The New York City Fashion Show

Chapter 1: The Show

In Los Angeles, Gabrielle Rodrigez was preparing for a fashion show. Excitement and adrenaline were rushing through her. She got her makeup, shoes, clothes, and jewelry together and went to the fashion show.
When she got to the show, it was crazy. People were running around backstage. People were screaming, crying, and had nerves going through them like nothing else. This would decide who would make it to the Regional Fashion Show. This took place in Hawaii and from there you would go to New York to the Miss America Beauty Pageant.
Gabrielle found her makeup artist and hair stylist and they went to work. About 3 hours, later her hair was done, her makeup was perfect, and she had on a beautiful red dress which showed every curve of her body from head to toe. Gabrielle had these beautiful 8 inch heels to go with them and she knew she looked gorgeous.
Gabby had been modeling since she was 10. She worked it and was always the best, but the judges disagreed when she got to the Regional Fashion Show. They told her that she was too young and that she should try again next year. Now she was 29 and she wanted to walk away with the tiara and the sash that said she had won the Miss America beauty pageant.
The craziness of the event continued. There were 5 minutes left until showtime and everyone was in line and ready to go. People were bad-mouthing one another about how ugly the other girl was. People were desperate to do anything to drive people to tears.
Finally, the announcer came on. "Welcome to the 11th Annual LA Fashion Show. These ladies will be showing you the latest fashions and styles today and the top 4 will move on to be regional finalists. They will travel to Hawaii in 4 months to compete with other girls throughout the US and from there, the top 2 people will go to the National Miss America Pageant. The winner of that pageant will not only have the honor and the bragging rights of being named Miss USA, but they will also be explored by many critics and many modeling and fashion opportunities will be made available to them. Now, let's start."
"First, we have Leyla who is modeling a beautiful white halter dress. Not too dressy, but perfect for any occasion. The shoes that go along with it are absolutely stunning as you can see and the diamond necklace and bracelet compliment the outfit very well. The dress is from Giovanni Morono's collection, the jewelry is courtesy of Diamonds Inc., and the shoes are courtesy of Shoes, Shoes, Shoes Supply." Leyla worked it down the runway and girls were already getting worried if they could beat her.
"Next, we have a stunning and gorgeous Sara. Sara is wearing a burgundy strapless dress. This dress goes along great with her gold and glittery shoes. Her diamond necklace and earrings compliment the outfit very well. The outfit works well with any business occasion or a romantic night out. The dress is designed by Mario Ligiani. The jewelry is compliments of Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, and shoes are courtesy of That Magic Night Out." Sara worked it down the runway and her turn was over.. .
"Next up is beautiful Kayla. Kayla is wearing a baby blue dress. Perfect for any occasion. This strapless and short dress is a nice addition to anyone's wardrobe. Shoes are from Wear It and Work It and those nice big hoop earrings are from Beautiful Jewels and More. Dress designed by Ricardo Deleon who is a well noted fashion designer in Italy. Nice job Kayla." Kayla was working it, but not enough, Gabrielle thought.
"The fourth person that will be modeling for us today is lovely Lisa. Lisa is wearing a short pink strapless dress. Bright and vivid and sure to attract attention from some gorgeous men. Beautiful diamonds and jewels that she has on compliments to Diamonds Forever. Those 5 inch heels are a pink color and look beautiful with the dress. Shoes are compliments to Sassy Shoes and the dress was designed by Donatello Daliano." Lisa was sure looking lovely, Gabby thought, but Gabby knew she was so much prettier.
"The very beautiful and gorgeous Isabella will be modeling a black dress. This dress was designed by Luigi Baratello. The jewelry that she is wearing that compliments the outfit very well is here thanks to Know It All Jewelers and the shoes that are a black 4 inch heel are compliments of Stunning Shoes. Thank you Isabella." Gabrielle was up next and she was ready.
"Wow! This stunning, attractive, and gorgeous young lady looking attractive in a red, skinny dress designed by Kielo Martini is a beautiful fit to a body like this. Compliments to all curves of your body, this is a beauty. The diamonds sparkle and glimmer to show that this outfit is for people who like to dress to impress. The jewelry compliments to Jewels Galore. These 10 inch red shoes add a little punch to the dress designed for Maria Desantoni. This is a beauty." All the girls had jealousy in their yes when they saw Gabriella walking down the runway. Gabrielle knew she would be going to Hawaii because she had just worked it.
"Ladies, ladies, very well done. We will be posting who moves on to what in a couple of hours. Please stay in your attire that you modeled. You will stand before the judges and either by presented a certificate to advance or a certificate of rejection. Talk to you later."
As Gabrielle walked over to her stand, a gun fired in the background.


Chapter 2: The Mystery Man

Everyone froze in their footsteps. Who was this man here for and who sent for him? Did someone want to win this badly that they would kill to win? "I need everyone to have their hands up. Hands up now or I shoot!" Everyone put their hands up. "Now, you need to do as I say. No one is to tell the police that I was here or there will be consequences." The man started to take clothes, accessories, and shoes. He grabbed clothes off racks, took shoes off shelves, and took accessories from random places.
People were shouting and screaming "Hey, that's mine" or "Bring that back right now!" People were furious, but no one could say anything. When people were about to start moving again, the guy stormed back in. "Stop where you are. There is to be no telling of this to judges or to the Fashion Association because I'll always be watching you. Understand?" Everyone nodded their heads in shock and fear.
No one knew what to do. One girl took out her cell hone and called the police because she didn't care and she knew it was impossible for nobody to be watching her.

Chapter 3: The News

People were shocked at the sight. Right after she called the police and told them everything, the guy came back in. He went up to the lady, moved her to the side, and shot her. "Now, do we understand?" The lady was dead and when people looked into her wallet, they found out that she also had 2 kids at home. What a shame, people thought.
The judges came out. "This has been a crazy day. This has never happened before at the local level. I know I lot of you are probably scared that this is how the industry works. Well, to be honest, it is. People do anything to win. So, if you can't handle it, then get out." A couple people left.
"Okay, let's get to the results, If your name is called, you will advance to Hawaii, where the Regional Fashion Show is held. "First Place for Casual Wear is..." The judges kept announcing names of people who were in other categories. Finally, they got to the Dressy category.
"The top 4 from this category will advance. 4th Place for Dressy category is Sarah:." Sarah had tears in her eyes; she was so excited. "3rd Place goes to Leyla." Leyla was happy, but it looked like she was expecting to place. "2nd Place goes to Lisa. Congrats, Lisa." Lisa was excited; so excited that she looked at Gabrielle like there was no chance that Gabrielle was going to take this away. "The final name that I'm going to call will be the winner and will be the 1st Seed in Hawaii. The 2 other names that I don't call will be asked to leave immediately, and try again next year. The 1st Place winner is Gabrielle Rodrigez." Gabrielle was happy, but she knew she would win. All the other girls looked at her with jealousy and tears started to flow. The 2 that didn't make it were sobbing and already running out the door.
"Please see your agent this week and take a packet from one of the coordinators as you leave. Congratulations and see you in Hawaii." The girls turned back to their stations where they took their clothes, makeup, shoes, and jewelry. When Gabrielle walked out, she heard a shot. One of the judges had been killed. Who was it and why? Was it one of the girls that didn't win or was it someone that didn't get the place they wanted? Gabrielle started to fear because winning always meant your life was at stake.
Gabby was excited to go to Hawaii, but something gave her the creeps about all these people who were getting killed. She could be next.

Chapter 4: Romance

When she pulled in her driveway, she heard news and she smelled booze. When she walked inside, she saw a lot of her close friends and people that she hadn't even met before. That was common in L.A. because she had a huge neighborhood and a movie star could be here and she wouldn't know it.
Gabrielle was walking around and she eyed this guy that was gorgeous, hot, and Gabrielle knew that he was for her. As she was walking by, he was eying her and she was flirting with him. Soon after, she was in a deep conversation with him.
She didn't know if she was drunk or not, but this relationship was moving very fast.
When Gabrille was brought back to reality, she was kissing him and he was kissing her. She didn't know what had happened, but suddenly Gabrielle had gone from modeling and flirting to kissing. Gabrielle pulled away from him and said that she'd like to see him again some time. He said that he would love to do the same. Gabrielle had a boyfriend now. Would he last? He was someone that Gabrielle didn't know. Could she trust him? Would he hurt Gabrielle or was this true love?
Gabrielle talked to her friends the next day. She had told them all about this guy that she had met at her part and how he wanted to go on a date with her tonight. They were happy for her, but she saw the caution in their eyes.
She had to go see her agent today and talk about Hawaii and different arrangements that had to be made for the trip. It would be a long day, so she decided that she would just go to bed.

Chapter 5: The Agent

Gabrielle had the same agent for years. She had an agent when she was 10 which her mother paid for because she knew that Gabby had a future in fashion. Her agent was a man named Marco. Marco wanted to date Gabrielle when they first met and after that, Gabrielle had decided to make a contract that said this was strictly business. Marco was gay anyway, so Gabrielle didn't want to be with him.
Gabrielle had to impress her agent, so she decided to wear a little red dress with cute high heels and a purse. She put her best jewelry on because she had to impress her agent.
When she got to the agent's office, he looked impressed already. "Okay, we need to discuss some plans about Hawaii. We need to discuss flights, and where you'll stay when you get there." Gabrielle said, "I want nothing but the best. I live in a nice house and have a nice car and I expect the same when I go somewhere else. Understand?" Marco nodded in agreement. The meeting went on and everything was in place. She was going to be staying in a beautiful suite and have access to wherever she wanted to go. The agency was paying for the trip and all the meals in it.
Gabrielle was happy. She had gotten exactly what she wanted and accomplished it in one meeting. She was walking out to her car when she saw someone start to walk up to her. They looked threatening so Gabrielle walked back into the agency's office and went to see Marco again. She said, "I want a bodyguard when I go to Hawaii."
She walked out and thought that the guy had probably passed, and she went in her car and started to drive. Suddenly, a guy's arms started to close around her neck.
Gabrielle began to choke. She was losing air and she was losing it quickly. At first, she thought she had no chance of survival. Her purse was in her lap. She took out her perfume and sprayed it in the man's eyes. He had no clue what hit him, but he still kept on choking her. Finally, she had to go to her last resort: her knife.
Gabby never knew why, but when she was little, she always kept a knife in her purse for emergencies. She took it out and stabbed the man. The man started bleeding. When Gabby checked for a pulse, she didn't feel one. This man was bleeding to death and Gabrielle had committed murder.

Chapter 6: Escape

When Gabby got home that day, she was in pure shock. She hadn't fully gotten the effect of what had just occurred. She had killed someone. The only thing she knew she could do now was to call her best friend. She decided to call Rachel, her lifetime friend. "Rachel, it's Gabby. You need to come over now." Then she called, Sara, Suzy, and Michelle with the same news.
They all started to come over one by one. "Thank you fro coming on such a short notice. You may wonder why I look like this and what happened. Well, I'll say it now. I killed someone." Everyone responded with gasps of shock and fear. "Let me explain. I was coming out of my agent's office and I saw this man approaching me fast. I went back in my agent's office and I said I wanted a bodyguard in Hawaii. When I came back out, no one was around. When I got to my car, I started driving and then someone's hands closed around my neck. I got my perfume out and sprayed it, but that didn't work. Then, I took a knife out of my purse and stabbed him. I need your help. My boyfriend, Lorenzo, is taking my car and getting it impounded. I need you to help me. The only thing I have left to do is escape."
"Gabrielle, you have to go to the police and tell them what happened. You can't just leave. We're your closest friends and you are ours. You can't just leave. Maybe they'll be able to do something to protect you." Suzy had been the first one to speak.
"Thank you. I know it's late. Tomorrow, I'm going to start over and I need some rest, so if you could please go home, I'd appreciate it." They all left and after they left, Gabrielle decided to go to the car dealership to get a new car.
"I need a red Ferrari and I need it today. It's very important, if you could rush the paperwork, please." "Hey, you're the lady who won the fashion show. I'm a big fan of yours, Gabrielle. No problem. I'll put a rush on it." Gabby knew that if she didn't have a car, the police would suspect her of murder. Now, Gabby had a car.
Gabby decided that she would take a vacation for awhile before the show in Hawaii. She had to get out of L.A. People could be planning to kill her. Who knew? She decided that she would pack up and then the only thing that she would bring with her would be her boyfriend and with all the money that she won in the pageant, she would bring her friends.

Chapter 7: An Invitation for Disaster

"Hey, Suzy. It's Rachel. Check your mailbox and meet me at Gabrielle's in an hour." Gabby was expecting her friends to come over any minute now.Lorenzo pulled into the driveway and soon followed Rachel, Suzy, and the rest of her friends.
"Now, the invitation I gave you is more of a gift than anything. I have decided to take my pageant money and go away for awhile. I have a place that is even bigger than this house in the Bahamas and I want you guys, my closest friends, to come with me." No one knew what to say. People didn't know whether to be happy or sad that Gabrielle was going away. Suzy raised her hand. "Is it free?" "Yes." "I'm in." Rachel was the next to speak. "Now, wait. I would love to come, but I will come on one account: you have to call the police or tell them what happened. I am fearing for your life, Gabrielle. I don't want you to get hurt."Fine, I'll go there right now."
Gabrielle drove in her new Ferrari to the police station. "Hi, can I speak to an officer?" The lady at the desk said to wait just a second and a minute later, Gabrielle was standing in an interrogation room with an officer. "What can I do for you?" "Here's the thing. The other night, I was coming from my agent's office and I saw this guy coming toward me. I went back in my agent's office and then I went to my car because I din't see him anywhere in sight. I started driving and then his hands closed around my neck. I got perfume out of my purse and sprayed it at him, but it didn't help. See, the next part gets complicated. I always use to keep this knife in my purse. I took it out the other night and stabbed the man out of self-defense. You have to understand. I am not a cold-blooded killer."
Then, Gabby had an idea. She would flirt with the officer to make sure she didn't get in trouble. The officer asked her, "What's your name?" "Gabrielle. I won the L.A Fashion Show and I'm going to Hawaii in a couple months. You wouldn't want to hurt or arrest a model now, would you? That would be cruel and there are news reporters always watching me and what happens to me. If I were you, I would watch what you do and I wouldn't want it to be something that you'd regret later on."
Gabby leaped at him and started kissing him and he kissed her back. "Hold on," he said. "You don't like my kissing?" Gabrielle asked in her pouty voice. "No, actually I love it and fancy it. I know where there's another place that is a lot more private so no one sees us in here. And, for your information, you're free to go, but not from me, from the law. I know this great bodyguard that you could take to Hawaii and take to New York if you make it there. Hid name is Robert Diaz. He's good-looking, a good kisser, and a cop." "Gabby said, "Really? Is he standing in front of me?" "Yes he is and he would like to have dinner with you tonight if that's okay with you?" "Tonight at 7. Meet me at the Montriage. We're having a full course meal."
Gabby called her friends and told them that she had told the police and that she was off the hook. They were all surprised. "Now how can you be off the hook when you killed someone? Did you have to pay a fine?" "No, all I had to do was "kiss up" to someone in the police department. His name is Robert Diaz and we're having dinner tonight at 7." "What about Lorenzo?" "Well, he doesn't have to know." "You already told Lorenzo that he could come with you when you went too the Bahamas to relax for a little bit." "Oh, both of them are going. One's my bodyguard and what's wrong with having two boyfriends?" Gabby and all her friends knew that this was not an invitation to a nice resort, this was a recipe for disaster and it had just begun.

Chapter 8: The Date

Gabby decided that she would wear her beautiful red dress that she had worn in the pageant for the date tonight. She looked lovely in it. It was a party dress and tonight she was going to part with Robert. He was hot and she needed some spice in her life.
When she got to the restaurant, they sat down and started talking. They ordered endless amounts of wine and champagne. It was a lovely dinner. Robert was really interesting and it looked like they and a future together. They split a bowl of spaghetti together and they shared stories that Gabby would've never even told her closest friends.
Gabby said that she would pay for the evening meal, but he said that he would pay now and that she could pay later. She giggled and laughed. It was a fun night and Robert started talking about more serious stuff as the night went on. He was 29 and so was Gabby. Hew talked about how much he loved his job and how he was going to focus on his career before he had kids.
Suddenly, a man's voice started to boom, "Everyone, put your hands up. Don't move and don't say a word. Now, is there a person by the name of Gabrielle here?" Gabby didn't say anything, but Robert started to point in her direction and she told him to cut it out.
Robert started to kneel on one knee and he whispered to Gabrielle if she wanted to marry him. Gabrielle examined the ring and she said yes because he seemed like a rich guy and that was a really nice guy. A bang went off in the background and Gabrielle fell to the floor.

Chapter 9: Emergency

"Oh, my god!" screamed Robert. He pulled out his cell phone and called 911. He went along in the ambulance as they went to the hospital. He called all of Gabby's friends and told them to meet Gabby in the emergency room.
"Doctors, is everything going to be okay?" "Yeah, but she's seriously injured." "Where did she get shot at?" "Well, she got shot in the butt. I don't know how, but that's where the wound was." "Ladies, could you leave for a second?" Gabrielle had said that she wanted to be the first to tell her friends so Robert pulled the doctor aside. "Doc, I was proposing to her and she stood up to give me a kiss and they shot her then."Don't do any surgery on her. She's a model and she can't have any scars and I like the way her butt is right now." "We're going to have to run some tests, but there shouldn't be any surgery required."
In the examination room, Gabby was joined by her friends. "Gabby, do you know who did this to you? Because not only are we going to beat them, but so is Robert. He's very angry about the situation." Gabby interrupted them. "Guess what? Me and Robert got engaged. See the ring?" "Congratulations."
The doctor came in and told Gabby that there was damage to her kidneys and that they would need to do some tests. "I need you to roll over on your stomach," the doctor said. Gabby did so and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Why are you putting your finger into my butt?" "We need to extract the bullet."
Gabby recovered from the procedure rather quick and she went home with Robert. When they got to her house, Gabby asked Robert to come in. "Look, I'm sorry about tonight and about ruining our date. Can I ask you a favor?" "Sure, whatever you want." "Could you stay over tonight? You can sleep with me." "Sure, no problem baby."
That night, Gabrielle was fine until around 2:30 in the morning. First, she heard a beep and thought it was her alarm, then she went downstairs to check the time. Whens he did, she saw that it was only 2:30. When she walked into the living room, she saw that the room was empty and that her Victorian window was cracked and shattered. She heard footsteps behind her. She knew they weren't Robert's because she hadn't heard anyone coming from the stairs. Then, she went blank because someone crashed her picture on top of her head and she was unconscious.

Chapter 10: The Hospital

"Where am I?" "Sweety, it's me, Robert. I came downstairs when I realized you were missing. I called my friend who's a paramedic and I told them who you were and they came right over." "Thank you so much." The doctors came in and so did Gabby's agent. "Why are you here?" "Oh yeah, he somehow got wind of the news and started telling the doctors about how they couldn't do surgery on you and he was sort of going crazy." "Marco, leave" "So doc, what's the news?" "Well, you don't have any glass embedded inside your head. There are some external injuries that we need to repair, but nothing will require surgery."
The doctor left. "Hey Robert." "Yeah babe, could you bring another police officer over here and bring me a box of chocolates?" "Sure. but why do you need another police officer?" "Just do it. I'll pay you back later." At that, he left and Gabby called her friends and told them to come to the hospital asap.
"Oh my god." "You have to do something about this. Next thing you know, we'll be looking for a stone plot for your burial and planning your funeral." "If you don't, we will. You better believe it too." "What happened?"
"I told Robert that he should stay because I was scared to stay by myself and I had this feeling. He said he would. I heard this beep, then I went downstairs to see what time it was. When I went downstairs, someone crashed a picture over my head. I don't know what to do. I'm trying to figure out who would do something like this to win this badly. I can't help that I'm good."
Her friends left then the doctors came in and said that the test results showed that she was fine and could go home. She went home and then someone knocked on the door. It was a police officer and it wasn't Robert, it was the man she had been waiting to talk to.

Chapter 11: Visit from the Police

She answered the door and the officer came in. "What do you need?" "I need to talk to you. Are you a private investigator?" "Yes." "Well, I pay good so I would stick around." The man obviously liked money because he agreed to stay without even hearing the case.
Here's your case. "I was in a fashion show and I won. Then, all these weird things started happening. First, someone shot someone at the place where the show was. Someone showed up in my car. Then someone came in my house and crashed a picture over my head. I don't know who it is, but I want to stop because I'm getting really scared."
"Did you do anything that would upset a person?" "No. I won, but I don't think that would be an excuse for attempted murder." "Have you harmed anyone in the process?" "To be completely honest-yes. When someone was in my car, I thought they were gonna kill me. I took out perfume and sprayed it in their face, but it didn't work. Then I took out a knife and stabbed them. I had my boyfriend ditch my car with the blood and I bought a new one. I told a police officer and I got off because it was self-defense. I never went to trial, never paid a fine, never did community service. You aren't going to arrest me, are you?"
After that, the guy started heading out the door. He told her to come along with him and then, he slammed her against a car, and before she knew it, she was in the back of a police cruiser and all the neighborhood was watching.

Chapter 12: Secrets Revealed

Suzy immediately called her friends and told them that we had to do something to get her out of jail. Suzy thought she was the only one who knew about things like this, but she was wrong. The person that loved gossip had heard it and her name is Laura Fingbush.
Laura had been watering her garden at the time when this was happening and when she heard the voice that she heard, she knew that it was Gabrielle. Good news spread fast, but bad news spread like wildfire.
Gabby was in the back of the police car and she started to shout. "I ant a lawyer. This isn't fair. Who do you rthink you are arresting a model? I'm special, you know that? If you ruin my reputation, I can sure as hell ruin yours and it won't be pretty. I know people and I know the right people. They're the higher ups and you don't wanna mess with them because you're just a police officer and they can do much more damage." Gabby continued saying things like that and finally they were at the police station.
When they got to the police station, Gabby almost threw up because there were paparazzi and they were here to get her picture and they got it. She had handcuffs on and a pretty red dress 6that everyone recognized from the fashion show. This was going to be quite a ride.
Once inside, Gabby was sat down in an interrogation room. "I'm not talking until my lawyer gets here." "Fine, you can do that sweety, but if you think you're gonna get out on that little 'don't ruin my reputation thing,' you're wrong." At that moment, Gabrielle's lawyer showed up.
"Hi, Lisa Bennett." At that moment, the officer's face froze. Gabby knew she was going to be leaving here soon because Lisa was one of the best and Gabby had nothing but hte best. "So, why is my client here?" "Well, my name is Detective Golubski. I was hired as a private investigator on this case." Lisa interrupted immediately. "Exactly, an investigator, not an officer to arrest my client. You're here to protect her, not ruin her reputation." :Look, she tld me that she killed someone." "Well, don't you think she could've had a good reason to do so? The man was trying to choke her. It's not like she went down the street and started to kill people one day. You better get a solid case because this is going to court tomorrow."
"I need to ask your client some questions. Do you have any idea who would be out to get you?" Lisa started to object, but Gabby started to answer. "A couple of years ago, I went to New Jersey for a modeling show. It was only me and my mother. My dad was an alcoholic and abused my younger sister and I. My mother took us to New Jersey and at that show something bad happened." Gabby started to cry. "What si it? What happened?" "My dad followed us all the way to New Jersey. I don't know how he did, but it happened. He was retaliating against my mom. He had been drinking and drinking heavily. He tried to kill my mom that night, but I stopped him. After that, I started to get hate mail from him because he was so mad that I defended my mother. He was always the one that paid for the modeling lessons and the fashion shows and he thought I would've paid him back by helping him kill my mother." :What does this have to do with anything? Lisa asked.
"It has somethiong to do with it. I went to the police with it and they never found him because he had changed his name so they closed the case and because of the statute of limitations. Well, anyway, that night he said something that will forever give me nightmares. He said, 'You're gonna pay for this someday and it's gonna cost you more than money.' He was talking about my life. My father is trying to kill me because I had a spread in Vogue magazine and he saw that because he always subscribed to those magazines when I was in them and he always did after so he would know where I would be at all times."
"Is that all?" "No, he has his men working for him. If you think he did all this alone, you're joking. He was an amazingly smart man, but he had help. He has people working everywhere, Could you please take me out of these handcuffs?" "Look, I can take you out of the handcuffs, but I need to take you to a special building." "Why?" "When you murdered that man, you killed him and he can never be brought back to life. His family is waiting at a special facility and we need to make sure you're telling us the right people." "Family? Oh my god. My dad killed all the families of the people he worked with, but he always drank because he always said he was forgetting somebody. This is the family that he forgot to kill. I wanna go see them after I change."
Gabby changed and went to see the family. When she got there, she asked them what their names were. They said the Francilos. These people were the forgotten family that Gabby had been waiting to see because her father feared these poeple all his life and this drove him to drink.

Chapter 13: The Forgotten Family

"Oh, my god. I've been waiting to see you for so long." "You took our son. Don't comr up to me like 'I am so happy to see you. Forgive me.' crap. I don't want to hear it. I want to file charges against this woman." "Hold on." Lisa stopped everyone.
She pulled out the case file and Gabby was happy as she could be. She knew this was over for good. "Now, I have this case file and it says that your son know as Francilio was involved with Gabby's father. He could possibly have tried to kill Gabby. It's a possibility." "I can prove that your client lady, is guilty." "Fine, be in couurt at 5:00. I have evidence and I can guarantee you that my ckient is going to walk away from this without even any mark on her criminal record. I'd start collecting evidence if I were you." Then the father decided to speak.
"Look, I'd like to talk to Gabby for a little bit and get to meet her and really hear her side of the story without my wife butting in all the time. "I will allow it only with me being present with her."
Gabby started to talk with the man. It was very interesting. "How did you know my father? Look, it may not seem like it, but I had reasons for killing your son. Anyone who gets in your car.." "Gabby, stop talking!" Lisa ordered. Gabby left with her lawyer and headed for court.

Chapter 14: The Hearing

Gabby walked in with her lawyer and sat with her at the table. Francilio's family were sitting at the other table with what looked like a lawyer that had just come out of law school and this was his first case.
They went first. The lawyer spoke. "I call Gabrielle Rodrigez to the stand. Gabrielle walked up in her red dress and sat in the witness chair. "Where were you on the night this occurred. "I was at my agent's office. When I came out, I saw a man coming down the street and he looked suspicious. I have been having problems with people trying ot harm me, so I went back into my agent's office. I came back out and headed for my car. When I got in my car, I started driving and then hands closed around my neck. I took my perfume out of my purse and
sprayed it in his eyes, but it didn't do anything. Then I took a knife out of my pocket and stabbed him."
"Why would you have a knife in your purse? Do you casually carry a knife around." "My father was a heavy alcoholic and often got violent around me and my other siblings. One night, he tried to attack me and I didn't know what to do. I ran away with my mother and sister. She always told us from then on to carry a knife with us. I still do. I attacked the man out of self defense." "No further questions."
Lisa Bennett went to the stand and decided to aks the mother of the family a few questions. "Now, have you ever been attacked?" "Objection." the other lawyer said. "Get to the point, Miss Bennett." "No, I haven't." "Well if you did, what do you think you would do? Would you just let them start attacking you? Would you let them kill you? How old are you? 54? My client is 29 and has a bright future in store for her. If you got attacked today and you died, it would be different than if she idd. You've done a lot of the things that you've wanted to do already." "Objection!" "If you'e telling me that you owuldn't struggle for your life and fight like hell so you would be alive, then you're lying because anybody in this courtroom would fight and that's what Gabby did and now she is wrongfully being accused of murder. Would it be the same if she was dead and your son killed her?" "Objection!" "Miss Bennett!" "No further questions."
Shortly afterwards, the verdict was decided. Gabby was not guilty and she was free to go and when she went out of the courtroom, something happened that everyone saw. The mother of Francilio shot Gabby. Gabby dodged the bullet and lived while Mrs. Francilio was taken to jail just like Gabrielle had been a couple of days ago.

Chapter 15: Paparazzi Trouble

When Gabby went home, she was greted by many roses. They were all from her boyfriend, Robert. She almost had forgotten him throughout all this, but she remembered and then she decided to call him and see if he wanted to go on a date tonight.
When Gabby walked out of her house that day, she wasn't in a great mood, and when she looked down at her doorstep, she was in an even worse mood. First, her newspaper was sitting on the ground and she was on the front cover of it.
When she went to the store that day, she looked at the Enquirer and saw her picture on it. Later that day, Gabby decided to go to the police station because she had a message on he rcell phone to meet Robert at the police station at 6.
When she went into the police station, she was bombarded with cameras."Get out of my face." "Do you have any comment? Will this have any effect on the way you do at the fashion show in Hawaii? We've heard rumors that someone has been following you? Is thsi true?Did you use your boyfriend to get you out of the last one? Is that why it took you so long this time?"
"Shut up! I have no comment for you. My personal life is none of your business. Now, go away and stay away from me. I have no comment. Leave." Gabby had finally gotten them out of her hair, but then disaster followed.
Gabby walked into the police station after the cameras had been gone and all the paparazzi left. She walked up to ther counter and said, "I need to speak to Robert. He said he needed to meet me here tonight for some reason." "Um, I'm sorry, sweety, you need to follow me. He's in the hospital. He got shot today and he's in surgery. He's at Mercy Hospital. I could take you there. No, it's fine."
Gabby drove in her Ferrari and when she got to the hospital, she immediately called all her friends and started bawling.

Chapter 16: A Time of Need

Gabby sat bawling until all her friends got there, and then decided that she had some questions to ask the doctors and nurses. "What happened to Robert? Are you his family? When he came in, he already had a girl with him." "Really?" "Yeah. Well, here's what happened. He was on call, and they were on some special case that Los Angeles Police Department had just gotten. Anyway, he was with his partner. They were going to try to capture a person, and then the man shot him. Th epartner called the ambulance right away. The guy had shot him 3 times. He lost his leg and then by the time they got him here, we decided to do surgery. Shortly after surgery, he died. His funeral hasn't been planned. Do you know the girl's name by any chance?" "Yes, I do. Her name is Lisa."
Gabrielle was frabntic. Lisa was the girl that had come in second place during the pagaent and now she was trying to steal Gabby's boyfriend. When her friends got there, she became a little calmer and then she told them the story. They were sad and tried to comfort her. Gabby forgot that they didn't know that he was her fiancee. "He was my fiancee. I was going to get married to him and now he's gone. He died in the line of duty." Rachel drove Gabby home nad then came back later for the car.
A few days later, the funeral was held. Gabrielle wore her best red dress that was Robert's favorite and tried to comfort herself with the support of her friends at the funeral, but it wouldn't help. Then, when she saw the paparazzi show up later at the funeral, she threw shoes at them and sprayed them with perfume more than once. They left after that and so did everyone else.
The next day was the burial and Gabby cried through the whole thing. He was dressed in his wedding outfit upon Gabrielle's requestand she was wearing her wedding dress that day. Her friends were there, but her family couldn't make it which hurt Gabby a lot.
When Gabby went home that day, she was in pieces and in terrible shape for anything. When she got home, she saw shrouds of flowers and best of all, brand new clothes strewn everyone. Then, she saw a note. She wanted to see who this person was.

Chapter 17: Discovery

Gabby looked at her table and there was a note written out to her It read:

Dear Gabrielle,

I’d really lo go out with you sometime. Would you like to go to The Mashrika Grill tonight? Call me at 555-2510 or just meet me there, and by the way, the name’s Ricardo.

Love,
Ricardo

Gabby was excited. She was meeting another man the same day she lost one. This guy knew what she liked-gifts, and was going to a nice restaurant the first night that she dated him.
That night, she went to the restaurant and found her man. He was hot and good-looking. "Hi Gabrielle." "Hello, Ricardo. Thank you so much for the gifts." "No problem." They ate and talked and then he told Gabby to come back to his house. In his driveway, soemthing was covered up. Gabby asked what it was. "This is a little gift for you." Gabby looked and it was a new Ferrari. "Oh, my god." "I know you lost your other one and all. It was impounded and you've been walking around. Why don't you come inside?"
"Would you excuse me just for a second?" "Sure, no problem." After the Ferrari, she could give him a few minutes.
"I got her. Come in through the back. She's sitting in the guest room." Ricardo hung up and his men were coming into the house.

Chapter 18: A Fight