Chapter 2 Was it her?

The man propped himself up, leaning against the headboard. As he moved, the blanket slipped down, revealing his muscular chest.

He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the table, pulled one out, and lit it, which soon brought a faint scent of tobacco to the room.

"How'd you get in here?" he asked, blowing out a ring of smoke and squinting at Unity standing by the bed.

"The door wasn't locked," Unity mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a deep breath, trying to sound calm. "Gabriel, last night was a mistake."

"You know who I am, and you still had the guts to climb into my bed?" Gabriel Garcia flicked the ash off his cigarette, his tone amused.

He had just returned to the country, and someone already had the nerve to try and set him up.

Of course, Unity knew who this man was—Gabriel Garcia, CEO of Nebula Group, heir to Capital Construction. Countless women would do anything to meet him.

Unity didn't answer immediately, just stood quietly by the bed. "I'm Preston Lewis's niece."

"Preston Lewis?" Gabriel frowned, not immediately recalling who that was.

"The chairman of the Lewis Group," Unity quickly added.

Gabriel finally remembered; there was indeed such a person.

His gaze swept over the glaring red stain on the sheets, then he looked back at Unity. Was she really from the Lewis family? Would someone from the Lewis family be so careless? Or was it intentional?

"Take this." Gabriel suddenly tossed something over.

Unity instinctively caught it and looked down. It was a gold-embossed business card with the words "CEO of Nebula Group" printed on it. She gripped the card tightly, saying nothing.

In the light from the bedside lamp, she stole a glance at Gabriel. His features were deep-set, his nose high and straight, his lips thinly pressed together. That face was almost too good-looking.

"Come to the group and find me if you need anything." Gabriel rubbed his temples, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Something felt off. This woman's voice didn't seem to match the one from last night.

Forget it, maybe he was overthinking it.

He got up and walked towards the door, throwing out one last warning, "You better not try any tricks."

Unity clutched the business card tightly, biting her lip, her nails almost digging into her skin. Was this a blessing in disguise?

Gabriel left the presidential suite and immediately called his assistant. "Check the surveillance from last night."

After hanging up, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window on the hotel's top floor, overlooking the cityscape.

A few minutes later, his phone rang. Gabriel answered, and his assistant's voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Garcia, we found something. Last night, the owner of Walcourt Hotel, Carter Mellon, offered you a drink, and after that, you…"

"What was in the drink?" Gabriel interrupted, his voice turning colder.

"A new type of drug, very potent," the assistant hesitated. "The surveillance shows that after you left the private room, Carter helped you to the presidential suite."

Gabriel's eyes darkened instantly. He wouldn't let this Carter get away with it.

"Make sure Walcourt Hotel goes bankrupt today." Such a small fry dared to play tricks in front of him. Truly overestimating himself.

"Yes, Mr. Garcia."

Gabriel hung up the phone and walked out of the room.

He reached the elevator and pressed the button, but after a few seconds, there was no response.

"Damn it," Gabriel muttered under his breath and headed for the emergency stairs. Even the elevator could break in thi lousy hotel?

The emergency stairwell was pitch black, with only the faint glow of the emergency lights, and the air was damp.

Gabriel walked quickly down the stairs, then suddenly stopped. There seemed to a figure at the corner of the stairs.

That figure looked familiar.

Gabriel took a few steps closer and saw a woman curled up there. She was hugging her knees, her head buried in her arms, her body trembling slightly, looking pitiful.

Gabriel squatted down in front of her, softening his voice, "Hey, are you okay?"

Teresa flinched, lifting her head to look at him with fear in her eyes, her face streaked with tears.

"Do you need help?" Gabriel asked again, his voice unconsciously gentler.

Teresa looked at the man in front of her. He was tall, with a strong build, and his features were strikingly similar to the man from last night.

Fear surged through her, and she shrank back, her body hitting the cold wall.

Gabriel then noticed her disheveled clothes and the suspicious red marks on her exposed neck. Was she the woman from last night?

"Stay away!" Teresa's voice was hoarse, tinged with sobs. "Go away."

She just wanted to be alone, didn't want to see anyone, especially not the man in front of her.

Gabriel's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his gaze complex as he looked at the distressed woman before him.

"Don't touch me!" Teresa suddenly screamed, her voice sharp and piercing.

Gabriel frowned. Her reaction was far more intense than he had expected.

He softened his voice, trying to explain, "I mean no harm, you just seem unwell."

"Go away! Go away!" Teresa couldn't hear any explanation, like a frightened animal, curling up tighter, her head buried in her knees, shaking her head desperately, tears streaming down and wetting the floor.

Gabriel sighed helplessly, stopping his approach, stepping back to maintain a safe distance.

He looked at the fragile and terrified girl in front of him, the inexplicable irritation in his heart growing clearer.

He indeed held no malice, just concerned out of instinct, yet he was met with such strong resistance. This realization made him slightly displeased.

After Gabriel left, Teresa slowly lifted her head after a long while. She struggled to stand, her body feeling like it was falling apart, swaying as if she could collapse at any moment.

She leaned against the cold wall, moving forward step by step, returning to the hotel room. Before she could enter, she saw her roommate Diana pacing anxiously inside.

Seeing her appear in such a sorry state, Diana gasped and rushed to support her. "Teresa! Oh my God, where have you been? You didn't come back all night, and your phone was off, I was scared to death! What happened to you? You look terrible, are you sick?"

Teresa shook her head, her voice weak. "Diana, I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"This is what you call fine? Look at you, your face's so pale, and your eyes are swollen! Have you been crying? Get to bed and have a rest!"

Diana didn't give her a chance to argue, helping her to the bed, carefully laying her down and covering her with a blanket.

Teresa obediently lay down, closing her eyes in exhaustion, but tears uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.