Rebirth of Billionaire's Wife - Chapter 164

Chapter 164: The target is just not you Chapter 164: The target is just not you “Brother Stefan, at least you trust me.

I’ve been framed, and I need a way out of this mess,” Eveline continued, hoping Stefan would trust her.

After Gabriel turned his back on her, she felt helpless, but then she knew there was only one person who would trust her: Stefan.

“Are you kidding me, Eve?

How can I not?

I know you are innocent,” Stefan replied, embracing her in a brotherly hug.

“You stupid girl, how can you possibly think I will not trust you?

I believe in everything you say, Eveline,” he whispered, giving her a sense of relief as they pulled back.

“Tell me what I should do for you,” he asked, eager to assist her in finding the offender.

“Not much because I have traced the ID and discovered that the picture was leaked from one of the college’s computers.

The IP addresses matched Aspen’s address; therefore, there is only one thing left: breach the surveillance and locate the person behind it.” Stefan could not help but be impressed by Eveline’s intelligence.

He had been teaching her skills, and to his amazement, she turned out to be far more than he expected.

“Okay, leave that for me to figure out,” he guaranteed.

Eveline felt more at ease now that Stefan was beside her, but the light in her eyes faded as Gabriel’s words and the way he looked at her crossed her mind.

She had to prove her innocence to him.

She couldn’t bear the expression of contempt in his eyes toward her.

“By the way, that girl, what’s her name?

Ah, Tiffany.

Why would she admit that she knew the truth?” Stefan questioned, pulling Eveline from her thoughts.

Eveline blinked her eyes, clearing her hazy mind, and smiled uncomfortably.

“That was just an assumption that turned out to be incorrect,” Eveline added, regretting ever doubting Tiffany in the first place.

Stefan pinched his brow, still refusing to accept making sense for her comments.

“Still, I recommend that you keep your distance from her.

Every since you became friends with her, I’ve been getting shaddy vibes from her,” he said bluntly.

Tiffany’s closeness to Eveline was not liked by him, but he did not want to prevent Eveline from making friends because she had few outside of them.

“You’re taking it wrong, brother Stefan.

Tiffany isn’t hideous; in fact, she’s a nice girl who genuinely cares about and understands me.

I recommend that you also speak with her.

She makes a good friend.” Stefan nodded in understanding, without paying any attention to what she said.

He disliked overly nice girls, and Tiffany was one of them.

“Whatever, just make sure you’re aware of everyone’s intentions around you,” he said, and she grinned in agreement.

Stefan quickly began working on the task at hand, and they were startled to discover that the video recording had been manipulated, making it difficult to uncover the culprit.

“How is this possible?” Stefan snapped in disbelief, his eyes blazing with unfathomable intensity, but then he looked to the side at Eveline, who appeared similarly surprised by the outcome.

“Someone is trying to make sure you never find out the truth,” he mumbled doubtfully, causing her eyelids to quiver with anxiety.

And just like that, she was driven away from proving her innocence, resulting in a significant distance between Gabriel and her.

**** Another year passed with Eveline and Gabriel seldom speaking to each other.

They were once close, but now they can barely meet eyes, making things awkward during family gatherings.

Eveline never anticipated Gabriel would easily exclude her from his life, and even she found it difficult to communicate with him because he scarcely glanced at her.  Tiffany occasionally offered her advice, but she couldn’t follow it because he never seemed to notice her attempts, shattering her heart with his ignorance.

Tiffany attempted to explain his actions to him at times, but nothing came of it, and things between them became increasingly tense.

It was his final year and they were about to graduate.

While Stefan chose an internship at his father’s company, Gabriel elected to continue attending college because he did not feel the need to work until the time came.

During this year, Eveline’s studies began to suffer as she struggled to focus on her academics, leaving Jonathan concerned about her wellbeing.

“Is everything well, princess?

Is anything bothering you?

Tell Daddy,” Jonathan said as he addressed Eveline about her life.

She had been confiding in herself away from him, and Susan was unable to speak with her because she refused to open up to them.

“Everything’s fine, dad.

It’s only that I’m sleepy,” Eveline smiled, turning away from his concerned gaze.

She knew her father was worried about her, but she didn’t want to tell him what she was going through.

Gabriel’s ignorance dealt such a shock to her reasonable life that she felt distracted and purposeless without him.

Eveline’s life has centered around Gabriel and his thoughts since she was a child.  Just the prospect of him being in her life was enough to make her happy, and she did everything she could to be compatible with him.

From studying hard to being a decent girl in his eyes, she transformed herself into someone he could like.

But that fantasy appeared to be crumbling before her eyes, as he seldom paid attention to her or smiled at her as he had before.

Yes, he scarcely spoke to her, but she was relieved to see him so close to her.

However, following that occurrence, he labeled her a liar, and that fact has not altered because she failed to present substantial evidence of her innocence.

Stefan and she worked hard to find the perpetrator, but the guy was far too clever and two steps ahead of them.

“Everything’s fine, dad.

You don’t have to worry,” she said once again, rubbing the back of his palm with an encouraging grin.

Jonathan didn’t bother her much and trusted her, despite the fact that she was hiding something.

**** Inside the Winston residence, the elders convened as usual, and Richard brought up the topic of their children’s alliance, which is Gabriel and Eveline’s marriage.

“We need to inform our children about the setup.

They’re already fond of each other, so there’s no point in keeping it a secret,” he said after a long observation.

Jonathan, preoccupied with his daughter’s thoughts, gave him a concerned glance before nodding.

“I will try to talk with Eveline about it” he advised.

“Is everything okay, Jonathan?” Belle noticed his distracted state and commented, “You seem to be preoccupied with something.” “Is it regarding the company?” Marcus questioned, to which he shook his head in denying.

“No, it’s not about business, because I can handle it privately without anyone interfering,” Jonathan replied, giving him a serious glance.

“I am sure you will, but don’t forget their target is not just you, but your most precious treasure” was his reply.

“Anyway, let’s not talk about it for now; instead, talk about the problem you’re trying to keep to yourself,” Richard said, brushing away any other topics.

While the elders were discussing, someone unintentionally overheard their exchange.

He was meant to be going to the library, but he came to a halt when Eveline’s name was mentioned and Uncle Jonathan expressed concern about her future, goals, and job.  These similar thoughts continued crossing his mind at times, and they turned out to be one of the factors that prevented him from moving forward.

He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel, so he quickly moved away and inside his chosen room, sealing it from within.

The dynamics between Eveline and him shifted, but things began to cool off for him gradually after Stefan confronted him about the situation.

Gabriel was aware of Eveline’s attempts to prove her innocence, but they were too far behind to get to the point as they failed to gather evidence regarding it.

He informed him how someone leaked the photographs from the college computer and how the footage had been manipulated by the time they had it.

Gabriel was assured that Eveline was innocent the entire time, but it took him some time to confront her after what he said to her that day.

He felt ashamed and sorry for being harsh to her without getting to the bottom of things, and his embarrassment prevented him from even looking her in the eyes.

Only he realized how much that awkwardness was hurting him, because he, like her, was not used to it.

Eveline had restrained herself from approaching him, and he understood why.

She wasn’t afraid of doing something wrong and upsetting him, which was the only thing keeping her from approaching him.

Their friendship evolved into a bizarre chat since they couldn’t find a way to connect.

Gabriel was too restrained to talk, and Eveline was gradually taking on his personality traits.

Gabriel felt that his presence in her life was too affecting for her, and she had lost the brightness that glittered in her eyes whenever she saw him.

But now all he saw was a warning and nothing else.

“I should not have said her those words.

I should have heard her instead of jumping to conclusions,” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose in dismay.

Gabriel despised the fact that they weren’t talking to each other, and he realized that he couldn’t let things go like way.

He did not want Uncle Jonathan or his parents to be concerned about Eveline’s well-being, so he resolved to speak with her and clear up any misunderstandings that had arisen between them.

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