Chapter 231
Raising an eyebrow, Gabriel's face was a picture of indulgence. "But I can't control Liam."
"What about Diana then?" Teresa said, her compassion rising at the thought of Diana in distress.
Back in Jena, Diana had experienced betrayal by a boyfriend who cheated on her. Despite breaking it off immediately, she had been deeply hurt.
Teresa wondered how Diana would fare this time, knowing that Liam might not reciprocate her feelings. Would this hurt even more?
"The best I can do," Gabriel offered, "is to introduce her to someone suitable if the chance arises."
Teresa considered his words and finally nodded in agreement.
"Let's sleep, shall we, sweetheart?" Gabriel said, reaching for the floor lamp's remote and turning off the light.
The room was plunged into darkness, and Teresa snuggled closer into Gabriel's embrace, her hand slipping around his trim waist and giving him a playful pinch.
After all, there wasn't much he could do to her at this point.
"You want something? Hmmm—" Quickly, Gabriel captured her hand, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, and kissed her forehead, his smile rich with pleasure, "Don't worry. Once you're fully recovered, I'll make up for all the lost time."
Teresa was speechless.
...
The next day, Diana woke up with a pounding headache.
Glancing around and realizing she was in bed, she tapped her forehead, trying to remember but failing to recall anything.
Could she have made it to bed on her own? But she vividly remembered coming home and chatting on the couch with Teresa.
Right, Teresa.
Quickly, Diana got up and searched for her cell phone.
Sure enough, her phone was on the couch in the living room.
While checking her phone, she found that it was almost ten in the morning. She'd been late for work by an hour.
Rushing into the bathroom, she freshened up while calling her assistant, asking if Liam had been asking for her, and learning he hadn't shown up at the office either, she breathed a sigh of relief.
After getting dressed, she was ready to head out to the office.
But as she reached for her purse on the living room couch, she was shocked to find a disposable paper cup with several cigarette butts in it on the coffee table.
She didn't smoke, nor had she ever brought a man home. How could these items be on her coffee table?
“Diana, are you okay?”
Right then, her cell phone vibrated with a message from Teresa.
Why would Teresa ask her that?
Immediately, she opened her chat with Teresa to review their conversation.
Teresa had already sent a few messages that morning, all concerned about her wellbeing.
Seeing a voice message she'd sent the night before, Diana played it.
In an instant, Diana felt utterly devastated.
Teresa couldn't possibly know, could she?
“I'm fine! About last night.”
Buzz.
As she was about to reply, Teresa's call came in.
She answered without hesitation.
"Diana, you up? Feeling okay?" Teresa's voice came through almost immediately.
"Teresa, I'm fine. I just had a bit too much to drink last night with Liam at a social engagement. Nothing to worry about," Diana reassured her.
"Diana, you didn't pick up my call last night, and I was uneasy. So, Gabriel reached out to Liam to check on you." Teresa had more to say but held back, trusting that Diana would understand.
As Diana listened to Teresa and gazed at the cigarette butts in the paper cup on the coffee table, the pieces fell into place.
"Teresa, I'm okay. Rest assured. I'm heading to work now. You take care, and I'll swing by the hospital after work to see you," Diana said, hanging up before Teresa could respond.
Frowning at the butts in the cup again, Diana knew Liam had left a while ago. The absence of any lingering smoke smell confirmed it.
Given his presence last night and the time spent at her place, did it mean he cared for her?
With a warm rush of feelings, Diana quickly left for her office.
Upon arrival, Liam was yet to show up. She tried to focus on her tasks, but her mind kept wandering.
Knowing Liam had an important meeting at 2 PM, Diana called him around noon under the guise of reminding him and casually inquired about his arrival.
"I'll be there before the meeting," he replied curtly, sparing any extra words.
"Do you want me to grab lunch for you?" she asked, pressing for a bit more interaction.
"No need," he said, and with that, the call ended.
Sitting at her desk, the tone from the disconnected call echoed, chilling her heart.
Although Liam had always treated her strictly professionally outside the bedroom, he had never been this distant.
