ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 4

GABRIELLE’S POV

A brief silence followed.

I slowly set Aria down from my lap.

Fiorella’s eyes were already on me, sharp and questioning.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

Rhys glanced up from the pot. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “Just a small issue at the gate.”

I didn’t wait for another question.

I turned and walked out of the kitchen, my steps calm even as something cold settled in my chest.

My instincts were already telling me that this was about a particular blonde man.

The guard followed behind me as we stepped out of the house.

“It’s about the man from yesterday,” he said.

My body went still.

“What about him?” I asked, keeping my voice calm as we walked down to the gate.

“He’s back,” the guard replied. “We refused him entry as instructed, but he has parked in front of the gate and refuses to leave.”

I was right.

I knew Aiden wouldn’t give up.

I knew Damon should have done something about him.

“He’s been there for a while,” he added. “We asked him to leave multiple times.”

“And he refused?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I nodded once. “Stay here.”

He hesitated. “Ma’am, it may not be safe—”

“I said stay here,” I repeated, my tone firm. “Keep an eye out from a distance.”

He nodded hesitantly and stepped back.

I walked toward the gate alone.

Aiden’s car was parked right in front of it, exactly as the guard had said.

He was leaning casually against the driver’s side, his arms folded across his chest like he had all the time in the world.

He straightened the moment he saw me approaching, his face looking a little bit too calm for comfort.

“Mrs. Gravari,” he greeted, a small smile forming on his lips.

I stopped a few feet away from him. “You have a lot of nerve coming back here.”

That made him smile.

“I tried the clueless, innocent approach yesterday,” he said. “It didn’t get me very far. Just like it didn’t with Phoebe.”

His words struck me.

They were awfully familiar to the choice of words that Phoebe used the night Damon got shot.

“And this is your next move?” I asked. “Trespassing on my property?”

“I’m not trespassing, ma’am,” he replied calmly. “I’m outside your gate. I have the government-given right to sleep here on the streets if I want to.”

“You’re refusing to leave after being asked multiple times,” I returned. “That is a problem.”

He shrugged slightly. “Only if you make it one. I’m just looking for my friend. You wouldn’t be unsettled by me unless you had something to hide.”

He had a point.

I exhaled deeply and looked him straight in the eye.

Then I folded my arms across my chest. “Say whatever you came here to say and leave.”

His eyes studied my face carefully, as if searching for something.

“I spoke to a few people after I left yesterday,” he said. “Interesting things tend to come up when you ask the right questions.”

I didn’t react.

He continued, his tone still even. “Your husband has quite the history.”

“That is public knowledge,” I replied. “If that’s all you came here for, you can go.”

“It’s not,” he said.

A brief pause followed before he spoke again.

“My friend was working on something before she disappeared. Something that involved your family.”

Aiden took a step closer, stopping just short of the gate.

He placed his hand over mine, his grip firm enough to stop me from pulling away immediately.

“If she were right,” he added, “You’ll need to dump your husband when I expose him. I may not have his wealth, but I’m no murderer.”

I tried to pull my hand away but he held it in place.

“But then again,” he said, his voice even. “If Phoebe is dead then there’s a chance you’re just like your husband.”

He took his hand off mine.

I yanked my hand away immediately, my expression hardening.

“If that’s the case, then you don’t deserve me. And I’ll make sure you and your husband go down for your crimes,” he murmured, his eyes running down my body. “No matter how hot you are.”

Bile rose in my throat. “Go to hell, Aiden Marlow.”

“So your husband can torture me for all eternity?” he shot back, a smirk on his face. “No, thanks. I’ll repent after I expose both of you and go to heaven.”

What the fuck?

He definitely had some loose screws in his head.

He stepped back, his gaze lingering on me for a second longer. “Don’t forget to call me. I can be a good time when I'm off the record. And we will definitely be meeting again.”

Then he turned and walked toward his car.

I stood there and watched him get in.

The engine started, and a moment later, he drove off.

I didn’t move until his car disappeared from view.

My fingers clenched beside me.

Aiden wasn’t guessing or playing around anymore.

And frustratingly, Damon was still choosing to wait.

Well, I couldn’t.

I didn’t have any more patience.

I turned and walked back toward the house, my expression calm even as my mind settled into a spiral.

If Damon wouldn’t act, then I would.