Chapter 339: Gabriel is in grave danger
"Vlad, hold him down."
Vlad strode forward and pinned Gabriel to the floor while Tania hurried into the bedroom.
"Let me go..." Gabriel thrashed, but Vlad’s grip on his shoulders was iron-strong, snuffing out every attempt to break free.
Gabriel glared up at him, hatred blazing. "You are a fool to trust that woman. She is a snake—she tricked me, destroyed my family. Do you really think she’ll stay loyal to you?"
Vlad’s lips curled into a cold smirk. "No one tricks Vlad," he replied with chilling arrogance. "It’s always me who does the deceiving."
Before Gabriel could retort, Vlad’s fist slammed into his stomach.
"Ugh—" Gabriel choked, the air rushing out of him. His body curled up in agony, his face flushing crimson.
By then, Tania returned.
Gabriel’s gaze darted to her, panic flickering across his features. He gasped for air, dragging himself backward in fright, but Vlad yanked him back and forced him to stay still.
"Where do you think you are going?" Vlad spat, gripping him tighter. "Once you are caught, there is no escape."
Gabriel’s blood ran cold when he noticed Tania tipping pills out of a vial into her hand. His voice shook with terror. "What are you doing? Stay away from me."
Tania chuckled and said with mockery, "How ironic. A man who ordered so many deaths without blinking is now trembling in fear. Pathetic."
Her smile then vanished, her eyes hardening as she stepped closer. "Afraid now, are you? Think of the people you slaughtered. Do you imagine how they must have felt when death loomed over them—how they begged, how they trembled, how they screamed? Did you ever once think of their pain?"
Gabriel recoiled at her words, Jeanne’s face flashing through his mind—the terror in her eyes, her desperate struggle for air as his hands had tightened around her throat.
He had been so blinded by fury then that he hadn’t even noticed her pain. Now, caught in the same helplessness, he finally understood what she must have felt—pleading, fighting, scrambling for escape, only to be crushed in the end.
"Relax," Tania drawled coldly. "I won’t grant you the mercy of death. That would be far too easy. I want to watch you writhe." With a sharp nod, she signaled something to Vlad.
Vlad seized Gabriel’s jaw, prying his mouth open by force. Tania stepped in and shoved the pills past his lips.
Gabriel thrashed violently, twisting and bucking against their hold, but Vlad’s grip was unbreakable. Tania clamped a hand over his mouth, forcing him to swallow until the bitter taste coated his tongue.
Gabriel coughed harshly, lifting his head to glare at her, panic flashing in his eyes. "What did you give me? Poison?"
Tania and Vlad immediately stepped back, releasing him. The sudden lack of restraint only unsettled him further. Why let him go now? What twisted game were they playing?
But there was no time to think—he had to get out.
Forcing himself upright, he staggered toward the door. His legs dragged heavily, every step harder than the last. Just as his hand reached for the handle, a cold numbness spread through his body. His knees buckled, and he crashed to the ground with a dull thud.
A chilling dread shot down his spine when he realized his legs wouldn’t move.
"What did you do to me?" Gabriel cried in desperation. Panic tore through him as he looked back at Tania. His mind screamed at him to get up and run, but no matter how much he willed it, his body refused to obey.
Tania and Vlad shared a cruel smirk.
"He still thinks he can run," Vlad sneered. "Pathetic."
Tania let out a cold laugh, her heart brimming with satisfaction as she watched him squirm uselessly on the floor.
"Now you understand the fear of death," she said sharply, stepping closer. "When my parents’ car sank into the water, they were alive. They clawed at the doors, desperate to get out, but the metal wouldn’t budge. Water filled their lungs while they struggled helplessly, knowing no one would save them."
Her voice trembled with fury and grief. "Seeing you crawl like this, I can almost feel the terror they must have felt, clinging to life while it slipped away slowly, painfully. And all because of you. I want you to suffer that same helpless agony before death finally takes you."
Gabriel tried to lift his hand but failed, the numbness spreading all over his body. He parted his lips to say something, but his tongue felt heavy. He struggled to utter a word.
"You dared to cross the Beaumonts," Gabriel mumbled weakly. "That’s the biggest mistake of your life... Denis and Augustine... they’ll make you pay..." His words came out slurred, barely coherent.
His body gave out, slumping heavily onto the floor as shadows swallowed the edges of his vision. The last sound he registered before sinking into unconsciousness was their cruel laughter.
Tania sneered, glaring down at his limp form. She nudged him with her foot to be sure he was completely out.
"Good. He is no longer a problem," she said coldly. "He’ll bend to our will now. But Augustine is the real danger." She turned her sharp gaze to Vlad. "What’s your plan for him?"
A smug smile curved Vlad’s lips as he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I’ve already taken care of that. You’ll find out soon enough. But for now..." His fingers tilted her chin upward, his eyes darkening with lust as they fixed on her lips. "Why don’t we pick up where we left off?"
Tania’s expression softened into a teasing grin. "Then take me back."
Without wasting another second, Vlad swept her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the hospital...
Unaware that Dimitri’s surgery was underway in another wing, Denis stepped out of his room for a short walk in the garden. As he made his way down the corridor, the sound of two nurses chatting caught his attention.
"Did you hear? The chairman of Beaumont Group was forced to step down," one nurse whispered. "Rumor has it, he was having an affair with a woman much younger than him."
"Yes, and the police suspect him of murdering his wife," the other nurse added. "Of course, he had to resign. I heard they have already appointed someone new."
Denis froze mid-step. His brows furrowed as he glanced toward the pair, who were huddled in a corner, staring at something on a phone.
"Look—this is the new chairman of Beaumont Group," the first nurse said, her face brightening into a wide grin. "He is so handsome."
"Yes, he is...I wonder if he is single," the other giggled, equally thrilled.
Curiosity flared in Denis. He moved closer and asked, "Who is the new chairman of Beaumont Group?"
Their chatter died instantly. Both nurses stiffened, clearly startled by his presence. They looked shaken when they saw him. They were well aware of who Denis was – the CEO of the Beaumont Group.
"It’s..." They looked at each other, clearly hesitant.
One of them fumbled, trying to slip the phone away, but Denis wasn’t about to let them avoid it.
"You still haven’t answered me." His voice was firm.
Finally, the nurse reluctantly held the phone out. "This is the new chairman."
The moment Denis’s gaze landed on the screen, his scalp prickled. It was Augustine’s photo.
’What? Augustine?’ His mind reeled in shock, struggling to process the sight. He could hardly believe it.
Snatching the phone from the nurse, Denis scrolled through the news in haste.
Augustine hadn’t just claimed the chairman’s seat—he had taken complete control of the Beaumont business. The revelation shook Denis to the core.
"Augustine took over the Beaumont family business," he muttered under his breath, disbelief churning into rage.
What he and his father had dreaded the most had finally come true.
"Augustine, you bastard," Denis hissed, grinding his teeth. "You used this chance to your advantage... you coward."
Fury boiled inside him. Augustine had struck when the Beaumonts were already crippled—scandals had ruined their public image, and the company was bleeding from huge losses.
"If you ever considered yourself part of this family, you would have stood by us in our worst time," Denis thought bitterly. "Instead, you betrayed us. I’ll make sure you pay for this."
Shoving the phone back at the nurse, he stormed off to his room, abandoning his plan for a walk. Once inside, he immediately called Haris.
"What’s the situation at the office?" he demanded as soon as the call connected. "So much has happened—why didn’t you inform me earlier?"
"Uh... y-you... Just wait," Haris stammered nervously. "I’m on my way."
The line went dead.
Denis’s frustration spiked. "Damn it," he muttered, hurling the phone aside. "If I weren’t stuck here, none of this would’ve happened. An outsider wouldn’t have dared to seize control."
His face twisted with hatred. "Augustine... don’t think this means you have won. I’ll never let you succeed."