After Divorce Billionaire Ex Found Me Pregnant (Leonica and Gabriel)
Chapter 57

He sighed once more, not spitting out those words, instead he opted for something less harmful.

"A couple of Russian investors just flew in and I have to attend to them. Personally." He added the last part before she could even suggest him sending Bill in his stead. "Look, I know you.... we planned this, but I won't be able to make it, not today." "But," Angelina was about to protest, but unfortunately for her, Gabriel had glanced at his watch and realized that it was just about the time when Ashely woke up and he had to return

fast.

"I'm sorry Ange. I have to go, let's talk when I'm less busy. Bye..." Without saying any more words, even the most obvious one he always said when ending his call, Gabriel hung up and stopped himself before he sighed once again. "I love you, huh?" He muttered, recalling Christian's words.

Those same words that have now left his mind a scrambled mine field. One second he's sure that the person he loves is Angelina and then the next, he begins to question whether it's

Leonica.

Sure, he felt some sense of attraction towards the former and that aside, he also had a promise to fulfill, one that he had made the moment he woke up and found out that she had saved his life.

That had been the one thing that had kept him running with her and before he knew it, that thing, developed into romance.

But even at that, there was no denying it, the attraction he felt with and towards Leonica, ever since she came back to Norway, far surpassed that of any attraction which he has felt towards Angelina for the past eight years. And that left him feeling confused.

Lloyd and Christian's words were no helpers so far.

Sighing before he could prevent it, Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out once more when he felt it vibrate.

Clicking it on, his brows narrowed when he saw it was a message from Bill. He quickly accessed it, his expression becoming puzzled upon seeing that the message rather than written words and letters, was a simple picture of...a paternity test?

Clicking the picture open and waiting a few seconds for it to load, Gabriel's brows first shot up and then dipped in confusion the moment he read the results.

It was the very same paternity test he had applied for, yet the results of this one stated that Gabriel was Ashely's biological father.

"What the hell..." He muttered, brain swirling in confusion.

If this was the real results, then without a doubt, Leonica had indeed tampered with the result he had gotten.

But the main question was, how?

"Ahh! If I knew this would have happened I would have canceled that fucking business meeting!" Gripping the roots of her hair, Anastasia ruminates over and over again.

She had been on a business trip in Miami Florida, trying to secure cooperation with a Alvira Winchester, when she got the call that Ashely had been involved in an accident. Quickly, she took off with her private jet, that mind you, she barely used. And in under five hours, she had touched ground and zoomed off to the hospital.

So here she was, pulling on the roots of her hair and blaming herself for the accident of her Godson that she had no power to prevent.

Leonica had only entertained her friend's rambling for a while before she spoke up. "It wasn't your fault, Anastasia." She sighed tiredly and lowered her head. "It was mine."

"Now hold up!" Her confession, or better yet, words of self-reproach, caused a sudden out burst from Anastasia. "Your fault? Don't do that, Leo, don't go blaming yourself." Standing up from her chair, she joined the white-ette on the comfortable loveseat. "How were you supposed to know that Ashely would end up in this situation. This isn't your fault so don't start that." She comforted, laying a hand on her friends back

Much to her surprise, Leonica shrugged her hand off and rose to her feet as if the chair had suddenly become lava.

"But you see, it is!" she protested, pulling out her phone to replace the video Arvan had sent. her. "That crash wasn't an accident." She added as soon as Anastasia was equipped with enough knowledge to understand where she was coming from. And with that knowledge, she was livid. Who the fuck dare hurt her Godson, on purpose! No that aside, who the fuck dare to target her best friend?!

"Now I know what you're thinking," Leonica's dry and tired voice cut through her brewing rage, as she sank down into the opposite couch and pushed her messy hair out of the way. "But I'm not totally sure if that attack was aimed at me." She confessed. "What? Then who else would be a target?"

Leonica, despite her tired features, threw her friend a look, questioning if that was a question that needed answering.

Three of Norway's Richest Billionaires, standing unguarded outside of a hospital, there was more than one target in that case and more than one predator to strike.

However, in this situation, all she and Gabriel's petty enemies aside, there was one person who could have been the real target.

"Arvan," she voiced.

It took Anastasia a few seconds to process the name that had just left her friend's mouth and for confirmation's sakes, she asked. "Arvan Richardson?" Leonica pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.

Anastasia was stunned for a few seconds. Her lips parted, intending to say something befitting to her friend, but in the end, she was speechless and clammed her lips shut.

A few minutes of silence had passed before she suddenly asked. "With all this going on, does it mean that Ashely's identity has been exposed."

Leonica shook her head. "Not a chance. No one's aware of Ashely's identity... yet." She whispered the last part painfully.

"And Gabriel?"

Leonica rose her gaze at Anastasia's question. Upon meeting her friend's serious expression, she swallowed and looked away.

"Gabriel only gets to know what I tell him." She vaguely confessed, opening her phone once more with the intent of seeing if she could replace clues of the accident.

Anastasia however, was about to question her friend further when her eyes caught an

approaching figure from Behind Leonica and she clammed her mouth shut.

Leonica quickly noticed the silence and looked at Anastasia, before tracing her looking behind.

gaze

e and

Her expression paled and her eyes fluttered upon seeing Gabriel with a serious expression on his face.

"Leonica, me and you in private, let's have a talk Right now."

Start piver with Mat

Start Over With Me?

"So," Leaning back in the chair he was currently seated in, Gabriel fixed his gaze on Leonica who sat across from him, hands arranged neatly in front of her. "Where do you want to begin?" Leonica remained quiet at his question, gaze darting anywhere but where he sat. It had been like that for the past five minutes ever since they had entered the restaurant a floor below.

Anastasia, being the kind soul she is, had offered to watch Ashley along with Christian, who was already in the child's room, when Gabriel had demanded the two talk.

And now, here they were, seating across from each other, one refusing to look at one in the eyes, while the other was sternly demanding explanation for several questions.

If one didn't know better, they could be mistaken for a couple going through a tough divorce. period.

"I have nothing explain to you." Leonica finally spoke, but still refused to look Gabriel in the

eyes.

"Nothing?" He tilted his head to the side, catching her gaze. "At all?"

"Is there something I'm meant to say?" Leonica unconsciously snapped, however simmering down when noticing that her temper was climbing. "I have nothing to say, Gabriel, so if this is all you called me for, then this conversation is as good as over." She said with the intent of dismissing the conversation.

However, not a second more had passed since her final words, when Gabriel placed his phone on the table and gently pushed it across to her.

The device slid and stopped just in front of, gaining Leonica's attention.

She took one look at the open screen and her features tensed. It was yet another paternity test, or rather, the same paternity test, but with a different result.

And this one, confirmed that Gabriel was Ashely's father. Belated news, but still had the power to rile up her nerves.

"Still

got nothing to say?" Gabriel questioned her silence, watching as she slid his phone back to him and shook her head.

"No. You already know that Ashely's your son so"

"You tampered with the paternity test results, didn't you?" His question cut Leonica off before she could finish whatever she was about to say.

With creased eyes, she finally met his gaze. "What?"

"The paternity test's previous result, it was your doing, wasn't it?" He repeated.

"Like hell it air to show how much his

assumption Was!" Leonica hissed, throwing her hands in t

annoyed her.

Watching her reaction, Gabriel's brows creased. This time around, he was the confused one, after all, he had been more than sure that Leonica was the one responsible for tampering with the result.

But her reaction today showed something else, meaning...he was wrong.

Gabriel wasn't often wrong, and even though he was, his pride never allowed him to admit it, but today, there was no denying it.

He was wrong. And that fact alone, left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Think what you may, Gabriel, but I had nothing to do with the tampered results of that paternity test." Leonica set his misbeliefs straight. Leaning towards the table after that. "But bear this in mind, I would have done the exact same thing, had I known you secretly ran a DNA test on My son." Gabriel's eyes twitched at her words, obviously angered by the thought of Leonica messing with the DNA test.

"You're willing to go that far to keep Ashely away from me?" He questioned and when

Leonica's answer was nothing more than a silent stare, he continued. "Were you ever going to tell me the truth about Ashley if not for the accident?"

"No!" Leonica boldly responded as she stood up from her chair, automatically ending the conversation in her head before it could progress too forward and truly turn against her.

Now she didn't want that.

Taking a few steps towards Gabriel, she leaned down in front of his face and spoke in a tone barely above a whisper. "I never for once planned on telling you, after all, a person like you, doesn't deserve the right to be a father to my child."

If with those words, her goal was to annoy, hurt, or spite Gabriel, then she had succeeded, because hearing those words made Gabriel's blood to boil and in seconds, veins were popping at the side of his head.

Leonica complimented herself for a success well done, but she wasn't yet satisfied. This much was nothing compared to what Gabriel made her suffer for two a whole years.

She didn't need his apologize or regret, none of that would matter to her, now or in the nearest future. All she wanted, was his suffering.

When she had first returned to Norway, she had decided to keep to herself, forget all about Gabriel even though he existed, but the said male had obviously made it his mission to torment her, one too many times. Now, she was going to deal him that very same hand. The suffering he had inflicted on her all those years ago and the one he intended to inflict this

time around, she was going to deal it back to him in multiple folds.

Straightening up, Leonica was about to walk away with her head still filled with compliments. from her current achievement that she hadn't expected Gabriel to suddenly stand up and grab her by the neck.

The action startled her without saying, causing her eyes to go wide.

"What the-" She struggled against his hold, wanting nothing more than to be free, but that only caused his grip around her neck to tighten, not tight enough to snap her neck, but surely enough to leave a bruise.

"You..." Gabriel's voice was low, lower than when he had been 'interrogating' her. Along with the low tone, came a vague sound of an emotion that Leonica couldn't quite recognize because she was too busy trying to claw her way free. "... what did I do that you hate me so much?"

The question caused her struggling to stop. Her fingers still wrapped around his wrist, but now they didn't make any attempts to pry it away, rather they rested there.

She looked up, and just as she had thought, there was a clear expression of anger, confusion and all, written on his handsome features and it brought a satisfied, yet contemptuous smile to her lips. "Everything." She whispered in a voice filled with malice, her smile only widening the moment Gabriel's features tensed.

His eyes twitched and his grip tightened once more, enough for Leonica to hiss.

"Do you know why I'm asking you these questions? Why I want the truth and not some bullshit?" He growled.

"I have a little clue." Leonica's response came with a chuckle, but it sounded less lively than her usual ones. "Your pissed that I hid Ashley's existence away, right?" Allowing her hands fall to her side, she managed a shrug. "What good would it really have done to tell you, after all, you're more than ready to start a new family." By the time she finished her words, the smile on her lips had completely faded and the bitterness in her eyes became clear to Gabriel.- But behind those emotions, he could see something else, something akin to hurt and regret.

It made a pinch appear in his heart and immediately, his grip on Leonica reduced.