Once I had a rarest rose

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𝔾𝔸𝔹ℝ𝕀𝔼𝕃 woke up from the deep slumber, catching everyone's attention. He stood up from his spot and realized he was in an elevator cage. His eyes flickered around the room before he put on an innocent, scared face. Annabelle walked forward, her expression serious. Gabriel grabbed onto the cage bars, looking at her with wide eyes.

"We want to talk," Annabelle said, her tone firm and unwavering.

Gabriel started yanking on the gate as if to break free, his voice trembling. "Please. Please let me go. I'm scared." Annabelle lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Cut the shit, Gabriel."

Seeing her serious expression, Gabriel wiped away the scared act, straightening up. Annabelle continued, "You're really good at pretending to be a helpless guy." Gabriel smiled and bowed to her, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Thank you, darling. I've had a few centuries of experience." Annabelle kept her gaze steady on him. "Tell us how to get out of here, and we'll let you go."

Gabriel looked her in the eyes and answered with a simple, "No."

Peter stepped forward aggressively, but Annabelle and Sammy held him back. "Hey, what's gonna happen to me?" Peter demanded. Gabriel looked at him with an innocent look, then shrugged. Peter's anxiety spiked. "Am I gonna turn into a vampire?" he asked, his voice rising in panic. Gabriel's smile widened, clearly enjoying the situation. "Maybe."

Peter started to freak out, his voice climbing higher. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God! He said maybe!"

Sammy took Peter away from Gabriel, trying to comfort him. Frank stepped up, his expression a mix of fear and apology. "Listen, little man, or sir, whatever. We're really sorry, okay? We didn't know who you were. We thought you were just a regular 25-year-old man."

Gabriel lazily looped his arms through the bars and leaned against them. "You were gonna beat me and torture me," he said, his voice a soft, almost playful accusation.

Frank looked even more nervous, his words tumbling out in a rush. "Yeah, well... Like I say, we're very sorry. We would never have taken you if we knew who your father was."

Gabriel smirked and spoke, "You did it for him, didn't you?"

With that statement, everyone turned their attention to Frank, their faces etched with shock and confusion. Gabriel continued, his voice smooth and deliberate, "Haven't you wondered why I brought you all here?" He stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back, a picture of gentlemanly composure. Peter, still processing the revelation, spoke up, "You brought us here?"

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Jesus Christ. There was never any money. I planned all of this. Lambert works for me."

Sammy, her voice trembling with uncertainty, interjected, "What are you talking about?"

Gabriel sighed, his gaze shifting to her. "Don't you know, Jessie?" He smiled as he saw the shock in Sammy's expression. "What did you just call me?" she demanded, her voice wavering.

Gabriel's smile widened. "Jessica Hurney. You started your career siphoning money from your affluent parents' bank account. Hedge funds came next, then private offshore accounts, and eventually much bigger fish. One in particular."

Sammy stepped forward, her voice urgent. "I can give it back."

Gabriel ignored her plea and turned his attention to Peter. "Terrence Lacroix. Muscle for the Montreal Broussard family. Did it bore you snapping necks for pay? Enduring endless taunts from your colleagues about your stunted intellect? Is that why you stole from your crew, who just happened to be a tiny subsidiary of our empire? How long did the money last, you weak, disloyal inebriate?"

Peter looked down, feeling the weight of Gabriel's words, his spirit visibly crushed. Gabriel then turned to Frank and spoke, "Former Detective Adam Barrett. You thought you could infiltrate our New York arm under deep cover. But you liked the life a little too much, didn't you? The power you had when you were free of rules and regulations. It became an addiction. How empty did you feel when you finally arrested our three lieutenants you'd worked so hard to get close to? And how empty did you feel after I ripped up their bodies in the hotel penthouse because of you? You changed your name, you left town, and you never saw your family again. But it wasn't for their safety, was it, Detective Barrett?"

Frank, now exposed and vulnerable, met Gabriel's gaze with a mixture of defiance and despair.  Gabriel shook his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips. 

Gabriel turned his gaze to Annabelle, his expression softening. "Then, finally, my beloved swan princess, Annabelle Ruth Cruz. Your sister was supposed to be here after what she did to someone very important to my father. Instead of removing the bullet, she nicked an artery. She was too high for her job and couldn't go back to her son, who she left with a fucked-up father."

Annabelle glared at him, anger flowing through her veins. "And what about you, huh? You want to be your daddy's little errand boy? No, he lost interest in you."

Gabriel's expression dropped, and he looked at her, hurt. "That wasn't a lie. How many of your father's enemies do you think you're going to have to kill until he loves you again?"

Gabriel looked down, the pain evident in his eyes. Frank seized the moment to speak, capturing Gabriel's attention. "If this is about revenge, why didn't you just kill us? Why'd you bring us here?"

Annabelle interjected, "Because it isn't about revenge. This is just a game to him."

Frank shook his head, disbelief in his voice. "Bullshit. He was screaming at the house, and Dad triggered the alarm."

Annabelle kept her eyes on Gabriel. "That wasn't even his father. That wasn't Lazaar." Gabriel smiled at Annabelle, his eyes filled with adoration. 'That's my clever girl', he thought to himself. Annabelle stepped forward, her voice filled with both anger and pain. "And for what? Because you're fucking bored? For your fucking entertainment?"

Gabriel smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? I like playing with my food."

Annabelle looked down, then back up at him with an expression that broke Gabriel's heart. "Was it all a lie? Was it a fucking joke to you?" she exclaimed. Gabriel gripped the bars, his voice soft and comforting. "No, no, no. No, Annabelle, it was never a lie. я действительно тебя люблю." (I really love you.)

Annabelle looked down and away from him, struggling with her emotions. Gabriel spoke again, his voice tender. "Amore mio, oggi davanti ai nostri cari prometto di amarti per sempre. Prometto di essere il tuo compagno, il tuo amico e il tuo rifugio sicuro. Ti sosterrò nei momenti di gioia e di difficoltà, e sarò sempre al tuo fianco." (My love, today in front of our loved ones, I promise to love you forever. I promise to be your partner, your friend, and your safe haven. I will support you in moments of joy and difficulty, and I will always be by your side.)

Annabelle's mind was crushed by the weight of that memory—the memory of rings being exchanged and vows being said. Those vows, "Il mio cuore è tuo oggi e per sempre. Ti amo con tutto me stesso." (My heart is yours today and forever. I love you with all that I am.) She muttered the words under her breath, but Gabriel heard them and smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up with love. Annabelle met his gaze and, for a moment, saw no lie in them—only love and warmth. It was the same gaze she had fallen in love with, the same warmth that had once promised her a future filled with happiness. Despite everything, there was a part of her that wanted to believe him, that wanted to hold on to the love they had shared.

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By: SilverMist707

I hope you all enjoyed, but I am sorry that it is short, I am not well but I wanted to write something for all of you guys. I hope you are taking care of yourselves. <3