Chapter 13 Is Gabriel the Pretty Boy?
The thunderous knocking didn't cease, clearly signaling that Mackenzie was angry.
Jessica couldn't comprehend whether Mackenzie had found out something or if something else had happened. But not phoning and instead storming up to knock indicated it might be the former.
"Jessica, hurry up and open the door!"
Hearing the sound change from knocking to almost banging, Jessica looked at Gabriel, who was sitting serenely on the bed, and said, annoyantly, "Can you hide somewhere?"
"Is it a relative from your daughter's father's side?" Gabriel asked.
"No, it's my boss," Jessica said without going into details, hastily moving toward him to help him up. "Just cooperate, please. I've done you a huge favor; you can't let me down now. If my boss finds a man in my apartment, she'll fire me!"
"Does your boss need to control your personal life?" Gabriel asked, his expression cooling due to the aggressive door-banging outside. He didn't think Jessica seemed like the type to be pushed around by her boss.
"Oh, come on, just hide for a bit!" implored Jessica, dragging him up. The apartment was small, with few places to hide, so she pulled him into the bathroom. She slid open the frosted glass door that separated the wet and dry areas, ushered him inside, then quickly shut the door and rushed to answer the insistent banging at her front door.
The moment the door swung open, Jessica didn't get a chance to utter a word before Mackenzie, with a frosty demeanor, pushed past her and stormed in. Dropping her handbag and rolling up her sleeves, Mackenzie announced, "It took you long enough to answer the door. I'm here to see where you've hidden your pretty boy!"
Jessica was taken aback and said nothing. Seeing Mackenzie's genuine suspicion, Jessica thought that any attempt to stop her might only increase her doubts. So she stood by the door and watched Mackenzie search. "What was it you said? What are you looking for exactly?"
Mackenzie had briefly checked each room and, noticing Jessica was still standing by the door, stared at her intently before asking, "Didn't you buy a bunch of stuff for a man earlier today? There's only you and Danielle living here, no men. Why did you buy those things?"
Jessica maintained her position at the door, meeting Mackenzie's penetrating gaze, "Well, I had Caroline come over to help take care of Danielle. She has a son who's about to start school here in Xyleria. Before he finds a place to stay, it's only right to let him stay here for a few days. Caroline was too embarrassed to impose, so she refused to stay. I decided to go ahead and buy her son's things in advance so she wouldn't have any reason not to bring him over instead of staying elsewhere."
As luck would have it, Jessica's nanny did indeed have a son of such an age.
Mackenzie glanced sideways toward the master bedroom and saw the newly purchased items by the bed. The label was still attached to the homeware that had yet to be tried on. Her face visibly softened.
Seeing the change in Mackenzie's demeanor, Jessica approached to explain further, but Mackenzie suddenly stepped into the main bedroom and asked without expression, "And where's the white teddy bear that was on the bed?"
"I put it in Danielle's room. She's been wanting to sleep with it lately."
Mackenzie cast a quick look at her, "I saw two pillows on Danielle's little bed. Didn't you start having her sleep on her own a while ago?"
"The other day, she accidentally switched to a horror film while watching TV and got scared. She's afraid to sleep alone. ever since, so I've been sleeping with her this past week." Jessica explained.
Mackenzie let out a sarcastic laugh, "Come on, you've been raising Danielle by yourself for years. I often visit and know exactly how things are in this house."
