Chapter 16 Unnoticed Tenderness
Even though everyone in the Harriman family believed Gabriel was dead, Nicholas felt an inexplicable familiarity at that moment.
"You..." Nicholas hesitated, then asked quietly, "Bro?"
"Yes." After a brief pause, a cool voice came through the phone.
It seemed like Gabriel couldn't speak freely.
Nicholas almost lost his grip on the cell phone. "No way, you're not dead? If you're alive, you need to come back right now. Grandpa is..."
"Now is not the time to return."
Nicholas grew more solemn upon hearing this. "Right, your suspicions were correct. Our uncle must have known you discovered something. That car accident had to be related to him, but brother, your car's safety system is always up to par. How did it suddenly..."
"I know. The car's safety was sabotaged. I took some precautions, but there was indeed a slip-up that led to the brake failure. The car that was supposed to crash into the mountain ended up going off a cliff."
"I went to the crash site that day. It wasn't very good. Hope you weren't maimed..."
Gabriel gave a sly smile. "Next year on the racetrack, let's see if you can still lap me twice."
Nicholas's mouth twitched violently. "Okay, I got it. I won't say anything about the others, but I've got to figure out how to get the message to Michael."
For a professional race car driver, being lapped not once but twice by his brother was nothing short of a massive humiliation.
There was a moment of silence on Gabriel's end, with no reply.
Nicholas didn't know what situation his brother was currently in and asked quickly, "Where are you? I can come and help you move to a different place?"
"No need, hang up." The response finally came, cool and detached, followed by the sound of a phone line being disconnected.
Nicholas was left speechless. Anyone observing Gabriel might assume he wasn't fleeing for his life, but instead relaxing in a serene hideaway. He declined assistance in relocating to a more comfortable spot.
Nicholas stepped out of the hospital room. He'd been afraid Michael's vision might be blurred due to his illness, so he wouldn't be able to see Nicholas's mouth clearly. He stood right in front of him and made the hand signals he and Gabriel had used as kids, sending a message that was clearly understood.
His brother's call could not have been more timely. As long as Michael was fine, the Harriman family's foundation would remain steady despite Gabriel's temporary disappearance.
Hurricanes often tormented summers in Xyleria.
It was thundering outside at night. Gabriel was resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard the sound of the bedroom door being gently pushed open.
Only the bedside lamp was on in the bedroom. He quickly glanced over and saw Danielle standing at the door, clutching her white teddy bear, her eyes red and puffy.
"The thunder is so loud outside; I'm scared to sleep alone," said Danielle in a sad voice.
Seeing her bare feet on the cold floor, Gabriel furrowed his brow slightly and sat up. "Why are you barefoot? Come here."
Danielle immediately ran over with her white teddy bear, climbed to the bedside, then struggled to pull herself up. Once she managed it, she squeezed in right next to Gabriel.
"Isn't Mom with you?" Seeing the little one as if she had just cried, Gabriel gently stroked her head with a tenderness even he could not detect in his voice.
Danielle sniffed, "Mommy usually sleeps with me, but the thunder was so loud, and when I woke up, Mommy was gone."
Hearing this, Gabriel got up and took a look around. Indeed, Jessica was nowhere to be seen.
With the weather as it was and it being so late, the child must have fallen asleep before Jessica had to rush out for some urgent matter.
Gabriel returned to the bedroom to find Danielle sitting on the edge of the bed with red eyes, giving him a look that clearly said she wanted to sleep there, not wanting to go back alone to her room.
