Page 16 of Ruthless Rival

A blunt pain struck me in the chest, catching me off guard. Something about him saying I wasn’t even worth his abuse hit me harder than anything else he had ever said to me. I meant nothing to him, while I watched him fawn over the child that meanteverythingto him.

One of my other cousins, Alvaro, a tall, muscular man a few years older than me, stepped right in front of me, making me tense as he stared down at me. He acted like his father and my uncle, Salvador. Cruel. Heartless. Obedient to my father. “Don’t you see you’re not wanted here, niña estúpida,” he scoffed in my face.

I glared at him. He was a wanna-be version of my father, hungry for power. He even pushed around my other cousins if they got in his way or questioned him. There was no use arguing with him because he believed any word that came out of his mouth, his father’s mouth, or my father’s was right.

“If Carlos wakes up, I hope he comes to his senses and tosses you aside,” Alvaro told me as he leaned close.

“He won’t ever do that,” I bit out as I stood my ground. My body wanted to tremble from the adrenaline coursing through me, but I clenched my fists and kept myself as steady as possible.

I knew my brother. No matter how much trouble he got into or how many enemies he made with that cocky mouth of his, he cared for me. He treated me how family was supposed to treat each other. I believed that he would never abandon me for power or money.

“I’ve talked to him more than you have these past few years. He’s relieved to not be babysitting your sorry ass anymore.” Alvaro glared at me. “And I don’t blame him. You would’ve been chased away like a stray dog years ago if it was up to me.”

“You’re no leader, Alvaro. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to be,” I reminded him with a borderline sneer on my face. I saw his father’s fists clenched out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. He would let his son fight his own battles. Unless he thought Alvaro was too weak to face me, which would’ve been hilarious to witness Alvaro being embarrassed like that.

“Just watch, prima. You seem so sure about me. About us. You’ve missed out on a lot,” Alvaro assured me while looking so sure of himself.

“Enough, sobrino,” my father muttered as he waved his hand at Alvaro in a dismissive manner. He didn’t even shift his eyes, keeping them planted on Carlos like he was waiting for his son to even twitch.

Alvaro smirked at me before stepping away, nudging one of our younger cousins aside with his shoulder so he could stand by his father. As usual, he obeyed my father’s order without a second thought like he was programmed to do so. He was a fool to think being obedient was an impressive quality.

My eyes threatened to water as I felt everyone’s stares directed at me. Even Ignacio’s soft gaze couldn’t fully comfort me when the rest were glares. Despite it being my instinct, I couldn’t just run out with tears in my eyes. I had to make one last point before leaving, “Remember that kids have nothing to do with their parents’ crimes. You don’t need to wage a war when there could be other ways for you to get what you want. Just think about it,” I told my father and turned, walking out of the hospital room.

I soon heard raised voices from my father and the other Castillos as they dove right back into a heated conversation. Stakes were high and lives were on the line. I wouldn’t be working their angle, though. I had my own revenge plan to execute.

When I stepped out of the hospital and made sure I was away from my family, I finally let out a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around myself. All of the tension in my body shuddered out of me, moving all the way down to my trembling fingers. Nauseous and shaky wasn’t an ideal combination, but at least I left that room with a clear head and definite thoughts.

I hated my father.

I didn’t have an ounce of care or affection for him in my heart. If he fell dead today, I wouldn’t mourn him or what we could’ve had. If I didn’t deserve his abuse and torture, he didn’t deserve my grief and love. He could sit there and rot by my brother’s bedside for all I cared.

His hatred toward me drove me to the point of turning to my family’s enemy. Maybe he was right about me not knowing anything about family values. When it came to most of the Castillos, I didn’t see them as a true family. I saw them as people who happened to have the same last name as me.

It just showed that I couldn’t choose my family, but I could choose my friends. By centering my focus on Alberto Mancini, I was choosing my allies very carefully. In the end, my father would regret every awful thing he had ever said to me and every cruel thing he had ever done to me.

I approached my driver, who waited outside of the black Mercedes that took me everywhere. Steeling my expression, I nodded to him. The easiest way to lessen the pain caused by the unforgivable words and actions of my family was to remind myself that I was now Gabriele Mora. I didn’t have to be Gabriela Castillo any longer.

After Alex died and my children were taken away from me, I became a different person. Gabriela Castillo died in that hospital bed when her twins were ripped from her arms. Gabriela Mora was born from pain and an overwhelming desire for revenge and she didn’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon.

Chapter Eight:Two Lonely Souls

Alberto

“I look ridiculous.”

“You look fine, boss,” Iso insisted as I stood in front of one of the store’s mirrors.

After having no luck digging around in my closet for casual clothes, Iso suggested a quick shopping trip. We hurried into town to go to one of the high-end clothing stores at the mall, hunting down something casual but charming as well. I wasn’t sure if those two styles overlapped, though.

We had looked through the numerous racks of men’s clothes until I found a few things that looked decent. I tried on a few different shirts until I settled on a black t-shirt with a V-neck that paired well with a pair of fitted, dark blue jeans. I bordered the line of what was acceptable and not acceptable when it came to Italian fashion, but I would make an exception for Gabriela.

I leaned close to the mirror, inspecting my dark beard with white streaks. I didn’t know Gabriela’s exact age, but I knew I was much older than her. There were grey streaks in my short hair, lines in my forehead and creases around my eyes. What was I doing with a young woman like her?

I doubted that she didn’t have a long line of men drooling over her and wanting to be with her. All she had to do was walk into a room and she could easily attract attention because of how good she looked. I certainly didn’t believe I was ugly. Beautiful women desired my company, even if there wasn’t any money in it for them. I still couldn’t help but wonder what it had been about me that had caught her eye.

“I feel so… bare,” I said with a grimace as I looked down at my exposed arms. I always wore long sleeve button-down shirts. I wasn’t embarrassed of my arms or any part of my body. The sleeves of my shirt hugged the swell of my biceps snuggly. It just felt odd to feel the air against them.

“You’ll fit in better like this,” Iso assured me.

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