Chapter 254 Self-Control Will Permanently Fail on You
Jessica was speechless.
She suddenly grabbed a pillow and forcefully pressed it against his face, pinning him down on the bed as if she wanted to smother him to death, and angrily said, "So what if my period is gone? I'm still sick!"
Gabriel pushed the pillow off his face and didn't rush to get up. Seeing her fierce expression, he sighed with a smile. "I can't help myself. My self-control, which I always pride myself on, seems to permanently fail around you."
Half an hour later.
Jessica had been feeling sleepy earlier, but now, she couldn't fall asleep. Taking advantage of Gabriel getting up to take a call from his company in the study, she lay down for a bit longer before getting up to take a shower.
The bathtub in Gabriel's bedroom was extremely large and comfortable.
Luckily, the company's call came just in time. Otherwise, they might have delved deeper into the topic of whether her period was over and if he could still control himself.
After soaking in the bath for a while, Jessica felt much more relaxed and comfortable.
Probably because her fever had finally subsided, she had eaten something during the day, and Gabriel kept reminding her to drink water, she was in pretty good shape. After changing into the nightgown Caroline had brought over sometime today, she didn't have the energy to blow-dry her hair. Since there was no women's hair-drying wrap here, she wrapped her hair in a dry towel.
When she left the bedroom, she noticed the lights were on. Curious, she clapped her hands, and the lights went out. Another clap, and they came back on.
Sure enough, all the lights here were voice-activated, except for the wall lamps beside the bed.
Jessica curiously clapped a few times near the floor lamp by the sofa, finding it wasn't voice-activated. However, there seemed to be some touch-screen buttons on the cabinet by the door, which were not easily noticeable. They controlled various electronic devices, including the floor lamp.
After wandering around the living room, she found that although the place was large, there were no extra guest bedrooms.
She suddenly noticed a walk-in closet next door.
She had never seen a man's walk-in closet before and curiously pushed the door open, clapping her hands to turn on the light. Inside, the closet wasn't full. Gabriel didn't have a habit of collecting unnecessary clothes, but there were still quite a few. All were shirts and suits in cool, sharp colors like black, gray, white, or a very sophisticated linen brown.
Ties, bow ties, and cufflinks were in a very expensive and exquisite box. Carefully pulling open the drawer beneath the box, she saw several high-end watches.
Opening another cabinet door, she found some casual sportswear and men's T-shirts, mostly sporty and casual styles. She hadn't seen him wear them, but just imagining it, she could guess how good he would look in them.
Walking into the closet, she suddenly realized that Gabriel was the CEO of Harriman Group. Everything in the closet was what a top-tier elite would need, with strict requirements for what to wear on different occasions.
But he never fussed over these things. For example, despite having several multimillion-dollar luxury cars in his company's parking lot, he preferred driving his Bentley.
Jessica was forming a clearer and stronger impression of Gabriel in her mind. This man was extraordinary in every way, always attracting attention wherever he went. He was aloof and indifferent but also calm and composed, low-key and reserved.
Jessica picked up a delicate cufflink and looked at the brand.
When she was in the M Country, she worked part-time at a high-end suit tailoring center. An old designer there, who specialized in expensive cufflinks, was very fond of her. Although she didn't study design and knew nothing about it, he had taught her some cufflink-making techniques in his spare time. She had tried making some and was praised by the old designer, who regretted that she hadn't studied fashion design.
Jessica indeed had no interest in it and never had the time or energy to learn. But making cufflinks was something she could do.
Looking at the cufflinks, she felt that Gabriel didn't lack these things. After a moment, she gently put them down.
She probably wouldn't have the chance to use that skill again.
After leaving the walk-in closet, she clapped her hands to turn off the light. Glancing in the direction of the study, she saw the door was ajar, and she could occasionally hear someone reporting in a video conference. Gabriel's cold responses could be heard from time to time.
Since Danielle was also sick, and she was sick too, they had to avoid cross-infection and couldn't go back to the 31st floor.
But Jessica was extremely bored now.
She went into the kitchen to find an apple to munch on but discovered many fresh fruits in the fridge, mostly rich in vitamin C, suitable for her, a patient with a cold.
Even though Gabriel was in good health, taking care of her like this and kissing and hugging her, what if he got infected?
Maybe eating more oranges and grapefruits to supplement vitamin C would help.
With nothing else to do, she took out a fresh grapefruit and started peeling it in the kitchen.
Peeling a grapefruit was really time-consuming. After finally peeling a few clean segments, she took out a fruit plate from the cabinet and carefully arranged them. Then she cut a particularly delicious-looking orange and placed it in the center. Seeing fresh cherries and blueberries in the fridge, she quickly washed them and arranged them beautifully on the plate before carrying it out, satisfied.
In the study, Gabriel was analyzing the progress and changes of a project on his laptop. Jessica could vaguely hear words like data, planning, project, improvement, and some business-related financial analysis terms. After listening for a while and feeling it wasn't anything she couldn't hear, she lightly knocked on the study door and walked in.
She thought Gabriel's study would be arranged similarly to the one on the 31st floor, with the computer facing sideways.
Not paying attention to the direction of the laptop on his desk, she walked over with the fruit plate and whispered, "I was bored and peeled a grapefruit. I can't finish it myself, so help me eat some."
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked over to Gabriel's side to put down the fruit plate but suddenly froze. Looking up, she saw Gabriel's laptop screen. Because of her approach, the video camera at the top center of the screen was facing her.
Jessica's every move was clearly seen by the dozen or so high-level executives of Harriman Group in the video conference. The previously serious and tense atmosphere instantly filled with astonishment.
Jessica couldn't dodge in time but quickly stepped aside. Gabriel, however, remained calm and just glanced at her without any intention of explaining to the people on the other end. He asked, "Why aren't you sleeping? Are you feeling okay?"
The top executives on the other end were completely stunned.
What had Gabriel done before joining the video conference?
Why was she not feeling okay?
Could the usually abstinent and cold Gabriel have such an explosive moment?
