Chapter 39 Parting Ways


    The deafening crash brought the entire restaurant to a standstill.


    All eyes were now fixed on Gabriel.


    The gruesome scene, with blood stter, sent several women into shrieks of horror.


    "Gabriel... Gabriel Edwards!"


    Ste gazed at Gabriel in astonishment. She had never expected to encounter him here.


    It wasn''t until she saw Ava, the beautiful woman sitting across from Gabriel, that everything fell into


    ce.


    Gabriel hade here for a date.


    Curses filled her thoughts. She couldn''t believe that Gabriel, of all people, would witness her in such


    a miserable situation.


    "Sam quickly collected himself, grumbling under his breath as he approached Gabriel.


    The other seven burly men followed Sam, striding forward with an intimidating presence.


    "Buddy, where do you hail from? You dare to mess with the Ghostly Purgatory Hall''s affairs, or are


    you just itching for trouble?"


    Even though Sam knew Gabriel appeared to be no ordinary man, at this juncture, he couldn''t afford


    to back down.


    If he backed off now, how would he handle future debt collections?


    But Sam wasn''t naive. He stopped three paces away from Gabriel.


    He didn''t press the issue further, prioritizing his own safety.


    Gabriel''s fighting techniques were both ruthless and precise.


    He forcefully pressed down on the tattooed man''s head, almost knocking him unconscious.


    His execution was impable.


    Despite the tattooed man''s head spurting blood, not a drop stained Ava.


    At such close quarters, Ava''s attire remained immacte.


    She was simply startled, rising in a state of rm.


    "Ghostly Purgatory Hall?"


    Gabriel slowly turned, his fierce expression unwavering.


    Yet he couldn''t help but find it rather coincidental to encounter a few members of the Ghostly


    Purgatory Hall.


    However, judging by Sam''s conduct, Gabriel''s impression of the Ghostly Purgatory Hall''s members


    was far from favorable.


    If all of the Ghostly Purgatory Hall''s associates were of this caliber, he''d be gravely disappointed.


    "Kid, having second thoughts now? Crossing the Ghostly Purgatory Hall isn''t a bright idea. But


    today, I''m in a hurry to settle a debt. If you leave now, I won''t hold it against you."


    Sam was smart enough, invoking the Ghostly Purgatory Hall and providing Gabriel an exit-


    bncing toughness and leniency.


    As long as Gabriel departed, Sam could salvage his pride.


    What came next? He could continue with his debt collection.


    In any case, the opponent''s identity was uncertain, and his strength was formidable, so engaging in


    a direct confrontation wouldn''t be wise!


    Gabriel lifted the tattooed man and tossed him onto the ground."


    Then he pulled out a tissue and wiped his hands clean.


    Every move had an air of elegance and arrogance about it.


    He nced at his phone to check the time, then turned to Ava, asking, "Ava, we have ten minutes


    left until our seven-day agreement is up. For the next ten minutes, I''ll follow your lead. If you want


    me to cripple them, I''ll cripple them. If you want me to kill them, I''ll kill them. It''s your call."


    Ava hesitated for a moment, upset with Gabriel''s rash behavior. Asking her to make decisions at a


    time like this was not what she expected from her boyfriend.


    She managed a wry smile and, after some consideration, addressed Sam, "You guys better leave.


    I''ll talk to my boyfriend and make sure he doesn''t resort to violence anymore."


    As a vulnerable girl, she preferred to downy the situation, turning big problems into small ones.


    Bloodshed and fights were not on her agenda.


    Hearing Ava''s words, Gabriel''s anger subsided considerably.


    He said to Sam, "You''re lucky today. My girlfriend is a forgiving soul. You can go now."


    Though he was still annoyed, since Ava had intervened, he decided to let it go.


    This put Sam and his crew in an awkward spot.


    Leaving now would be embarrassing, like admitting defeat. But staying meant they would have to


    deal with a tough opponent.


    It was a difficult situation.


    Just then, Ste approached the scene.


    Her timing was far from ideal as she addressed Sam, "Whoever owes you money, you should go


    after them. Why do you keep causing trouble in my ce?"


    Her intervention shifted the focus away from Gabriel.


    Sam saw this as an opportunity to change the subject and ease the tension with Gabriel.


    He seized the chance and spoke to Ste, "Ste, your own brother, Ryan, owes us money. We''re


    coming to you for what he owes. You own this high-end restaurant; eight million shouldn''t be a


    problem for you."


    Gabriel was left speechless.


    Ste''s response was far from clever.


    If she wanted to deal with Sam herself, he thought, then he needn''t bother himself.


    All he needed to do now was sit and watch.


    Ste clenched her teeth in frustration, "I''ve already told you, gambling debts are not legally


    enforceable. Besides, I don''t have that much money. You must leave immediately. Otherwise, I will


    call the police."


    Her brother, Ryan, had fallen into a pit of gambling addiction, and the people at the casino had


    intentionally extended his credit, leading him deeper into debt.


    Previously, it was tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even once over a million dors.


    Ste had paid it all off, biting the bullet for her irresponsible brother.


    It was her grandfather''s dying wish that she take care of her brother, and her father, in prison, had


    always pleaded for her to protect him.


    Her brother was thest male heir of the Turner family, their only hope.


    But her brother''s irresponsibility was pushing her to the brink.


    This time, he owed eight million dors, a sum she simply couldn''t cover, even if she emptied all her


    savings.


    She felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown.


    "Ms. Turner, feel free to call the police, but as I''ve said before, if we don''t get the money tonight,


    your brother will lose a leg!" Sam retorted, shrugging his shoulders.


    As a professional debt collector, it''s essential for him to secure the money by any means necessary.


    This was a matter of professional integrity!


    "She''s connected to the Davis family. Aren''t you worried about them?"


    Suddenly, Gabriel, who had been quietly observing, chimed in.


    Typically, with the Davis family in the background, most wouldn''t dare to mess with Ste.


    But these individuals seemed fearless and didn''t show any regard for the Davis family.


    However, as soon as Gabriel mentioned it, Ste lost her cool. "This has nothing to do with the


    Davis family; it''s our Turner family''s matter!"


    Gabriel couldn''t help narrowing his eyes.


    Ste harbored such deep resentment towards the Davis family that she opted to keep her distance


    even when her brother''s well-being was at risk.


    Interesting!


    "Is she from the Davis family?" Ava asked Gabriel, blinking her big eyes.


    Gabriel nodded, speaking loudly for emphasis, "Yes, she used to be the wife of Oliver Davies, the


    third sibling of the family. But now Oliver is dead, and she became a widow, yet no matter what,


    she''s still considered a part of the Davis family."


    He had assumed that Ava knew Ste. After all, the Foster and Davis families had strong ties


    through marriage.


    But evidently, he was mistaken.


    Ava had never crossed paths with Ste before.


    "I''ve never seen her before." Ava shook her head. Still, her natural instincts led her to make an


    instinctiveparison between herself and Ste.


    Looks, physique!


    However, it was clear that Ste outshone her.


    With an intense re, Ste fixed her eyes on Gabriel, hating him more than ever.


    This guy deliberately announced her widow status so loudly, letting so many people hear it. He


    easily exposed what she had been desperately trying to conceal.


    He was truly despicable!


    Hearing the Davis family, Sam and his crew weren''t afraid at all. Sam shrugged and responded, "I


    don''t care about your family; you owe money, you gotta pay it back. I''m standing on solid ground


    here, and I''m not afraid of anyone. In short, if we don''t see the money tonight, Mr. Turner will end up


    disabled, and this restaurant will be wrecked."


    "I''m calling the police!" Ste, exasperated, took out her phone.


    But just as she was about to dial, Sam grabbed her wrist.


    Sam grinned lecherously and snatched the phone away. He didn''t forget to deliberately touch


    Ste''s soft hand.


    "You... shameless!" Ste struggled fiercely.


    Her face turned red with anger and embarrassment, her chest heaving.


    The more she resisted, the louder and more lecherous Sam and his group of thugsughed.


    Seeing this scene, Gabriel took out his phone once more to check the time.


    Then he began to count down.


    "Ten!"


    "Nine!"


    ...


    "Two!"


    Everyone was baffled, not understanding why Gabriel was counting.


    Except for Ava, who felt a lump in her throat and a sense of impending sorrow.


    This was the countdown to her breakup with Gabriel.


    "One!"


    Gabriel exhaled heavily.


    His gaze turned cold once more.


    His demeanor underwent a drastic transformation, bing incredibly sinister. He addressed Ava,


    "Miss Foster, the agreed time has arrived. From now on, we''ll be separating our ways."


    It was an utterly disastrous breakup statement, but it still caused Ava to lose control of her


    emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes.


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    "Gabriel, you jerk!"


    After cursing him, she turned her head to hide her tears, doing her best not to let others see her


    devastated and disheveled state.


    "Sorry, Ava. To ensure your safety away from a dangerous person like me, I might have to cause


    you some pain in the process," Gabriel apologized to Ava in his heart and began his performance


    as a scoundrel.


    He slowly approached Ste with a menacing aura and said, "Miss Turner, I, Gabriel, have taken an


    interest in you. If you agree to have lunch with me tomorrow noon, I''ll take care of these clowns for


    you. I''ll also help settle your brother''s debt."


    Hearing these words, Ava couldn''t hold back any longer.


    Her heart ached terribly.


    Tears streamed down her face uncontrobly as she looked at Gabriel with a gaze full of


    disappointment. She shook her head and said, "Gabriel, you''re just a beast. Even if we''re breaking


    up, you shouldn''t insult me like this-counting down the seconds to our breakup and immediately


    asking someone else out. I must have been blind before!"


    After scolding Gabriel harshly, she forcefully pushed him away, rushed through the crowd, and left


    the restaurant.


    The taste of heartbreak was incredibly bitter.


    It turned out the human heart can ache like this.


    "I''m sorry, Ava."


    Watching Ava''s retreating figure, Gabriel felt his heart also skip a beat.


    That little skip made him feel both disoriented and oddly determined.


    The truth was, deep down, he knew he wasn''t someone worthy of a lifetimemitment...