Hey Hey all sorry for the Hiatus, had a flame from another story that really put me off writing for awhile but I'm back! Thanks for the reviews I PROMISE! To update more and hope you enjoy the Chpt.

Enjoy!

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Gabriella's deep brown eyes flamed as she turned towards Troy, "Paulo Montez" she growled at him, "Was my no good grandfather…"

Gabriella wasn't surprised that Troy nodded knowing she figured he already knew, Troy rested his arms on the table in front of him; still keeping the icepack to his head, "Do you wanna tell me about him?"

Gabriella folded her arms over her waist, "Not really…"

Troy let out a frustrated sigh, "If you want your inheritance you're going to have to talk about him eventually…"

Gabriella shrugged, you already know he's right…she thought to herself…

Gabriella reluctantly gave in, "I didn't know him personally, but as my mother told it…" she paused and took a breath, "Once my father passed away, she had no one to turn too…" she glanced at Troy who dropped the ice pack on the table and was staring at her intently… "I was about a year old, and she had no money… so she packed up everything and drove us from my father's house in Arizona to my grandparents' house in New Mexico…"

Troy nodded and motioned for her to continue, "My mom and my grandparents weren't on the best of terms…" she stopped again, "They didn't approve of my father."

"My grandparents took us in, and basically raised both of us; my grandfather was the disciplinarian… he was strict, my only memory of him was when I was about five I rode my bike through a mud puddle, then across his precious cobblestone driveway…"

She watched Troy stand as she felt tears rush to her eyes but she motioned for him to sit, "He came thundering into the house, and he placed me in the corner… made me stand on my tip-toes for almost two hours… after spanking me harder then I've ever been spanked…" Gabriella shook her head, "I can still remember how much my ankles ached…"

"Then one day" she smiled, "when I was about to turn six…my grandmother sat my mother and me down and told us 'Paulo has left us… I don't know where… he took half the family fortune… and from the looks of this note…' she held up a piece of crumpled paper and wiped away a tear… 'He's not coming back'"

Gabriella looked back up at Troy who was leaning over the table, "Since then my grandmother, my mother and me have taken care of ourselves…I frankly don't care what happened to him… he made my family's life…" she paused uncomfortable with cussing, "hell"

Troy blinked… "I get why you hated him…"

Gabriella nodded and wiped her tears… "I guess my mother never really forgot him…"

Troy shrugged and tried to lighten the mood, regretting the fact that he made her drudge up bad memories… "So maybe we should start the research and get it over with?"

Gabriella silently nodded… and Troy stood walking towards her he placed a finger under her chin and raised her face, "hey…" he smiled, "you know you don't have to do this alone…" Gabriella sincerely smiled, "I know…" she said quietly…

Uncomfortable with how close Troy was getting Gabriella took a step back, "I'll meet you in your office after you shower?" she hinted at his gruff exterior…

Troy smirked, "whatever you say … mom"

Gabriella laughed softly and shuffled back to her suite.

An hour or so later… Gabriella made her way to Troy's office, she knocked, waited for an answer and after receiving none she pushed open the door and peeked her head in, "hello?" she called, "Troy…" no answer, Gabriella slipped in and began to examine her surroundings…

In front of her was a large oak desk that almost reached the width of the office… she walked around the edge running her fingers over the smooth surface… she slid onto his large maroon leather office chair and glanced down at his framed pictures…

She smiled at an older couple, assuming they were Troy's parents she picked up the gilded gold frame… A man smiled up at her… light hair just slightly darker then Troy's slightly graying at the sides, big brown eyes, and light silver glasses which almost hid his crows feet; Troy's mischievous grin plastered across his face, his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman… her dark brown hair hung over her shoulders, her light blue eyes smiled up at her from brown plastic frames… This is what parents are supposed to look like… she thought to herself.

She returned the frame and glanced quickly at an old family photo, probably from a vacation… The same two people were standing in back, the man in a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt the woman in a straw hat… in front of them a girl, probably 15 or so, her dark hair on top of her head in a bun a lay draped around her neck. Gabriella then focused on a 16 year old Troy… basically the same as he was now…just a little more awkward, his arm in a mock headlock around the girl's neck… Gabriella laughed and ignored the thought that slide through her mind… We grew up so different…

She squealed when Troy's deep voice spoke from behind the chair, "Come on I'm not that dorky…"

She giggled and replaced the picture, "no no you were actually pretty cute..." she sat forward and stared at him... laughing again at his shocked expression

He grinned, "Is that actually a compliment…"

Gabriella stuck out her tongue, "I was going to say 'what happened'"

Troy pretended to be hurt, but Gabriella continued to laugh, she stood and walked the book shelves that lined Troy's office… she glanced at the titles…Beginner Criminology, Advanced Criminology, Discovering the Criminal mind…

She turned to him with one eyebrow raised, "I'm detecting a pattern,"

Troy nodded, "It helps in my line of work…"

Gabriella glanced at him, "Which is?"

Troy just shrugged and continued to smile…

Gabriella turned back to the shelves and picked up a novel, Blind Ambition…

She flipped it over and read a jacket, "this one looks interesting, never heard of the author T.J. Bradly…"

She absentmindedly flipped through the book pausing at the back cover, There smirking up at her was a picture of Troy… in script T.J. Bradly….

She felt her mouth fall open as she turned to stare at him, Troy sat on his desk and shrugged, "You're not the only one with secrets…"

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Thanks for reading guys… any suggestions? I try to take all construct input into consideration. Thanks again!