Chapter 158
"Heh... Please, no formalities, just Russell," he said with amusement, "Gabriel's upstairs. Come with me," Russell gestured politely and led the way.
Teresa nodded and strode confidently toward the villa.
Kyle's villa was grand, and despite the approaching nightfall, it was lit up like day and abuzz with festivities. Laughter and playful shouts from men and women filled the air, making it difficult to imagine any unpleasantness lurking inside.
The partygoers had been in high spirits, but when Teresa entered, all eyes turned to her as they had for Gabriel, hush gossips spreading quickly among them.
However, Teresa's heart was set on finding Gabriel, and she wasn't in the mood to pay attention to the murmurs. Guided by Russell, she walked straight through the crowd and into the elevator without a sideways glance.
"Wow, she's truly Gabriel's wife, got that same aura, walking around like she's on top of the world," Teresa stepped into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, everyone exploded into gossip.
"Of course, she's got that Garcia-like quality. And with Gabriel doting on her like he does, did you see that? Russell didn't even fawn over Gabriel the way he does with her."
"The Bennett family is rising high these days. Teresa is a knockout with a top-notch education. She’s a favorite among her college students, teaching with such finesse, adored by all, not someone whose world revolves around shopping sprees. She’s confident, and why should she settle for any less than she deserves?"
"But I noticed Teresa seemed in a rush. Do you think something happened upstairs?"
"All the River North bad boys are up there; what could possibly go wrong? Relax, have a drink, and stop worrying."
They shrugged it off and went back to their revelry.
Teresa arrived on the third floor and bolted from the elevator the moment the doors opened.
“Gab...”
“Honey!”
As Teresa burst out, calling for him, Gabriel emerged from nowhere, pulling her into his fiercely warm embrace.
“Gabriel, are you okay?” Teresa’s disheveled heart found tranquility in his familiar loving scent. Unexpectedly emotional, she looked up from his arms, concern etched on her face.
Captivated by his wife's worried gaze, Gabriel's handsome face crumpled with discomfort. His deep dark eyes were aflame with intensity, spilling over as he leaned down and passionately claimed her lips, his voice gravelly, "Sweetheart, I feel awful."
“What have you done this time? Can't you ever save me some trouble?" Teresa looked at him, flushed yet unusually lucid, annoyance mixed with her indignation as she punched him playfully.
“Honey, you can't blame me for this. This woman here tried to seduce me, she slipped something into my drink," Gabriel explained, glancing briefly at Helen who was on the ground.
From a short distance, Liam and the others were watching Gabriel, who was clinging to Teresa like a big baby, and they were taken aback.
Damn! Was this the leader of their crew? The same Gabriel who used to never give a woman a second glance? Where did that guy go?
Before Teresa, the sight of Gabriel was simply... an eyesore!
Following Gabriel's gaze, Teresa caught sight of Helen slumped weakly on the floor, and a flash of anger instantly sparked in her eyes.
Without a word, she charged towards Helen and, with a swift motion, her hand landed a resounding slap across Helen's face.
"Smack!" The sound crisply echoed throughout the living room, leaving everyone, especially Liam, in shock. He couldn't fathom that Teresa would lash out so violently over Gabriel, striking another woman who looked so pitiful.
It was clear that Teresa had truly fallen for Gabriel and cared deeply about him.
"And you think you can sleep with my husband?!" Teresa sneered at the tearful Helen, her tone dripping with dominance, "Go tell all the other sleazy women with your filthy thoughts to lure him openly; if you can snatch him from me, that's a real skill I'll respect."
Gabriel stood behind Teresa, watching her with a focused gaze, absorbing her assertive words. Only heaven knew how thrilled and satisfied he was at that moment.
The second her words ended, Gabriel strode forward and effortlessly scooped her into his arms in one swift move.
"Ah!" Teresa gasped, lifted off the ground, "Gabriel, what are you doing?"
"Sweetheart, I can't wait any longer, now I need to..." Gabriel carried her toward the bedroom before she could respond, his head lowering to plant a kiss on her lips.
Kyle and Aaron stood there speechless.
Liam watched their figures quickly vanish from his view, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. Then, he picked up the glass before him and downed it in one gulp...
...
"Ugh... Gabriel, you cad, you absolute jerk, get off of me, leave me alone!"
After being tossed and turned for hours, Teresa felt she no longer owned a single part of her body. And that infuriating man was still there, his head nestled on her chest, showing signs he wasn't finished.
She was filled with regret, wondering why she had hurried over to let herself go through this. Plenty of women wanted to sleep with him; let them have him! Why did she have to suffer this punishment?
"Sweetheart, did I hurt you?" Gabriel lifted his head, leaning in for another kiss.
Teresa reacted quickly, her hand covering his mouth, "Of course, it hurts, don't be absurd. My whole body aches, now get off!"
"Let me see," Gabriel said, rolling off of her to check her body for any injuries.
"Back off, don't touch me!" Teresa snapped, kicking him away. "Ugh... Gabriel, you jerk, you did this on purpose, didn't you? You drank that spiked drink and waited for me to come over just to take advantage of me, didn't you?"
"No!" Gabriel, propped up against the headboard, drew the tearful woman into his embrace, and tenderly kissed her forehead, "Babe, I swear, I had no idea the drink was spiked before I took a sip."
"You troublemaker," Teresa seethed, feeling sore all over, "Next time you get into a mess, don't come crying to me."
"Okay, I promise it won't happen again." With one arm wrapped tightly around her, Gabriel used his other hand to gently wipe away a tear trickling down her cheek, and then kissed the corner of her eye. "If this ever happens again, I’ll deal with the consequences myself. I won't let you suffer like this."
