Chapter 260
Slap!
The slap that interrupted him echoed down the hallway.
“Do you believe your damn fool words could bring down your family’s entire business?” Teresa hissed at him, a chill radiating from her that hadn’t been felt before.
Brian, unfazed by the slap, simply touched his cheek and let out a scornful chuckle. “Teresa, your nerves show. Are you scared that Gabriel’s time is running short?”
“I had considered telling you to get lost, Brian, but now, I’ve had a change of heart.” Teresa’s voice was a cold, low laugh. “I’ll make sure you learn what regret feels like.” With those final words, she turned to leave.
“Teresa, wait!” Brian called out, reaching to grab her arm.
“Don’t touch me!” Teresa snapped. She broke free from his grasp and turned around, glaring at him with contempt.
“Teresa, I heard that Gabriel’s illness requires a bone marrow transplant to be cured once and for all. Do you know who’s a match for him?” Despite Teresa’s visible anger, Brian remained smug, his voice laced with a deceptive smile.
Teresa didn’t want to utter another word to him, her eyes boring into him with silent fury.
“Me.” With Teresa silent, Brian couldn’t help but proudly reveal the answer himself.
In top-tier elite families, heirs like Gabriel were well-protected from birth. To prevent any potential health issues, some families may test every family member to see who could be a match to each other—whether it is for blood type, bone marrow, or even major organs like kidneys or livers.
After all, a person could function with just one healthy kidney and part of the liver could be removed if necessary.
If one family member ever faces a severe health problem, then there are ready options to be considered when it comes to saving a life, as long as consent is given.
So, when Gabriel was diagnosed with lymphoma the night before, Katherine had called her mother, and the news had quickly reached Brian.
‘Brian’s bone marrow matched Gabriel’s? That meant Brian could donate his bone marrow for the transplant.’ Staring at Brian, Teresa’s eyes widened with surprise.
“You never expected that, did you?” Brian gloated at her shock, “Therefore, in the future, you’d better treat me well. Otherwise, you’ll just have to watch Gabriel die.”
“Brian, what do you want?” Teresa asked, striving to keep her composure.
Brian’s mother was Katherine’s younger sister, so the possibility of his marrow matching Gabriel’s was not out of the question. Teresa had no reason to doubt his claim.
“Heh...” Brian’s laugh was cunning and flirtatious as he leaned in closer, his voice a low murmur, “You’ll find out in time what I want.”
Facing him, Teresa remained motionless, not showing any resistance or disgust out of fear that upsetting Brian might lead him to refuse the possible life-saving transplant for Gabriel.
“Good. I hope we can get along well from now on.”
“Definitely.” Brian smiled, lifting his hand and blowing a kiss Teresa’s way before turning and walking away.
Teresa shuddered as she watched his smug figure leave.
...
Gabriel’s first treatment cycle was one week.
After class, Teresa headed straight to the hospital. By the time she arrived, Gabriel had already finished his treatment for the day and was sitting at his desk working on a video conference.
Gabriel’s ward was customed, complete with office equipment and every convenience of home. For the next week, it would be their temporary residence as they lived there together.
Teresa walked in and saw him in the middle of his meeting. Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly poured a cup of water and carried it over.
As Gabriel took the cup from her, his other arm swept around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, causing Teresa to make a surprised sound. Aware that multiple sets of eyes were watching them on the video call, she quickly shut her mouth, pushed herself off Gabriel, and walked away. Grabbing a book, she settled into a nearby sofa to read.
With her doctoral exams approaching, she had less than three months to prepare. It was crunch time.
Gabriel, unbothered by the reactions of the participants on the video call, just smiled at her dedication and continued his meeting.
When the meeting ended, he closed his laptop and approached Teresa. Without a word, he scooped her up, sat down with her in his arms, and held her close.
“Hey, remember you’re the patient here, with an IV still in your arm. Be careful, will you?” Teresa chided, once fully aware of her position, in his embrace. She playfully punched him, then checked the IV site for any issues.
“All right, sweetheart. I’ll be more careful next time,” Gabriel said placatingly, gently kissing her ear. “Did you miss me while you were at work?”
After making sure his IV site was fine, Teresa gave him a stern look. “Feeling any discomfort from today’s treatment?”
“Yes,” Gabriel replied, his dark eyes intensely focused on hers.
“Where is it?” she asked, instantly worried, ready to inspect him for any issues.
However, before she could move, Gabriel wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her close, whispering in a low voice as he teased the delicate edge of her ear, “Sweetheart, haven’t you noticed? It’s an unbearable kind of longing.”
Teresa could only smile disapprovingly. “You’re impossible,” she muttered.
“By the way, did you...?” Teresa hesitated, which made Gabriel nuzzle her neck, urging her to continue with a husky voice. “What?”
Teresa trembled under his teasing touch, her words fading away. Instead, she cradled Gabriel’s face with both hands, switching from passive to active as she kissed him.
