Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 289

Clairessa’s POV

The tenderness in Gabriel’s touch shifted, replaced by anger tightening through his frame. His grip on my hand firmed, almost fierce, as he pulled me from the restroom and back into the restaurant.

The air seemed to shift around him as he scanned the room. His gaze locked on one of the staff, and with a single wave of his hand he drew their attention. His voice carried through the space, deep and commanding.

“I demand to see your manager.”

The young worker seemed confused, panic flashing across his face. “S-sir, is there a problem?”

Gabriel’s glare hardened. “Now.”

The young worker flinched, then quickly turned and hurried away, disappearing down a narrow hall.

Within moments a man appeared, mid-thirties, dressed in a neat suit, a welcoming smile fixed on his face. But the smile shifted the instant his eyes met Gabriel’s expression.

“Mr. Storm,” he greeted carefully, his tone respectful yet edged with worry. “I was told you wanted to see me.”

Gabriel stepped forward, shielding me with his body. “My girlfriend was just harassed in your restroom moments ago. Right here. And you want to explain to me how your security allowed that to happen?”

The manager’s stance wavered, his eyes darting to the staff lingering nearby. “Sir, that... that can’t be possible. Our security....”

“Don’t lie to me,” Gabriel snapped, cutting him off. “If I hadn’t walked in when I did, I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened.” His voice thundered through the restaurant, drawing stares from the rest of the workers. “I paid thousands of dollars for this exclusive dinner, and yet some psycho managed to waltz into your restroom and threaten her.”

The manager’s face drained of color. He gestured frantically to his staff. “We... we apologize, sir. I’ll have security look into it immediately. We’ll pull the footage, I promise. We will get to the bottom of this.”

“Get on it now,” Gabriel ordered. “I want explanations.”

“Yes, sir, of course. Please, give... me... one... moment.” The man stuttered under the weight of Gabriel’s glare. He pulled a phone from his pocket, fumbling to call someone, already waving toward another staff to summon security.

But Gabriel wasn’t finished. “No, not just security. I need you to take me to your office. Now. I’m going to watch those tapes myself. I want to see exactly how he got in.”

The manager hesitated, then swallowed hard and nodded. “Right away, Mr. Storm. Please, follow me.”

The manager led us quickly down a long corridor, past staff who shrank back at Gabriel’s presence, until we reached an office tucked at the end of the hall.

He pushed the door open, stepped inside, and went straight for his desk. Sitting down, he switched on his computer, fingers fumbling across the keyboard.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll pull up the security footage right now,” he said.

Gabriel didn’t sit. He remained standing tall, his eyes fixed on the man’s every move. Then he turned to me, his hand brushing mine. “Do you want to sit?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ll stand with you.”

The manager typed hurriedly, mumbling “one moment, one moment,” before stopping. His expression shifted as he clicked. “We have it,” he said. Then he turned the monitor toward us.

The screen lit up with the restaurant’s recordings, time-stamped and slightly grainy, but clear enough. My heart raced as the footage began to play.

Security stood by the entrance, and no one went inside or out.

Gabriel’s voice was firm. “Start from the moment we walked in.”

The manager skipped back and hit play. We watched ourselves step through the entrance earlier that night. No one else followed, no one slipped in behind us. Security never moved.

“Switch the angle,” Gabriel ordered.

The manager clicked, changing views, the front, the corners, the back. That was when a figure shifted across the screen. Gabriel leaned in slightly. “Pause there.”

The manager froze the frame. Someone had slipped in through another door.

Gabriel’s hand pressed against the desk. “Bring it in.”

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