Chapter 105
"Come on, little one, let's send Mommy a message, okay?" Gabriel lifted the tot, nodded at Teresa's profile picture on the messaging app, and pressed down to record.
Just the night before, after some persistent coaxing, Teresa had accepted his friend request, and finally, he was on her contact list.
"Okay!" The little one agreed cheerfully, speaking into the phone, "Mommy, where are you? I’m all tired out."
As soon as the voice message was finished, Gabriel sent it off.
"Hey." But no sooner had the message been sent than Teresa appeared, striding forward, snatching the kid from Gabriel's arms, and heading straight to the elevator.
She was nearly late for her meeting with Hayden and Diana and had to leave.
"Honey,..." Gabriel started to say.
"Stop! Don't talk to me," Teresa’s icy voice cut him off as he tried to follow.
But after she spoke, Teresa was surprised by her own tone and attitude.
Wasn't she not supposed to mind, not supposed to be angry? Besides, their affair was from over three years ago; what was there for her to be angry about?
Watching her unmistakably angered demeanor, the corner of Gabriel's lips curled almost imperceptibly, and he reached out his long arm, capturing her in his embrace.
Teresa shot him a sidelong glance, remaining silent and not struggling, repeatedly telling herself inwardly, "Don't get mad. It's not worth getting upset over this jerk."
The pair continued in silence, riding the elevator down to the underground parking garage.
"Stop following me," Teresa instructed firmly as she handed the little tyke over to Victoria, motioning for her to put the child in the car. Turning to the man beside her, she fixed him with a glare, "And don't show your face around me for the rest of the day."
Gabriel watched her with a smile, teasing, "Are you mad?"
Mad?!
"Hmph..." Teresa let out a scoff laced with ambiguous meaning, then spun around, climbed into the car, and with a solid slam of the door, signaled to the driver to take off.
Gabriel stood there, watching the car pull away, the pleased curve of his lips widening, “Teresa really is mad, perfect!”
As Teresa buckled her seat-belt, she couldn't help but look back, catching sight of the man still standing there, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. She was speechless.
It seemed her irritation, spurred by Dakota's words, had somehow pleased him. “Come on, Teresa, show some backbone!” she chided herself silently, pinching her own thigh fiercely.
No, she decided, she wasn't mad. Not in the slightest.
She had arranged to meet Hayden and Diana at a high-end private club owned by the Bennett family, a garden-style establishment with a membership policy, ensuring privacy and tranquility. It was perfect for letting her son have fun freely and safely amongst the lush surroundings.
Teresa arrived a few minutes early. Hayden was already there, but Diana had yet to arrive.
"Teresa, is this...?" Hayden's eyes widened in shock as Teresa walked in with a child, the resemblance between them was unmistakable.
"My son," Teresa introduced with grace and a smile, lifting the kid into her arms, “Honey, this is Hayden."
"Hi, Hayden, I'm Michael. You're so pretty," the little one called out with a crisp, endearing voice.
"Oh my goodness, your son is adorable, looks just like you," Hayden exclaimed joyfully, her eyes shining as she gazed at Dakota.
Back then, her own child, nearly five months along, a boy too, had been taken from her. Now, looking at little Michael, Hayden's smile was full of love, but her heart was equally filled with pain and guilt.
If her child were still alive...
Teresa chuckled, “Thanks, I didn't realize you were such a kid person."
"Who's the father? You're not already married, are you?" Hayden blurted, a question popping into her head.
Teresa smiled shyly and looked down, "I'll tell you about that... someday."
Seeing Teresa was reluctant to talk about it, Hayden didn't press further. She didn't ask any more questions; instead, she shifted her focus to playing with Croissant.
Teresa was genuinely surprised. The esteemed Hayden Bush was so down-to-earth, so fond of kids. Croissant was in stitches laughing with her.
Before long, Diana arrived, and after Teresa introduced her, Hayden reached out with a warm smile and said, "A friend of Teresa's is a friend of mine." Diana was flattered beyond words.
After all, Hayden was not just a high-society girl who knew nothing but leisure; she was the deputy CEO and CFO of Bush Group, frequently gracing television, news, and magazines. Being considered a sincere friend by someone of Hayden's stature was truly astonishing for Diana.
Once they were all there, they enjoyed eating, conversing, and playing with the little one. After they finished their meal, Victoria who was sitting next to Teresa, took Croissant for a play around the club, leaving the three women to carry on their talk.
Though Teresa and Diana hadn't known Hayden well before, sincerity could pave the way for true friendship.
"I can't believe it, Teresa, you're such a brainiac, fluent in so many languages. German is like Greek to me; teach me sometime!" Hayden exclaimed, impressed upon learning that Teresa and Diana were both graduate students from Jena University.
