditions?” Jonathan asked in a low voice. Gabrielle retreated half a step, her tall figure leaning against the corner of the table. Her small hands were folded across her chest as she tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “You owe me a favor, but you'll need to help me find some medicinal herbs. Preferably ones over a hundred years old—the older, the better,” Gabrielle said as she walked to the side. She took out some paper and a pen from her bag. With fluid strokes, she wrote down a list, handing it to him. Jonathan looked at the paper she handed him. His dark eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected this twenty-year-old girl to have such amazing handwriting. Her handwriting was powerful, with a life of its own. She had written it casually, yet it impressed him. This made him realize that her skills were likely comparable to those of a master. “Sure.” Jonathan tightly held the list she had handed to him, his voice a low murmur in response. Clearly, he was shocked by her words. The fact that she could so easily write a list without hesitation showed just how formidable her medical skills were. He only had to get someone to check out the list to find out whether her skills were genuine or not.