Chapter 116 Is the baby Gabriel's?
"We've heard that while studying abroad, you had a child. Is your son Gabriel's? Have you two been together for years?"
"Teresa, it's rumored that you and Unity Lewis are not only classmates but also good friends. Gabriel has publicly referred to his marriage with Unity as a mistake. Does this 'mistake' have anything to do with you?"
Surrounded by the press, Teresa found herself at the center of an inescapable crowd, bombarded with one question after another, unable to move forward or back.
Realizing escape was futile and her affiliation with Gabriel already exposed, she decided it was better to confront the situation with poise rather than endure the awkwardness.
"Teresa, should I call someone for backup?" Terry asked, protectively standing by her side.
Teresa looked up at him, shook her head, and said, "No need, I can handle this."
With that, Teresa stepped forward from where Terry stood, her gaze bright, clear, and filled with quiet confidence. She met the eyes of everyone around her with a disarming smile and calmly admitted, "Yes, I am Teresa. And you're right; Patrick Bennett, the CEO of Bennett Group, is indeed my father."
"Teresa, are you and Nebula's CEO, Gabriel, officially married? Do you have the certificate to prove it?" a reporter pressed eagerly.
With poised confidence and a captivating smile, Teresa nodded, "Oh yes, didn't Nebula's official page on Twitter announce it a couple of days ago? Don’t you think that an official account is credible? Or perhaps there's a suspicion that Gabriel's account was hacked and someone spouted nonsense on Twitter yesterday."
As Teresa was fielding questions from the press, on the outskirts of the crowd, three black vehicles pulled up. Gabriel, window rolled down, listened to Teresa acknowledge her status as Mrs. Garcia with composure and ease. A smile curled his lips, a flutter of joy inside him like never before.
It felt like he was a little boy who managed to steal his first kiss from his beloved Teresa.
"Teresa, when did you and Gabriel tie the knot, and do you have a son already?" another journalist quickly followed up as soon as Teresa finished speaking.
"I'm afraid I can't comment on that," Teresa replied.
"Look, it's Gabriel, Gabriel's here!" someone suddenly shouted as Teresa's voice trailed off.
With that exclamation, everyone looked up and rushed towards the trio of black vehicles coming to a stop, and the man emerging from the lead Rolls Royce. The crowd surged forward, all clamoring to get a glimpse of Gabriel.
As Gabriel exited his car, a dozen bodyguards from the trailing SUVs sprang into action, forming two protective lines.
Teresa was unyielding, her eyes lifting to meet Gabriel's gaze as he stepped out of the vehicle. The depths of his eyes were filled with tenderness and elation, making it nearly impossible for her to resist rolling her eyes at him.
This guy was doing it on purpose, letting her reveal her own status just so he could publicly acknowledge her as Mrs. Garcia.
Terry, standing next to Teresa, watched Gabriel arrive with such a distinguished and incomparable presence, and felt his heart sink entirely.
With Gabriel as Teresa's husband, there was no chance she'd ever give him a second glance.
"Gabriel, are you here to pick Teresa up from work?" a reporter managed to make their way to Gabriel and asked with palpable excitement.
The reporters scrambled over, questions at the ready, when Gabriel's piercing gaze, sharp as a hawk's, finally ripped away from Teresa. With an imperious air accentuated by his resonant, baritone voice, he corrected them coldly, "Let me correct you. She’s Mrs. Garcia now. I'm here to pick up my wife from work."
At his words, Gabriel strode towards Teresa with a purposeful gait. Onlookers parted like the Red Sea, instinctively clearing a path for him to reach her unhindered.
"My dear," Gabriel said as he approached, stretching out his long arms to pull Teresa into an embrace. A coy smile flickered across his lips as he looked down at her, an endearing nickname leaving his lips.
Teresa looked up at him, her smile radiant and tinged with tenderness, a gesture of cooperation amidst the flock of watchful reporters.
"Gabriel, when did you and Mrs. Garcia become an item, and when did you get married?" a journalist inquired.
"Gabriel, was your marriage to Mrs. Garcia a shotgun wedding?"
"Gabriel..."
"I believe my wife has provided you with all the necessary answers," Gabriel interjected before the third reporter could even get a word in. His tone was sharp, his gaze a flash of lightning. “As for the rest, like my wife, I have nothing further to add."
Gabriel's expression hardened, and the crowd felt the tension, too intimidated to ask any more questions. The cameras, however, didn't stop; they kept snapping away at him and Teresa.
"Terry, I appreciate you taking care of my wife. We should have dinner sometime," Gabriel said, with a polite nod and a half-smile to Terry standing nearby.
"I've known Teresa for ages, it was the least I could do," Terry returned with a courteous chuckle.
"Let's go, darling," Gabriel turned back to Teresa, his voice and eyes instantly softening.
"Okay," Teresa agreed, then turned to Terry, "Thanks, Terry, I'll be off now. See you tomorrow."
"Sure thing, see you tomorrow!"
With a final, fleeting glance at Terry and a casual smile, Gabriel wrapped his arm around Teresa and escorted her away. They got into the car while a line of towering bodyguards stood at the ready, none of the reporters daring enough to block their way, only chasing after them for more photos.
