Chapter 112 Time to Delete Twitter
[Teresa, have you seen the Twitter post on Nebula Consumer Products' official page today?] The message buzzed in Theresa's pocket as she was playing with Croissant. Extracting her phone, she saw it was from Hayden in their message group with Diana.
[I'll check out what news Nebula's page dropped. Be right back!] Diana quickly chimed in.
Teresa's brow furrowed as she launched Twitter and searched for Nebula's official page. "Well, well, Gabriel. So, this is your move?" she mused silently upon seeing the post.
In just under an hour, the post had amassed over a million likes and comments, with most of them clamoring for the "Goddess", "Queen" to make an appearance.
Her phone buzzed again; Diana had sent a string of clapping emojis.
[Teresa, you must be the one Gabriel cherishes most in his life, right?] Hayden had always suspected Teresa and Gabriel had a connection, further bolstered by Croissant's slight resemblance to Gabriel and now Diana's suggestive emojis. The conclusion seemed clear.
With Hayden's guess out in the open, and Diana already in the know, Teresa no longer saw a point in hiding the truth in their group chat.
[Oh my god, you've really played your cards close to the vest. Why did you hold back at lunch when Dakota came looking for a fight? You could've crushed her!] Diana added.
[Exactly, Teresa. Look at how Gabriel, your hubby, dotes on you. You should have just squashed Dakota and shown her what Mrs. Garcia is all about!] Diana teased, stirring the pot.
Teresa sent a string of ellipses, falling silent, while Hayden and Diana hijacked the chat, plotting Dakota's downfall on her behalf. Observing this on her screen, Teresa couldn't help but chuckle, at least until she felt a penetrating gaze on her back, almost melting her with its intensity.
Suddenly turning around, Teresa caught sight of a man standing there, his presence nearly ghost-like, as he too was peering at her screen, his smile enigmatic and faintly eerie. She hurriedly pocketed her phone.
"What's the deal with Nebula’s official page on Twitter?" Teresa asked, her features falling into a frown as she addressed the man.
Circling the sofa, he sat down beside her, feigning ignorance with earnest, "What do you mean? I have no idea."
"Then you better check it out yourself," urged Teresa.
"Alright, I'll take a look," Gabriel replied, smiling as he retrieved his phone and opened Twitter. After a brief inspection, he looked indignant, "That Finley, when did he start taking things into his own hands? I'm docking his entire bonus this month."
Her eyes on him, Teresa silently commiserated with Finley.
But what was done was done; everyone had seen it. Fortunately, they hadn’t mentioned her by name but just threw Dakota some eggs on her face. Perhaps, she thought, it wasn't worth fussing over.
"Sweetheart, now that your besties know we're married, don't you think it's time to let my buddies...?" he started.
"No way!" Teresa cut him off before he could finish, "Not until the house at Foxglove Fields is renovated and I’ve moved in."
Gabriel fell silent. Clearly, he needed to expedite the Foxglove Fields mansion’s renovations.
...
"Whoa! Gabriel got hitched again? With whom?" Kyle messaged Aaron immediately upon seeing the news reposted from Nebula’s official page.
Aaron, currently on a blind date, pressured upon him by his family, one with a wealthy heiress from a neighboring city, had zero interest; he found her unattractive and dull, not at all his type.
So, when Kyle's message popped up, Aaron was more than happy to ditch the date and dive into his phone for some distraction.
Scrolling through the official page of Nebula, his brow furrowed at the statement that greeted him.
First off, the stunt Dakota pulled was just plain dumb. They'd grown up together, how could she still not get a read on Gabriel's true character?
Second, Gabriel had tied the knot with Teresa already? Aaron was genuinely taken aback by the news.
In fact, at Cynthia’s birthday party that night, it was obvious even to him; Teresa and Liam were over and most likely, she was with Gabriel now. There was an undeniable awkwardness between Gabriel and Liam throughout the evening.
"So, who else but Teresa?" Aaron texted back to Kyle after reading the post.
"Dude! Gabriel's serious this time? How long's this gonna last?" Kyle texted, clearly incredulous.
"The corporate homepage made the announcement, what do you think?" Aaron replied cryptically.
It seemed the allure of his phone trumped his company, as the woman sitting with Aaron noticed his relentless gaze upon the screen, sparing not even a peripheral glance her way. Without hesitation, she grabbed her purse, and dropped the barb, "Seems your phone's got more charm than I do. Won't keep you from it. Bye," and gracefully got up to leave.
Lifting his eyes from the phone, Aaron watched the woman stride past him, speechless.
Damn, she's got a temper, he thought.
...
Teresa felt that she and Gabriel were pretty much a normal couple by now. Even sharing the same bed at night didn't seem like a big deal anymore. After all, they'd been intimate, and she wasn't worried about Gabriel treating her poorly or abandoning her in the future.
But the fear was still there, lingering in her mind. The shadow of their first time seemed impossible to chase away.
So, after having dinner with the Garcia family and staying until past eight in the evening, she still brought Croissant back to her family home, the Bennett’s house.
"Honey, can I stay over, please?" Gabriel pleaded with puppy-dog eyes after they arrived back at the Bennett's.
Teresa gave him a teasing look. "If you wanted to stay, why bother bringing me back here? I could've stayed at your place, right?"
"Heh..." Gabriel let out a rueful chuckle, bowing his head slightly. "Then tomorrow night, stay at my family home. If you don't like it, we can go to my apartment."
