Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 280

Gabriel’s POV

The phone sat on speaker in the middle of my desk while I paced across the office, back and forth, barely holding my temper in check.

“Jake, what’s the update?” I demanded. “What’s the status on the PR sweep? Who leaked the damn story?”

There was a pause on the other end. Then Jake’s voice came through, uneasy.

“I’m sorry, sir. We seem to have a problem.”

I stopped pacing for a second, circling back to the desk.

“What problem?” I asked flatly. “What situation are we dealing with now?”

Jake hesitated. “It’s harder than we thought. The story spread too fast. And the source... it looks like it was close to home. People are tearing this thing apart. It isn’t easy to take down when it’s coming from inside, not some random blogger.”

I started pacing again, faster this time.

“Close to home?” My voice sharpened. “Jake, don’t dance around it. Who the hell leaked the story?”

There was a pause, almost like he was afraid to say the name.

I slammed my hand against the desk, my voice erupting. “Spit it out, Jake. Who?”

“All signs trace back to your son, sir.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. For a second, I just stared at the desk, the phone, the city skyline beyond the glass. I’d suspected it in the back of my mind, but hearing it confirmed was still a punch in the gut.

I ground the words out through clenched teeth. “Which son?”

Jake swallowed audibly, then gave the name I dreaded but wasn’t surprised to hear.

“Adrian. From what we’ve gathered, the source came from him or someone close to him.”

I closed my eyes briefly, muttering under my breath. “Shit...”

I knew Adrian was hurt. I knew he hated me for Clairessa. But selling our family out to the media? Ripping us apart publicly? That wasn’t just petty, it was reckless. This didn’t just hurt me, it hurt the business, the name, everything we’d built.

I dragged a hand over my face. “Thanks, Jake. That’ll be all.” I ended the call.

Betrayal was unforgivable. And if my own son had done this, he’d crossed a line he could never come back from.

I was fuming as I stormed out of the office. The anger I’d been holding back since the bloody articles hit, since the calls flooding my office, since even longtime partners rang to “confirm” the story and I’d been forced to swear it was all lies, was burning through me.

That’s when Nicole strutted in through the already open door, shameless as ever. She glanced between us, her brow lifting as if curious as to what was going on between Adrian and me.

She walked straight to Adrian, leaned down, and pressed a quick peck to his lips. “Sorry, babe. I thought I heard voices all the way from the hall, so I came to check. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Adrian straightened, his expression hardening as he looked at me. “You’re not interrupting. My father was just leaving.”

“No,” I shot back, my voice cutting through the room. “I wasn’t leaving. We’re going to finish this. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you, Nicole.”

I turned my glare on her. “Get out. Now. I need to talk to my son.”

Nicole’s lips curled, her tone dripping with insolence. “Sorry, can’t do, sir. I’ll leave if my boyfriend tells me to.” She looked at Adrian with mock sweetness.

Boyfriend? My hands flexed against the desk. The urge to remind her who signed her paycheck burned in my chest, the words on the tip of my tongue, do I need to remind you who you work for?

Before I could unleash it, Adrian's voice echoed. “Dad, you’re not going to talk to my girlfriend like that.”

I stared at him, a bitter laugh escaping. “Ah, I see what this is. Hiding behind her now? That’s your tactic? Lie, deny, and let her fight your battles?”

“I’m not hiding behind anyone,” Adrian snapped. “I told you, I didn’t leak that story. Believe me or not, but I didn’t do it.”

He leaned back, arms crossed, glaring up at me. “So you know what? You both can go fuck yourselves and do whatever the hell you want.”