Chapter 312 Gabriel Suddenly Kicked the Door Open
Nicholas couldn't stop laughing. "Grandpa Michael's really with it. He sends me a ton of old-people emojis, even when there's no reason."
"Uh-huh," Michael showed off.
Gabriel chuckled. "How come I never get any?"
Michael's face turned serious. "You never added me as a friend!"
Nicholas pulled out his phone to show Gabriel the emojis Michael usually sent him.
He leaned in close and whispered, "The old man even sends me voice messages singing opera, saying it's something new he learned and asking for my opinion. I don't know anything about opera, so what can I say?"
Michael perked up. "Gabriel, why don't you add me as a friend today?"
Gabriel shrugged. "I don't use that app."
Nicholas, looking smug, put his phone away.
Michael already knew Gabriel used it. Nicholas had even shown him Gabriel's profile picture before.
"Even I, an old man, know more about trends than you do. What kind of young person are you?" He gave Gabriel a disapproving look but didn't call him out.
Gabriel just nodded, letting the topic slide.
Kimberly, who hadn't spoken in a while, suddenly said, "Gabriel, do you want to use WhatsApp? I can help you set it up."
Just then, Gabriel's phone vibrated. Ignoring Kimberly, he checked his phone. A message from Jessica popped up on WhatsApp.
Jessica: [Radiant Pearl Hotel, come save me!]
All eyes were on Gabriel as his usual calm demeanor vanished. A chill seemed to settle over the room as he, with an icy expression, made a show of calling Jessica right in front of the Harriman family.
The call was cut off after just two rings.
The screen still showed Jessica's message.
Gabriel looked up. "Sorry, something urgent came up."
Michael looked confused. Nicholas, standing next to Gabriel, saw the message and mouthed "Jessica" to Michael.
Michael quickly waved his hand. "Go, quickly."
Before anyone could say more, Gabriel had already left the room.
His tall, slender figure disappeared into the night just as the lights in the Harriman family's front yard came on.
---
Jessica's stomach burned from the alcohol. Cherry still had her phone and wouldn't give it back. With no way to call for help, she had to think of a way to save herself.
She used the excuse of going to the bathroom, but Cherry followed her and waited outside the door.
Jessica threw up, rinsed her mouth, and washed her face before being dragged back to the private room by Cherry, who didn't give her any chance to slip away.
What on earth happened to Cynthia? So much time had passed, but she still hadn't come.
Jessica's stomach hurt terribly. The executives in front of her kept pouring drinks. This was purely a drinking session, and it was uncertain if they would move to another venue afterward.
She knew there was nothing wrong with the drinks, but even so, she couldn't handle drinking so much.
Jessica's phone vibrated twice more before Cherry turned it off. The phone lay quietly on the table, completely silent.
The glass in front of her was filled again and again. Mr. Smith, now drunk, got up and stood next to Jessica, leaning down to half-embrace her shoulder, insisting she drink with him.
Jessica smiled and tried to avoid Mr. Smith's arm, not picking up her glass. She politely said, "Mr. Smith, you have a lovely wife at home. I wouldn't dare make such a joke."
Cherry, however, chimed in, "Since you said it's a joke, what's the harm? Drink up. Everyone's having such a good time tonight. Being so reserved is a buzzkill, right?"
Jessica still didn't pick up her glass. With her shoulder already being held, she decided to "accidentally" knock over the glass to spill it on herself, using it as an excuse to go to the bathroom to clean up.
But just as she raised her hand, Mr. Smith's face suddenly came down, trying to get close to hers. Feeling disgusted, Jessica instinctively resisted more strongly, successfully knocking over the glass and spilling the drink on herself. She pretended to cry out softly, but before she could stand up, the door to the private room suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
A sudden commotion at the door startled everyone inside. Before they could get a good look, Mr. Smith, who'd just neared Jessica, tripped and tumbled into a chair. Jessica, drenched in alcohol, turned to see who it was. Her vision was blurry from the alcohol, and she could barely stay upright.
Gabriel helped her stand up. She almost collapsed into his arms, her steps unsteady. Gabriel pulled her into his embrace, draping his coat over her. His cold gaze swept over the now-frightened people in the room, finally settling on Mr. Smith, who was cursing and trying to stand up.
Because of Gabriel's sudden entrance, the executives and managers, though drunk, recognized him. Seeing Jessica in his arms, they instantly realized they had messed with the wrong person and fell silent. The once lively room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Cherry didn't recognize Gabriel. Though sensing something was wrong, she still unhappily said, "We haven't finished drinking yet. What's going on?"
Just then, she heard someone next to her whisper, "Mr. Harriman."
She froze and thought in her heart, 'Mr. Harriman?'
'The rumors circulating in the circle weren't just gossip?'
Cherry quickly looked over. Even though Gabriel's gaze wasn't on her, his cold profile was enough to send chills down her spine.
"Are you blind? It's just a drink. How dare you pull me?" Mr. Smith, still drunk, staggered to his feet and started to curse. But when he met Gabriel's icy gaze, he froze, rubbed his eyes, and stood there in shock.
Jessica felt a sense of safety in Gabriel's presence. Fueled by the alcohol, she didn't care if others were around. She wrapped her arms around Gabriel's neck, weakly clinging to him and whispering, "If you hadn't come, I would've been done for."
Gabriel didn't push her away. He held her tight, his gaze deceptively calm, but his voice cut like a blade."Drinking?"
