Lock You In My Heart

Chapter 23 I’d Rather Be An Orphan

Wendy arranged a driver to send Gabrielle to Vineyard Villa. She instructed him repeatedly to take her only there.

Gabrielle could tell why she was so erratic, She was afraid Gabrielle would run away.

“Ronin, stop the car!” Gabrielle urged the driver when they reached downtown.

Wendy had told Ronin not to let Gabrielle out of the car. She was rather stubborn. Wendy knew if she got out, it would be difficult to coax to get in again.

“Miss Jones, what is the matter?” Ronin asked in a low voice. He took a look at Gabrielle through the rearview mirror. She looked calm and composed.

Before Gabrielle could say anything, her phone rang. It was a call from Tobias.

She hesitated for a while, then answered the phone.

“What’s up, Dad?”.

She was in no mood to fake niceness.

“Gabrielle, have you reached Vineyard Villa?”

anxiously.

“We are just crossing downtown. It will take a while. Dad, what can I do for you?”

Gabrielle knew something was up. Otherwise, Tobias would never have called her.

“Our stocks are falling! It must be because of Westley. When you reach Vineyard Villa, can you urge him not to brutally drive us to a dead end? The Jones has brought you up. I know you are upset with your mother. But I can assure you once this problem is solved, such a thing will never happen again!” Tobias was a middle-aged man. He had never been humble, and was dragged into this trouble by Wendy. 4

Gabrielle was shocked to hear him. Their stocks were falling?

acting too

why Westley did this. Whether he listens to me or not

3

desperate and helpless. Every second in this drama was causing harm to her

Who else can we

grandfather’s painstaking efforts! I don’t want it destroyed at my hands!”

the stocks hadn’t fallen too low, he would never have

can try to talk to him. If he

you can do it.

through his teeth. It was

Westley didn’t trust her.

you

lights from the city lit up the night sky. But for the first time, she felt she had

a scapegoat for everyone. As soon as Nellie would be back,

poor and lonely she

an orphanage was

you okay?” Ronin asked, looking

had heard her talk to Tobias and could roughly tell what the

plummeted further. Ronin had watched her grow up. She had always been a gentle and kind-hearted girl. If Bryce hadn’t acted so ridiculously, her life wouldn’t have changed so drastically. Ronin felt sorry

drink something cold.” She looked at him with a somber expression. She could tell he felt

Ronin pulled up and got out of the car without

She climbed to the driver’s

He rushed toward the car and tried to

window and looked at him calmly. “Ronin, you can take a taxi home. I’ll drive to Vineyard Villa myself. Don’t tell my mother.

said anxiously, scared of what might happen to

she would not go to Vineyard Villa, but that she was mentally unstable and she could

what I’m doing.” Gabrielle turned the key and drove off, leaving