The Bennet Scandal

The Clash of Ambition

"Have you surveyed the site?" Gabriel asked, turning to his site manager.

Gabriel Westbrook sat at the head of a sleek, polished conference table, surrounded by his team of engineers and architects. They were deep into discussions about their upcoming skyscraper project. Blueprints and models of the building sprawled across the table.

"Yes, I've been there," Luke, the site manager, replied. "But we're hitting some issues with the foundation. The soil tests suggest we'll need to reinforce the structure more than we anticipated, which could delay our timeline."

Gabriel nodded, already running through possible solutions in his mind. "Let's look into stronger foundation options. We can't afford any delays."

"Got it," Luke said, tapping notes into his iPad.

"And don't forget—" Gabriel began, but was interrupted as the conference room door swung open with a force that turned every head in the room.

Marshal Bennet stormed in, his face flushed with rage, eyes blazing.

"Westbrook!" he bellowed, cutting through the meeting like a hot knife. The engineers went silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Gabriel remained calm, raising an eyebrow. "Marshal. To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Marshal snapped, marching toward the table. "You know exactly what you did! You sabotaged my land deal for that property I needed for my mall!"

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I didn't sabotage anything, Marshal. I just made Brandon Brown a better offer. You should've been more competitive."

"More competitive?" Marshal scoffed, his voice thick with fury. "I had that deal locked down! You knew how much it meant to me! A multi-story shopping mall, all planned out! And you—" he jabbed a finger toward Gabriel, "you stole that from me!"

"Dreams don't matter if you can't make them a reality," Gabriel said smoothly. "You underestimated the market and your competition. That's on you."

The tension in the room thickened as Marshal leaned over the table, fists clenched. "This isn't just business. You've made it personal, Westbrook. And I'm not letting you walk away with this."

Gabriel straightened in his seat, his expression turning icy. "I didn't do anything wrong. Business is a competition. You should know that by now—unless you've spent too much time complaining and not enough time strategizing."

"Complaining?" Marshal echoed, his voice filled with disbelief. "You think I'm complaining? I'm livid! You wrecked my plans, and I'm going to make sure you pay for it."

Gabriel's cold gaze didn't waver. "And how exactly do you plan to make me pay? With empty threats? You should know better. I'm not the type to get scared off easily."

The two men were inches apart now, locked in a silent battle of wills. Marshal's breath was coming fast, his anger near the boiling point.

"You think you can just bulldoze over me? I won't let you get away with this, I swear it!"

Gabriel shook his head, almost disappointed. "Instead of fixating on a single piece of land, maybe you should worry more about that under-construction hotel of yours."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Marshal shot back, confusion mixing with his fury.

"What do you know about my hotel?" Marshal demanded.

"I know that if you don't get your site manager under control, you're headed for serious trouble," Gabriel replied, his voice sharp and unwavering. "The materials being used are subpar, and if you don't act fast, it's going to be a liability. Think about the reputational damage."

Marshal's face twisted in anger. "You're just trying to throw me off, so you can dodge my payback."

Gabriel didn't flinch. "No, I'm not. But believe me, if your hotel goes down in flames—figuratively speaking—no one would enjoy it more than me," he said, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"You think I'm gonna take your word for it?"

"Do whatever you want," Gabriel said, rising from his chair. "I've done my part. Now it's up to you." With that, he turned and headed for the door.

"I'm not letting you off the hook, Gabriel," Marshal shouted after him. "I'll come for you when you least expect it."

Gabriel paused for a brief moment, not bothering to look back. "I'll be waiting," he said, before disappearing behind the door.

Marshal stood there, his mind boiling with frustration. He had to find out if Gabriel was telling the truth or just setting him up for another fall. With determination, he stormed out of the building, heading to check on the hotel site himself.