Chapter 156
"Oops, my bad... Don't get hot, Gabriel. Once Teresa arrives, I promise I'll bring her straight up," Russell quickly apologized with a cheery demeanor.
"No worries; get back to business," Gabriel casually dismissed, flicking ash from his cigarette before lifting his glass for a sip.
"Got it," Russell said with his usual pep, trotting off, leaving the group to continue their card game and chatter.
But as the conversation went on, Gabriel began to sense something awry within him, a burning sensation as if a fire had been lit inside.
He had felt this before; it was over three years ago, just days after he had returned to the country. That night, someone had spiked his drink with a heavy dose of drugs, and he'd completely lost his head, grabbing Teresa, who had knocked on the wrong door, and wildly rummaged her for four to five hours straight.
His card-playing hand suddenly froze. Gabriel's eyes fixated on the glass that Russell had brought in.
"Gabriel, it's your play!" Kyle looked over, then felt a chill as a murderous look flashed across Gabriel's eyes, and quickly voiced his concern, "What's the matter?"
"The drink's been spiked," Gabriel stated, regaining a composed tone.
The group went silent, frozen in shock.
"Russell, that bonehead..."
"Don't worry, I just had a sip. It's not a big deal." As Kyle was about to furiously stand up and go interrogate Russell, Gabriel swiftly caught his arm.
"Should we hit the hospital, or you want me to call someone to give you a shot?" Aaron asked immediately.
The two ladies looked at Gabriel, slightly bewildered and even more cautious not to blurt out anything at this moment.
Gabriel shook his head. "The drugging probably wasn't Russell's doing. And even if it was, he's being played. Let's turn the tables and have some fun with this."
"How do you want to play it?" Across from him, Liam asked in a light tone.
Gabriel glanced at him, returned a sly smile, dropped his cards, and pulled out his phone...
...
At Northern River University's language academy, Teresa was earnestly lecturing.
After nearly a month of interactions, she had formed a strong bond with the students. Whether their fondness for her was for her lectures or for her as a person, or something else entirely, she didn't mind.
Today's class, however, was a little different than usual.
Teresa would usually silence her phone and stow it in her bag, but today, her muted phone was on the lectern. Every time the screen lit up, she would sneak a peek, ignoring it if the message wasn't important and continuing her teaching.
Midway through the second session, her phone lit up again, a message from Gabriel.
"Honey, someone drugged me, I need you over, hurry."
Glancing at the unexpected message, Teresa's hand, which was operating the mouse, froze. Thinking she had read it wrong, she quickly grabbed her phone, unlocked it, and opened Gabriel's chat.
She had read correctly: Gabriel said he had been drugged.
What's going on? Drugged, again?
Is this just a twisted game the wealthy people play? Getting drugged even at a birthday party?
Recalling the awful aftermath of Liam's drugging incident from days before, Teresa's heart clenched with worry. No need to waste time confirming the truth; she trusted Gabriel wouldn't dare lie about such a matter. So, she quickly briefed the students, assigned some classwork, and then she grabbed her bag and raced out the door.
The moment Teresa burst out of the building, a buzz of speculation erupted among the students. Each one was trying to figure out why she was in such a hurry. Some even wagered bets that she'd be trending again tomorrow. After all, for the past couple of weeks, Teresa and Gabriel were staying on the hot search list, their names barely ever dropping off.
Teresa couldn't care less about the chatter behind her. Once she was out of the building, she dove into her car and urged the driver to step on it, heading for Kyle's villa.
It wasn't until the car pulled away that Teresa finally dialed Gabriel's number.
Over on the other end, Gabriel's phone lay abandoned on the poker table. The moment it vibrated and the screen lit up with the name flashing across, a smirk curled up on Gabriel's lips.
Even though he had only taken a sip, the dosage seemed potent; he was feeling pretty lousy. Still, he was holding on, driven by the belief that he had to wait for Teresa.
"Aren't you going to pick that up, Gabriel?" Aaron asked, noticing Gabriel's intense gaze on the phone and the flush of struggle on his face.
"Would one of you guys mind?" Gabriel asked his three buddies, the hint of a smile still playing on his lips.
"I've got it."
"No, let me do it." As Kyle reached out, Liam was a step ahead, grabbing Gabriel's phone and answering the call.
"Gabriel, how are you feeling? If it's bad, you should head to the hospital right away!" Teresa's voice, full of concern, came through before Liam had a chance to speak.
A heavy feeling sank into Liam's chest as he listened, his eyes dimming for a split second before he replied with subtle weariness, "This isn't Gabriel. Come over quickly; he's waiting for you."
