Chapter 403: Too Late

Gael stopped at a red light, his mind still plagued with the thoughts of Angela leaving a few hours ago. He had been tempted ever since to call her, but what more could he say? She was clear. She didn't want anything to do with him as long as he was still engaged to another woman—even if his heart was with her the whole time.

He understood her, though. It was unfair for Angela to stay while his family was in chaos. If the roles were reversed, he didn't think he would even be able to sit still knowing she was betrothed to another man. If his father's plan goes well, he and Gabby will be free. But that would still be just a small breather before they would end the Morellis. At least, by then, the council would no longer be breathing down their necks. 

Thinking about Angela, he let out the hundredth sigh and hoped he could at least hear from her tomorrow. He said some things that he didn't mean to say, reminding her of what she'd done to Andy, thinking that she was doing it to him too. The idea of her leaving hurt so fucking much that his instinct was to hurt her back. 

He didn't really want to hurt her. He couldn't. He loved her. 

Gael tapped his steering wheel as he waited for the traffic light to change to green. He scanned the nearly empty road from left to right, and then his eyes caught sight of an object on the passenger's seat. It was J's phone. He tsked and shook his head. "So forgetful," he muttered to no one in particular. He ought to give the phone back to J the next day, but he had to be able to reach him any time. So he turned the car around and headed back to J's apartment building. The SUV behind him that Rick was driving also did the same.

As he cruised back towards the almost empty neighborhood, he called Rick to tell him he was going back to J's to give him the phone. Just then, a black van screeched out of the underground parking of the apartment building and passed by him. There was no mistaking it; Gael saw Filippo's right-hand man, sitting at the van's passenger's seat. His shirt was bloody, and he was grimacing as he held his shoulder. 

Gripping the wheels tightly, his eyes widened at the realization. "Follow the van!" he barked at Rick.

"Boss?"

"Don't let that black van get away. It's fucking Bruno!" he snapped, then he floored the gas until he reached the entrance, kicking the breaks and swinging the door open before it even came to a full stop. Some panicked tenants came rushing out of the building, screaming in horror. Sirens blared from a far distance. He didn't have to ask to know what was happening.

As he sprinted inside, the elevators were full. He breezed past it and headed straight to the stairs, rushing towards the top floor. 

Gael was scared something happened to J and Mika, his heart banging ferociously against his chest. 

Running down the hallway, he bumped into an older man who nearly lost his balance, but he didn't have time to stop to make sure the other was alright. He was several feet away from J's unit when he saw a man lying lifelessly outside J's door, blood pooling around his body.

Gael slowed down, his heart jumping to his throat. For a second, he thought it was J…until he recognized that it was a middle-aged man who was their neighbor.

"Jino!" He barged through the door, avoiding the blood of the dead man, and was greeted with more red inside the apartment. Everything was in disarray, shattered glasses everywhere and three lifeless bodies: the guard, the nurse, and another person he hadn't seen before who had a hole in his chest. 

"Jino!!!" he called once more, so afraid that he was too late.

Then he heard some gurgling sounds. Gael snapped his head to the right where he saw J sitting on the floor with his back against the side of an armchair. 

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"Boss…" J moaned, a cut marring his cheek that bloodied the area. His skin was so pale, he could barely keep his eyes open, and he had his hand pressed onto his stomach. There was blood all over him, dripping onto the floor.

"No, no, no..." Gael rushed towards Jino, kneeling beside him as he examined his state. He was stabbed two times in the abdomen and had a cut on his left shoulder. Gael quickly removed his suit jacket and pressed it onto J's wounds. He wanted to carry him out of there and get him the help he needed, but he might just put him in more danger if he did. "What the hell happened?"

"Mi…Mika…" J coughed. "They took Mika."

Fuck! Gael wanted to scream, but he gritted his teeth and suppressed himself. "We'll get her back. Don't worry." He dialed 911, rattled off the address, and asked for an ambulance. If it were any other time, they would never involve the police or the hospital. But he had no choice. The operator assured him that someone had already called and help was on their way. "We're gonna fix you up. Just hang in there, okay? You're going to be alright," Gael repeatedly said, unsure if he was telling J that or reassuring himself.

"The nurse. They bribed her," whispered J, his voice barely audible. "They killed her and the guard… I shot that one… They fled when the neighbors came."

Gael only glanced at the nurse. If she weren't dead, he'd probably put the bullet in her head himself. He shifted his gaze back to J who took a deep breath and winced. Blood didn't stop gushing out of his wounds, and he was growing paler by the second.

"B…Boss… Take care of Mika." J grimaced, pain written all over his face. "Tell her I love her."

"Stop talking nonsense. You're gonna take care of her until she grows old." Gael gritted his teeth. "Fucking hell. The fuck is taking the paramedics so long to get here?" he snapped, not knowing what to do at this point except to wait. If he moved, J would bleed more. He was helpless. 

A small smile lifted on J's face at Gael's irritation. "I…might as well ask you now while I can." Gael stared at him, his brows drawn together so tight as he waited for J to continue. His breathing was labored, and his speech was slow. It was a struggle to understand. "If…if it's okay… I want to date Gabby. I love her, you know…" He coughed, and blood sputtered out of his mouth. "I want to marry her. Can… I?"

Jino was wheezing now, and Gael felt his heart was being squeezed in a deathly grip.

"You idiot." Gael squeezed his eyes shut, tears rolling out of them. When he opened them again, he told J, "I'll get you out of here, and you tell her that yourself. You have my blessing."

An extremely faint sigh came out of Jino. "That's a relief." He blinked so slowly with a smile on his face and a tear rolling out of the corner of his eye. Then he lifted his shaky right hand from his stomach and held it out. Gael kept his left hand pressed on J's stomach, keeping the blood-soaked jacket on it as he clasped J's hand with the other tightly. 

"Thanks…giving me a chance." J coughed, spitting more blood out. "You're…the…best…father…I could ever...ask for."

"Jino…" Gael's voice trailed off when J's hand slipped off his clutch, and his head lolled to the side. 

He stared at the younger man for what seemed like an eternity. It wasn't until someone pulled him away that he realized paramedics had come. But they were too late.

Gael was too late.

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