All is Fair in Love and War

24

Gabriella paced the room, "Why the fuck would you go and attack him?!" Gabriella said. "He hit Mateo. Was I just supposed to let him get away with that?" Taylor argued. Gabriella stopped and looked at Taylor. "He hit him?" She asked. Taylor nodded. "How do you know?" Gabriella asked. "When I came home I went to check on him before going to bed. He was shaking from the fear and crying." Taylor said.

"But why didn't he tell me?" Gabriella asked. "He was scared. He showed me the marks on his back and he said Damien threatened to hurt you both if he told you what happened. Then my emotions got the best of me and I went to find him and..." Taylor sighed. "You hurt him." Gabriella said finishing her sentence. "Yeah." Taylor quietly replied.

"But I never wanted this to happen I was just trying to protect him!" Taylor said as her eyes welled up with tears. Gabriella held her head in frustration and slightly paced the room. Control. She told herself. Breathe. She took a deep breath and stopped pacing. She turned to look at Taylor who had a guilty and somber look on her face. "You realize you have him exactly what he wanted right?" Gabriella said, speaking in a soft tone and trying to control her temper.

"He wanted this to happen. You fell right into his trap and now he's going to try and take Mateo away completely. Do you even have a fucking clue what you did?" Gabriella asked. "So you would just let him continue to hurt you and Mateo?" Taylor glared. "No. I told you some fights aren't worth picking. This was risky regardless of your intentions." Gabriella argued.

"Well it was a risk worth taking. I don't back away from a fight." Taylor argued. "This isn't your fight and it wasn't a fucking risk to you because he isn't your fucking son, Taylor!" Gabriella shouted. Taylor got quiet and looked off hiding her hurt expression. He wasn't her son but she loved him as if he was and being lowered to such a status and reminded she was nothing to him hurt.

They both stayed silent. Gabriella could see the sad expression on Taylor's face and sighed in frustration. Her eyes welled up with tears and she was feeling conflicted. She was absolutely pissed and wanted to lash out on her. But she just couldn't. She loved her too much to ever hurt her that way. They were both sad and feeling at a loss. She silently approached Taylor and wrapped her arms around her. Taylor held Gabriella close and tight. "I'll do everything I can to get him back. I promise." Taylor whispered. Gabriella stayed silent as she continued to hug her. She felt hopeless. As helpful as Taylor wanted to be she knew there was no way they could win against Damien. He had been preparing for this moment ever since she left him. He was already 6 years ahead.

--
Gabriella couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling and over at her phone on the nightstand. She glanced over to make sure Taylor was dead asleep and slipped out of bed. She grabbed her phone and snuck out of the room and downstairs. She scrolled through her contacts and dialed a number.

"I've been wondering when you'd call." Damien answered. Gabriella tightly gripped her phone and leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Why are you doing this?" Gabriella asked. The line was silent for a moment. "I'm just looking out for my son. I can't have him in a dangerous environment." Damien replied. "What do you want, Damien?" Gabriella glared. There was a low chuckle through the phone. "You want him back?" He asked.

"What do you want." Gabriella repeated. "Leave her." Damien replied. "What." Gabriella replied. "You heard me. I don't want her around. When she's out of the picture I'll let you see him again." Damien replied. "You don't dictate who I can or can't see." Gabriella argued. "What the hell do you see in her anyway?" Damien asked. "She isn't you." Gabriella glared.

Damien laughed. "Is that so?" He asked. "Yes." Gabriella replied. "Honey, she'll hurt you worse than I ever did. She's just using you." Damien replied. "That isn't true." Gabriella argued. "Do you really believe she loves you?" He laughed. Gabriella stayed silent. "The only thing she loves is herself. You only serve one purpose to her, you'll see."He said. "You're just trying to get in my head." Gabriella said. "Whatever helps you cope." He replied and hung up.

--
Gabriella had been in the gym training to keep her mind off everything. She knew Damien was just trying to get in her head to throw her off. All she kept worrying about was how she could try and get Mateo back. "Can we help you?" Marcos asked. Gabriella stopped and turned around to see who Marcos was talking to and saw Ian approaching with a smile. "Can I talk to Gabriella alone please?" He asked.

Marcos looked at Gabriella for approval. Gabriella nodded. Marcos nodded and walked off to leave them alone. "If this is about the fight proposal, the answer is still no." Gabriella replied. "I think you mean the answer is yes." Ian replied. Gabriella looked at him confused. "I mean, unless you want word about your secret son out to the rest of the world." Ian shrugged. Gabriella froze and her eyes grew wide.

"Yeah. We know about him." Ian smiled. Gabriella stared at him in shock. "H-How do you...?" Gabriella questioned. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer right? I'll be waiting for your team's response." He winked and walked off. Gabriella felt like she could barely break as the panic set in. Her mind was overwhelmed trying to understand how Ian could've known. Taylor. She didn't want to believe it. But she started to think about what Damien told her. She thought about all the 'coincidental' run ins. The fact Taylor had been trying to wear her down and get her to agree to a fight. She set her up from the start.