Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Climax of Fury
Hearing his mother’s words, Gabriel felt as though thousands of needles were piercing his brain. He clenched his fists so tightly his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
"Not bothering anyone?" He repeated, the words hissing through his teeth. "Is your presence in my house considered a BOTHER?"
Seeing her son's rage, Doña Rosario panicked and raised her hands, her face filled with anxiety. She was used to enduring suffering her entire life just so her son could have peace; she didn't want his big day ruined because of her.
"Don't be angry, Gabriel! Don't be mad at your wife. Today is your birthday, it's a monumental day. There are very important people out there. I don't want to cause any trouble. My soup is delicious right here."
Gabriel couldn't take it anymore. His cold, corporate mask shattered completely. He stepped forward and dropped to his knees on the freezing tiled floor, right at his mother's feet. He looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot.
"Did they serve you this freezing cold soup while everyone else—people who share none of our blood—is eating delicacies at the main table? They forced you to eat next to a leaking sink?"
Rosario smiled a heartbreaking smile. She raised her rough, heavily calloused hands and touched her son's sharp, sculpted face, wiping away a single tear that had just escaped the corner of his eye.
"Oh, my silly boy. I have eaten things far worse than this. I starved for three days straight just to buy you medicine when you had a high fever, remember? This soup is plenty fine."
Her unintentional, innocent comment did not soothe Gabriel; it acted as the final hammer blow that completely obliterated his restraint. He remembered those days. His mother had eaten discarded scraps from the market just to save the clean white rice for him. She had sacrificed her entire life. And now, when he had everything, the people who called themselves "family" treated her like an animal hidden away when company came over.
Gabriel tightly grasped his mother's hands. They were freezing and coarse. He pressed them against his cheek.
"Yes, you suffered. But not in my house! Not on my birthday! Never while I am alive!"
At that exact moment, the kitchen doors swung open.
Isabel appeared, her face tense but still desperately holding onto a fake smile. Her emerald silk dress dragged across the floor.
"Gabriel, what is taking you so long in here? The Minister is asking for you, they want to cut the cake. Hurry up, darling."
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Gabriel slowly let go of his mother's hands. He stood up straight. His entire body radiated a terrifying, lethal aura.
"Excellent. Then let them hear my answer."
