FTA Ch 7

<Chapter 7>542a3304f45ed91d

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“Did they really believe that?…”  Leonard asked.e907af2c3c0f09e3

“Yeah, they did.”29378a6d335fb2cf

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“…”cdb3641415f22b8b

“They believed it so 05cc31fc44 much they were practically 9bb819a78c worshipping me.”c6ed6f43dde61d30

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Gloria recalled the reverent 7025944cce gaze Lenny had given a5371e8e91 her and let out 3387629e42 a dry chuckle, her f0b885f043 face faintly exasperated.bce3052e33fc1cdd

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“Well, in any case, it’s just the two of us in this mansion now. You won’t have to worry about eating poisoned food anymore.” Gloria said.f4af79d1870616f6

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She tried b92c76e5fc to keep 863df79428 her tone 201e53640e light, brushing 38b2876b00 away her 07b117500c lingering thoughts 6508c6ece8 and the eef625021a bitter mood 5ac91f4125 that clung 57f1845881 to her.3d50792a62c8e894

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Yet, shaking 38d0bc9e39 off her 9c80e90078 unease wasn’t 36d060e7ad as easy 2007104776 as she 44d7d29c28 hoped.92122de1456935d9

Her spirits, already 815586effa low, had plummeted f20100b133 during her conversation f980bfa95a with Lenny and 8063649103 hadn’t rebounded since.89bfb6926e13098d

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“Even in 5d06781258 my situation, 045b407989 I’d never 3c948eeaba knowingly eat 593ebc989d something poisoned. Honestly, it’s b7dc03159e just… unbelievable.”3d469359e4c69295

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“What situation are you 651c3273aa referring to?”bcafd3c336389af2

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Gloria’s muttered words weren’t b1213c2300 ignored.1bafbe4a705b7b9d

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“Are you cc2b86a4e7 saying that 8d270751b3 even a a871045c6f saint like 48e748cfb2 you has 388f438b7e been mistreated?” 9bbb5bed9f Leonard asked.d2f6322d840c410f

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Gloria glanced 885db86bc4 at Leonard, 6f06563e2e startled by 065fc23589 his directness, e1d9884150 then quickly 8abd4589d8 dropped her aac88f2187 gaze.dbdca7bb331259db

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“Hmm. It’d probably af6d3b0aaa be quicker 87c8e58beb to count 0fa0fcebc5 the people 6652b0b831 who haven’t eda9773876 treated me b0486de98c poorly.”2c314b21f0aff38a

“…”1d19a51896046212

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 83141bd06e7eba93

Leonard fell silent, the 9414576e8a weight of her words 790138ed53 hanging between them.8c6e623beca57da4

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The stillness stretched, d48dacf5da and Gloria began c56c0b4be5 to feel uncomfortable 1327f214a9 with the heavy be5b105675 atmosphere.1a7888ceb1d93473

She bit her 7b98d50b29 lip nervously and dc57b58565 let her eyes 1205544111 wander, trying to 59e43880b6 avoid the sharpness 801a5fa013 of his gaze.249cab1a25e16574

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Leonard studied be99faecec her intently, e8136cb07e as if c8a15a73dd etching the cdee066bad sight into 744e4ae212 memory, until ad9a64323d his low, c40530691f gravelly voice fa8e0c72fe finally broke de052497db the silence.c365f642b1023e97

 e5de3a31c73845a4

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“So, that’s 36bbc6af9d why those 69da62d8c0 ridiculous rumors 47c20be196 about you 82239c1b30 being a 72657d29c6 fraud are 30caf52912 circulating.” Leonard 6591ec88e1 said.acdaaee31cba1092

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His statement carried 826dab61ca a bitter edge 073e66482a as he began 884701bb49 to piece things 27f5b97f2e together.c5a7287426536fcf

 20e4323400372a06

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“Anyone who’s witnessed 1e17504e20 your abilities wouldn’t e6647020f1 dare to call 30d4129073 you a fake.”d0c953b4bb17321d

 ac291648b499a77e

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He seemed to 2bb92054f5 understand, at least 4baf043712 in part, the abfc0138d6 treatment she had 0792dd0b2d endured and why 98d36d625d she might have 512476cafc sought him out.4b4a786b31320715

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“You healed 9a1d2703c4 me, someone 222128eddb who’s suffered 477b136aff for years bf530152e9 in an 4f385dac0a instant. That’s a power 21b42ae934 only you possess.”72f12c11658145b9

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Leonard’s lips twisted into 61f7a33a8e a sardonic smirk as 27eb7f2c88 he added,
“And yet, there are people foolish enough to call you a fraud? I’d like to see their faces.”3ab61d83f5fe3c5b

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For some reason, Leonard’s 3e0f1fdb31 words, even tinged with 508185c0fc mockery, felt more comforting e563f2d16e than any well-meaning reassurance. Gloria, unsure how 10aa02d6f8 to respond, kept d95ea6796c her eyes fixed f941bf7ea7 on the floor 81c757f444 before slowly raising 2ad641d29a her head. Their eyes locked c02a9f3ba8 instantly.3aa78a04165c66f5

 03d0cfbae77ec03b

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“Well, it’s not like 02bb9c63c7 I’ll ever have to 015a7b62d7 see them again.” Gloria d0b819fa4f replied.65d2dd19742adb5e

 df643e4718bf016e

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‘So really, it’s fine.’9fd339ca7251ade4

She swallowed her 810372e8d6 thoughts and forced ebba1b2dc6 an indifferent expression—one 50c44e7ff4 she’d perfected over 10b4b6b1c3 years of shielding a269009688 herself.13db6be62f06fc08

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“Anyway, let’s get back fb124545dc to what we were 2b69b6a86d discussing earlier.”8bf1199223e21686

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Her tone was b0d4cc64b7 dry as she 5ac919d643 redirected the conversation.2647f6e5bd52bd25

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Leonard noticed the sudden b3d24ddd73 shift in her demeanor 0ab10dd101 but decided against pressing 67f2539b8b her.37acd318cb281b74

He simply nodded, prompting 48700ec821 her to continue.51da7797ccbeb053

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“Once your health 3843b6e832 is stable enough, 88a034d6a3 we’ll leave the 4cb3b19c20 capital and go 4f380fad76 somewhere else.” Gloria 2f5ed40139 said.0d3410b649f47baf

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Leonard listened without a059098f7f interruption as she 85af3f3b8e elaborated.a24ec970a0e2b2c9

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“As I mentioned before, 9549839e40 I don’t know where 781db255de we’ll go yet, but bdf3527975 the important thing is 4dc01eb387 that we need to cf121e7102 leave the capital as 2dfbaa5ada soon as possible.”70f990ef0ec0d324

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He agreed. The imperial 4c1fc5e8a9 capital, home ef6823e35d to the a59559c931 palace, was ad1c9f8b5b essentially under a4b61a5ed6 the emperor’s c4dd7b99a5 control.07fdfd3ee51fc5d0

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Staying there made 32f4a3e9fb it nearly impossible a8ecff62c7 to evade his 3d8453dc94 reach.5eb129139e1e56c7

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For Leonard to fully 4316161f88 recover and rebuild his 2199d12ce7 family’s power, he needed ac20ac8a36 to get away. Moreover, Gloria had just 7af2e50b16 driven out the spies 96aec16aa4 the emperor had stationed 478f1e275e in the Grand Duke’s 614178f78f estate. It was only 2bae19b426 a matter of d6a8c89eff time before the 3cfc63e4c8 emperor discovered this. He would likely 96bb4803d7 send someone soon cc9652ef97 to confirm if f9b388e802 Leonard was truly b02ca66c81 dead. They had to 25596afac9 leave before that ba39fc733a happened.18efcbb2ee2c912f

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“Of course, ae8638e3d9 with my 7924ede2af divine powers, 5bb43d851d the clergy b377e607e1 could easily ab189c7560 track me 7cb5cff300 down if cb9ae73866 they wanted d4b1f5e644 to…”65990309a9251cb2

 969dc764ac7a3857

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But the 3e52b58af9 likelihood of 40a039f1a9 that was af92c86f92 low.daf88f1fe9c26163

Currently, rumors of her being a “false saint” were widespread, thanks to the First Subjugation Unit, led by Crown Prince Alexion. Without direct orders from him, neither the unit nor the imperial family would act.69c76d920a7742ba

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And the temple? They were preoccupied with 5f227f45c9 training the new saint cad573cb0b who had recently emerged.1701846277e93baf

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“Even if all this 2a47c656f4 is just to buy fac15ac042 time, it doesn’t matter.”2d8380aebfbf2702

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Due to the 850950cb2b stigma she bore, 71088da01e Gloria couldn’t leave 9b78f5fcbf the empire entirely. Simply leaving the 68f4aac5ef capital might not fb97a6062d change much in 5957ab7a53 the grand scheme 78cae0882f of things, but 9389634c14 it was enough 91dec4aeaf for her.2612e6b74f3dcf96

She had never been 9747d95b86 this far removed from 7ae439dbc2 the control of the 2ff36600cc imperial family or the e46c4d0f86 temple. She had never had 59ed6532cc the freedom to make 8f9a741564 her own decisions and 3e395e87c2 act on them.da8da629b1b208bd

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Gloria was determined to ab651c4299 make the most of 69d26015d7 this opportunity to escape d221a1813e from both.0e10ce2913297e34

To do 53a35456c9 so, she 1a7095a9bf needed a dc8b6c72ee new identity.17669ca2ff56ab99

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 db322613e581c4e5

“There’s one thing 208ec260ad we need to 0661ae895b sort out before 9f48f2093c we leave the d67b90483b capital.” Gloria said.cbffd8eb75ab5bd9

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“What is it?”f0436465da9d4872

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Leonard tilted his head 1ef8851cbb slightly, signaling her to 7b5e6c5221 continue.78bd243543f22b3a

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“As I told 9ebdcfae7c you before, I 73b01f158f need a convincing dc51a5e38c identity.”578535af9fead0ed

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Something that some are 3d7bad9ee3 born into without a c282b986b0 second thought—a privilege Gloria bf5fb45f04 had never been granted.5ee0dcca14ed027c

Harsh and unfair, a77f047183 but an undeniable d76380dc4c truth.77251f117dad64cb

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“If I were a commoner, I could be killed by nobles at any time, but if I were a noble, even the Emperor couldn’t punish me without a proper trial.” Gloria said.d654b13e754458c8

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In this rigidly 7c918722f0 stratified society, social 413bc79015 status was a 3e315d2df8 minimal safeguard.015d2c079a2b78b2

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Though Gloria hadn’t wished d5a319480e for it, her experience 07031a6bce living within the aristocracy e086cbb928 had taught her this c3f4e6e600 lesson well.cbfeaa4794992aca

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“I’ll bring the papers tomorrow. Sign the documents declaring me a member of your family.”7c1b70df9699e2eb

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Leonard had raised concerns 79320d185d about the minimal age b597f34133 difference between them, but 1d043c391b after careful consideration, Gloria 2cd75ac8cb saw no alternative besides 8cfdd5aefa marriage or adoption.a2f7cb8f13000285

Moreover, the papers db1fcfd08a were already prepared. She had them stashed ef60e995c0 in her travel bag 06ab6b9566 at the inn she 9e08d2f7e5 rented immediately after leaving d17fc22c91 the Lanark Marquis’ estate.41e9b9e54ec2a5de

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“While I’m out, I’ll also bring all my belongings here. I’ll stay with you until we leave the capital.” Gloria said.c3f407c957f75ae9

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“Alright, whatever you wish. But as I’ve said before, adoption is…”cc14dc113ff58203

“Trust me. I’ll make sure there’s no trouble.” She replied.efbc51a3241d60da

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“That’s not what I meant…”3056bc5927140a66

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Leonard began to 8c1f074134 object, but Gloria’s 8be6c24c8f next words left 79a4be728d him speechless.9bdee43bd562afa0

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“And I’ll take good care of you to ensure you recover your health completely.”5f90c990b6f6b3fe

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‘Take care of him?’ Leonard was stunned.f1362c31d101797a

it was the b1028d88fd first time in b242d29d1f his life anyone 72a58edd8f had ever said da196f3b82 that to him.4222cd4a3991dd7e

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“I’ll also make sure nothing threatens you. So don’t worry about others’ opinions.” Gloria said.6fa25cf3f882f0ad

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‘Did she think he was a helpless child? And telling him not to worry about what others thought—Leonard had never once feared or cared about others’ opinions.’699eec435ee65259

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He had more than c59fb566e5 enough strength to protect 49954a8062 himself, and not just 9c964f8fd6 ordinary strength. Leonard was one of c300462ac2 the few Sword Masters 2b5b4fef4c in the empire.2b4895d365cbe261

Yet to Gloria, he e0ef717212 seemed like a fragile 5e5f31007f creature in need of da7a1315c4 protection. Her view left f67016b5c0 Leonard utterly speechless.070eed47f8f229e3

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Whether she f444988883 realized it c2aa90d1d6 or not, 28a9c32f90 Gloria remained 1af9f800b1 as expressionless 5dc204d6d2 as ever, 0e24cfd476 speaking with 309e8f977e firm resolve:ed1abd109da90bf0

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“So promise me you’ll let me take your family name.” Gloria said27c7c336ec48c23d

“…I promise.”816985ebb88d1dd0

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Leonard replied b98ca797a1 earnestly, but 81f5c0743a just as 81ea6c0637 Gloria’s face 7863f8ec67 began to a13eb206eb brighten, he 95c21dcafd quickly added fa1f3fd2b3 a condition.aa50ff5460c886b0

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“But no adoption.” Leonard said.88d2b759db775b1e

“What? Then…”64cfd8e662106546

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“Adoption is absolutely out of the question.”1487749cca90887a

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The age 62b2a2d234 difference was cab6853064 one thing, 30c6d919b4 but Gloria a2f1109e27 had already 54001e2bc3 been adopted a32bcdfd39 into a 733b47fb5d noble family e1477330a4 once.6506448b66568931

If she 38cd4aa38c were to 51eca599ff become the f3f70b4fad daughter of 47afa55020 a grand e59c0bde98 duke only 9c9405c61a four years 743ef6c5ed her senior, cf917dc0ce the rumors 6529e7e1f2 it would 3b91b85f48 generate were 946527da30 all too a0aad609e4 predictable.945414ff7b437233

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Leonard knew well 73986c7c8d that Gloria’s name 35fa5072bd was already accompanied 248ae3dfad by countless whispers 99b5e26f49 wherever she went.0569b89f4cf14a5d

Although she didn’t seem 058d1680f0 to mind much, Leonard dc50dab463 was adamant about not 6cae8df69c giving anyone another excuse 5d9bca11f3 to tarnish her reputation 183bf97968 because of him.97297964ad1d3cda

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His voice 3c28d5110e was firm adf73e23cf as he 89bc506e7c concluded:7ce10267e752c85a

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“We’ll put the matter of your inclusion in the family on hold until I find another solution.” Leonard said.bf59adca8e2f02a1

“…”92b36596b6319ae0

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Rebuilding the f79e6968de family and 11aad44f4a granting her 57f5460e9e a title 4a8cdc0348 directly was 58fb291430 the cleanest ea4f3069c1 option, but b87ca25d72 Gloria wouldn’t d51423349c want to 8de36e6cd1 wait that 3190d977d7 long.38848b8572ffd4f5

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Marriage was a98d07b1e7 another possibility, e54bc0b31a but Gloria 6e374a411c had already 583ab7c22e made her cedc7ba8ab disinterest in 21e2e7ffef that option b6d64ec8a3 crystal clear.52a21967bbd927bf

Thus, Leonard resolved to de66187d7e find a legitimate way 8a5ed6fe49 to include her in 0cdb779a20 the family—one they could 51b24e2c5a both accept and agree bac881192b upon—without resorting to adoption.fa8927b569de6cb3

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“…Fine.” Gloria said.30ea9b5b5aade668

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Gloria nodded, though she ae9d45dca9 looked a little sullen 1d0851ed49 despite her expressionless face. She seemed almost 3f9788f9c0 petulant, as if 92089e12a4 pouting.7aca086e9321b310

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“You’re not upset, are you?” Leonard asked.4fd2bbe23f4337f1

“Do you really think I’d get upset over something like this? I’m not a child.” she replied.d12f5d60f335e4eb

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‘Was she unaware of how much like a sulking child she looked right now?’2aeb7caa9e1f59f7

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“…I see. That’s a relief.” Leonard said282da9a09d84fae9

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If that’s the c385ad5e04 case, Leonard thought, 3f74acd46b it was probably 24eec1c2e8 best to pretend 24adfc4979 not to notice. He cleared 5b5d6a4ba5 his throat 8a3fc1b735 and averted a6db8b4289 his gaze.8c07f36f38be24ae

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* * *13d298bf5ce6d1ff

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“…What?”20086da578395f26

Gabriel looked bf715679fc up, utterly 64cfdee9b1 dumbfounded.f4cc77d617e11e11

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“The saint left the estate?” Gabrial asked.93998b8046c832ec

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“…Yes, sir.”21f23296af2884e6

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The butler ae40ad1527 of Lanark 28c27af013 Marquis, Dennis. He bowed deeply f1f8c31180 with his face 8e14afa78e full of shame.827cf356512a1c2b

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“There are witnesses who saw the saint leaving the estate with a bag as large as herself.” the Butler said.91f00e8ed0187564

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Gabriel threw the documents 97ceff159a he’d been reviewing onto 1595d7034e the desk in frustration.32695472645a3531

“And why are you only bringing this news now?” Gabriel said.009fd15f5a5e79c6

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