Sorry My Step-Uncle, I'm Not Your Backup Plan novel Chapter 88

Gabriella's irritation vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile as her expression transformed with remarkable speed. "Asher, you're here!"

Asher's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you just mention Drake?"

Gabriella didn't conceal anything, answering honestly: "Drake was just knocking at my door."

Only then did Asher notice the breakfast bag by the wall. He lowered his gaze, his voice carefully neutral: "Bringing you breakfast?"

"Yes. Heaven knows what's got into him at this ungodly hour. I was sleeping perfectly well until he woke me with his infernal knocking."

The annoyance and irritation in Gabriella's eyes were unmistakable as she spoke.

Asher asked: "How did he know your exact floor and flat number?"

This question caught Gabriella off guard.

Indeed, she had never told Drake her floor or flat number—how had he known?

Gabriella replied with genuine confusion: "I honestly haven't the faintest idea."

Asher's brow furrowed. "Don't worry, Gabby. I'll get to the bottom of this. Now, shall we go inside?"

Gabriella stepped aside to let Asher enter.

Once inside, Asher removed his grey cashmere coat and casually hung it on the wall hook.

Gabriella bent down to retrieve a pair of men's slippers, placing them at Asher's feet.

As Asher changed his footwear, Gabriella tried to appear nonchalant as she asked: "By the way, Asher, you suddenly mentioned an urgent matter to handle last night. What was it? Is everything sorted now?"

Asher paused momentarily before answering in a measured tone: "It concerned Vanessa."

Seeing his straightforward response, Gabriella's anxious heart finally settled.

She exhaled almost imperceptibly, her tense body relaxing.

Thank goodness—he wasn't hiding anything.

She had been right about him all along. Asher was nothing like Drake.

"Vanessa?" Gabriella continued. "Wasn't she being held in detention?"

Asher finished changing his shoes and replied: "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Gabby. I didn't want to worry you. A month ago, Vanessa falsely claimed to be pregnant. While being transported to hospital for examination, she was abducted."

This aligned closely with what Drake had told her the previous night.

The only difference was that Asher had used the word "falsely."

"Falsely? So she wasn't actually pregnant?"

Asher nodded. "No. After her abduction, we were searching for her continuously. We eventually found her at a telecommunication fraud operation near the border of a country in Eastern Europe. She admitted herself that she had never been pregnant."

Gabriella followed Asher into the living room. "Who took her? What was their motive?"

"That's precisely why I didn't want to worry you." Asher turned to face her, his expression serious. "The people who abducted her are rather formidable. My preliminary assessment is that they're targeting me."

Asher's brow furrowed slightly as he paused, his expression grave. "Last night... whilst on my way to pick you up, I received a call informing me that Vanessa had been killed."

Asher considered briefly before sharing his thoughts: "I don't have any concrete leads yet, but answers should come soon. Some actions inevitably leave traces. I've already notified the police, and they're investigating as well."

Gabriella lowered her eyes, deep in thought.

After a while, she spoke in a subdued voice: "Drake came to see me last night."

Asher's arms tightened around her. "What did he want?"

Gabriella's lips parted, her voice soft: "He came to tell me that you were with Vanessa last night. He also suggested... that you were the one who had Vanessa abducted from police custody. He deliberately misled me, trying to make me believe Vanessa was carrying your child."

Asher asked gently: "And what did you think?"

Gabriella replied: "To be honest, for a moment I was genuinely anxious and upset—my hands were trembling. I was afraid you might have betrayed me... But then I realized he was simply trying to drive a wedge between us. I trust that you would never betray me."

As she continued, her voice took on a sorrowful tone: "I had no idea Vanessa had been killed last night..."

Asher gently rubbed her back to comfort her. "It's all right, Gabby. Even if you had doubted me, that would have been perfectly understandable. I would have come to explain everything personally. Of course, I'm rather pleased you trust me so much. As for Vanessa, I didn't expect things to end this way either."

Gabriella asked in a muffled voice: "Vanessa... was she coerced? When she kidnapped Lucy, her hand was trembling as she held the knife. She looked nervous and frightened. She didn't seem like someone inherently evil..."

Asher made a sound of agreement.

"She was indeed coerced."

Gabriella hugged Asher tightly. "Asher, this mastermind is clearly a cold-blooded psychopath. You must be extremely careful."

The man's eyes sharpened, his jawline tense. "Don't worry about me. I'll be careful."