Chapter 188 She Could Not Imagine What Lay Ahead
That evening, while Gabriel was on a video conference, Teresa settled in with Croissant. After Croissant had drifted off to sleep, she quickly showered and climbed into bed, scrolling through her phone until she, too, drifted into slumber.
However, she was abruptly roused from her deep sleep by someone's persistent nudging.
"Gabriel, I'm dead tired. Can't we skip a night?" she mumbled groggily, pushing against him while half-complaining.
"Honey, I can't help it; I just crave you," Gabriel insisted, his burning kisses raining down unrestrained on Teresa's skin.
"You've gotta show some self-control, even if you can’t help it. If you indulge too much, it's gonna wear us both out," she protested, her hands cradling his head to stop him. She looked up at him, determination replacing her nearly gone weariness and said, "From now on, we have to take a break every other day. No more rolling every night."
Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle at her choice of words as he wrapped his arms around Teresa, leaning in to kiss her deeply, "Babe, what do you mean by ‘rolling‘?"
"I mean it," she retorted, "If we do it one day, we're taking the next off. No arguments, or else you're sleeping alone. And if you push it, I'll hide."
"Did Mom say something to you this afternoon?" Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her, his suspicion evident.
He had seen Katherine carrying snacks upstairs earlier that day.
"Even if Mom did say something, it's for your own good. Are you telling me you won't listen to either of the women in this house?" Teresa pouted.
Gabriel simply smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, "Don't worry, we're moving in a couple of days, and then you'll be the only woman in the house."
Teresa put her hand over his mouth, "If you don't agree, I'm not moving. I'm staying in this mansion."
He gazed at her with a smirk, raising a finger, "So it's one day on, one day off, right?"
"Exactly." Teresa nodded seriously.
"Got it," he said.
"You're agreeing?" Teresa brightened.
"Yeah, I agree," Gabriel nodded, lying back and pulling her into his embrace, serious-faced, "One day on, one day off. But who says we can't make up for lost time the following day?"
"Gabriel," you..." Teresa's words were cut short as Gabriel pressed a finger against her lips. "Babe, time to sleep," he whispered and promptly flicked off the bedside lamp.
"You're such a jerk, a scoundrel!" she protested in the dark.
"Sweetheart, if that's what you think, then that's what I am; no matter what, I'm all yours," Gabriel replied with a low chuckle.
Teresa scowled at him, her resentment building in the shadows. What an arrogant man, believing he can just...
...
The next day, Friday, after finishing her lectures at school, Teresa planned to have dinner with Diana. She noticed that Diana had been unusually quiet lately in their chat group. Once the chattiest one, Diana was now silent unless directly mentioned or tagged by her or Hayden.
Years of friendship had given Teresa a razor-sharp intuition about Diana, and she sensed something was up. Perhaps it was even related to Diana's abrupt decision not to pursue a career in foreign service after all.
As Teresa made her way to dinner, piecing things together, she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was troubling Diana had something to do with Liam.
It was late November approaching December. By 6 p.m., the night had already cast a deep shroud over the city, and the glittering city lights were all ablaze.
Teresa was early for their reservation at the restaurant, so she asked the server to delay their food until Diana could get there. She sent Diana a brief text to let her know she had arrived after the waiter left.
On the other end, Diana read the message while stuck in traffic and replied that she'd be about 10 minutes late. But as soon as her message was sent, another popped up from Liam.
She tapped open the message: "Still at the office? I left a copy of the investment proposal on my desk. If it's not too much trouble, could you bring it to my apartment?" Added was the precise address of Liam's place.
His request was polite, more a favor between friends than a boss's command.
"I'm still here, no problem, I'll bring it over," Diana typed back without a second's hesitation, even though she was close to where she'd agreed to meet Teresa. She instructed the cabbie to make a U-turn.
Sitting in the cab, watching the driver pivot back toward the office, a wave of emotions started swelling uncontrollably within Diana.
More than two weeks had passed since their last private moment together, and during that time Liam and she had continued to maintain a silent understanding; none of them ever brought up that day again. Their relationship reverted to business as usual, albeit frequently Liam's behavior toward her was more akin to that of a friend than a supervisor, distinguished by a kind attentiveness.
Diana's heart, however, thrummed with uncertainty. Was this attentiveness because of Teresa, or was it directed at her personally?
In reality, she didn't need to personally deliver the investment proposal to Liam's apartment. She didn’t believe that his place didn't even have a printer, and it wouldn't have been a big deal for him to print another copy himself.
Yet, he hadn't done that. Instead, he chose to have her bring it over to his apartment.
What did that mean?
Was it possible...
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