Chapter 203
Her finger hesitated, then tapped open Gabriel's icon. She started typing, "When are you going back?" but before she could finish the word "back," she paused. Recalling everything that had happened between them since yesterday afternoon, she reluctantly deleted the message, exited the app, and put her phone away.
After that, she closed her eyes for a brief second, took a deep breath, then shut down her computer, gathered her things, and clocked out for the day.
However, as she grabbed her purse, she turned off the lights at the office door, and cast a glance back into the room, she noticed a flicker of red light beneath a petal of the fully bloomed lily on her desk.
A red light underneath the petals? Impossible.
Curiosity piqued, Teresa flicked the lights back on and headed towards her desk to investigate.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered a small black object, tinier than her fingertip, stuck with transparent tape beneath the petal.
It was oddly familiar... A tiny camera!
A hidden camera in her office?
Who would do such a thing? And why place a camera in her office?
She thought back to the strange feeling she and Terry had experienced after lunch today, which led to the improbable entanglement that transpired in her office. Is there a connection?
Without making a sound, Teresa quickly turned off the lights again, locked the office door, and left without looking back.
Exiting the office building, she got into her car and drove straight to the Garcia family mansion.
Despite her harsh last words with Gabriel, she was thankful for the security his bodyguards provided around her; that was somewhat reassuring.
Someone had planted a camera in her office, evidently with ill intentions. She couldn't fathom who it might be, but she was determined to find out.
Frowning in thought, she pulled out her cell phone and messaged William.
While she held a grudge against William over some issues involving Hayden, she couldn't turn to Gabriel for anything, especially not now. In these moments, she had to rely on William, her brother.
On the other end, William was still busy with work when he got Teresa's message. His brows furrowed slightly as he responded, "Why not talk to Gabriel? How long do you plan to stay mad?"
"If you trust me, don't tell Gabriel about this. Help me figure it out," Teresa swiftly replied.
William furrowed his brows as he read the text message on his phone, pausing thoughtfully before replying, "Alright, but keep your temper in check. Don't go overboard. Gabriel doesn't want you to become a diplomat. It's not out of malice; he just wants you by his side every day."
Teresa bit her lip as she read William's response, taking a deep breath without sending another word, and tucked her phone away.
...
"Mommy."
Upon returning to the Garcia house, little Michael spotted Teresa and toddled towards her with giggles, his short legs carrying him as fast as they could.
"My boy." Teresa had missed her child terribly after nearly two days apart and showered him with kisses as she scooped him up.
Michael's chubby hands clutched her face, his giggles turning into loud smooches, leaving her cheeks wet with drool.
"Katherine," Teresa called out as Katherine approached.
"Hey!" Katherine responded warmly, then peered behind her, "Where's Gabriel? Didn't he come back with you?"
The mention of Gabriel cast a shadow across Teresa's eyes. She forced a smile and said, "He must be busy, so I didn't ask him to come."
"Oh, go freshen up and change, dinner will be ready soon. I'll give Gabriel a call," Katherine said, unaffected by Teresa's mood, and nodded smilingly.
"Okay," Teresa agreed, carrying Michael upstairs as Katherine dialed Gabriel's number.
On the other end, Gabriel was sitting in his CEO's office at the top of the Nebula’s skyscraper, with a few cold medicine pills and a cup of water left undisturbed next to him..
Ever since his return from the university, he had become unusually silent, shut away in his office, relentlessly tackling work non-stop. Four to five hours had passed, and he hadn't uttered a single word, not even when Finley came in to report on business matters; Gabriel didn't lift his head or say a word.
After finishing his report to a mute Gabriel, Finley stood perplexed for a moment before retreating silently from the office.
Finley figured this behavior from Gabriel was likely due to an unpleasant meeting with Teresa at the language school earlier that day.
Other than Teresa, nobody else could cause Gabriel to become so withdrawn, refusing to speak a word all afternoon, doing nothing but burying himself in his work relentlessly.
Realizing that Gabriel had not even had lunch, by 7 p.m., Skylar took the initiative and ordered some light and tasty meals for him and brought them to his office.
“Knock Knock...”
Standing at the doorstep of his office, Skylar knocked, but there was no response from Gabriel, who seemed completely absorbed in his documents, his head down, not acknowledging her presence.
