Chapter 79
"I told you no, I'm having lunch with Diana. Don't bother me," Teresa said without hesitation, refusing outright.
On the other end, Gabriel sat in the CEO's office of Nebula Consumer Products, a set of pricey diamond jewelry he planned to give Teresa during lunch lying in front of him.
Hearing Teresa's refusal, he couldn't help but smile, "It's fine, the three of us can eat together."
"Not a good idea, some other time. Bye," Teresa said, ending the call quickly to avoid further discussion.
"You hang up on Gabriel like that? You do realize he’s the young master of both Capital Construction and Nebula Consumer Products?" Diana asked in surprise as she watched Teresa disconnect the call.
Teresa was at a loss for words. "How should I be treating him then?" she replied.
Diana furrowed her brow in thought, "You're right. After all, he's put you through, and now he's got a catch like you for a wife and a smart, adorable son. No way should he get off easy."
Just then, they pulled up in front of the Teresa Pavilion and parked the car. They got out and made their way inside.
Being the owner of the restaurant, they felt right at home and enjoyed a leisurely meal. What Teresa didn't expect was to be interrupted mid-laughter and conversation by someone knocking and walking in.
Assuming it was the restaurant manager, she was caught off guard when it turned out not to be.
"Ma'am, I'm Gabriel's assistant, Finley Sackler. You remember me?" Finley approached Teresa with a respectful, ingratiating smile.
Gabriel had come into the office that day in an unusually good mood, treating all his subordinates with a rare kindness that had him smiling from ear to ear.
A day like this was unheard of.
"Oh, Mr. Sackler," Teresa acknowledged with a nod. "What brings you here?"
Finley Sackler, the man who had bought her contraceptives, was not forgotten by Teresa who now questioned whether the pills he'd purchased back then were fakes, given she ended up with Croissant despite taking them.
"Just a small matter, Gabriel sent me to deliver a gift to you, ma'am," Finley said, presenting a sleek black velvet box to Teresa with utmost reverence.
The sizeable, perfectly square velvet box left little to the imagination; anyone could guess it held a complete set of jewelry.
Diana, seated across from Teresa, glanced at Finley and the velvet box he was holding, then back at Teresa, her lips curving into a smile.
How lucky could one get?
Teresa examined the jewelry box, a suspicion suddenly dawning on her. "How did you know I was here?"
"Ah," Finley chuckled, "Finding someone in River North is quite easy for Gabriel, especially when it's someone as dear to him as you are."
Teresa, momentarily lost for words, took the velvet box. "Well, thanks for the gift, Mr. Sackler," she said, choosing to leave the matter there.
"Oh please, you're too kind," Finley Sackler said with a pleasing grin, "It's my duty to take care of things for Gabriel and you, ma'am. If there's anything you need in the future, just give the word. I'll bend over backward to get it done for you."
Teresa nodded, "Alright, you can go handle your business now."
"Of course, ma'am, Diana, please continue to enjoy your meal," Finley Sackler said with a smile, courteously leaving the room and gently closing the door behind him.
The moment Sackler left, Diana chuckled with amusement. "Finley Sackler, such a charmer, so polite and proper — how come he's such a suck-up?"
Teresa just shook her head, indicating she had no idea.
"Oh, I know," Diana said with a knowing smile as she reached for the black velvet box in front of Teresa, "It's because his boss Gabriel cares about you so much." She teased as she began to open the box, "Let's see what's inside, maybe it's..."
But as the box snapped open, revealing an array of dazzling diamonds, Diana was struck speechless, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Lying silently within the box was a set of diamond jewelry including a necklace, a bracelet, earrings, and a ring. The key thing was that each diamond on both the necklace and the bracelet was an iceberg.
Usually, a single stone that size would be incredibly valuable.
This... This whole jewelry box, Diana estimated, must contain no small number of diamonds, each one a gem of the highest quality, with impeccable clarity and brilliance, flawless through and through. The price tag on such a collection had to be astronomical.
"What's wrong?" Teresa, noting Diana's reaction, glanced down into the box, and then... she was at a loss for words too.
Goodness, the Garcia family and Gabriel were on a whole different level of extravagance!
Last night, she had signed all that paperwork, estimating its worth to be considerable.
"Teresa, Gabriel's being unbelievably generous with you!" Diana gasped after she recovered from her initial shock, her expression a mix of awe and near tears as if the jewelry set was meant for her.
"Maybe it's just because we've just signed the certificate, he's in high spirits, feeling generous. I bet it won't last," Teresa responded calmly, truthfully believing that was the case.
"Even so, just this jewelry alone could support an average person's needs for a lifetime," Diana said with extreme delight, admiring the pieces from the box.
Seeing the joy in her eyes, she would have gifted Diana that necklace in a heartbeat if it hadn't been from Gabriel.
But honestly, the thing looked pricey. Even if she offered, Diana would probably turn it down without a second thought.
"Well," Teresa said and took a hearty swig of her juice. "If Gabriel wants to do so, who am I to say no?"
After all, Gabriel hadn't bothered her with any prenup drama. What's his was hers, wasn’t it?
"Teresa, I'm like, green with envy here," Diana confessed, clutching that pendant.
Teresa pushed a dish of steak towards her. "C'mon. Eat your feelings."
Diana rolled her eyes at Teresa but complied, taking the dish.
...
That afternoon, Teresa got a call straight from the department head of the German Studies at the School of Foreign Languages of Northern River University. They were wondering if she was interested in teaching there.
Teresa was no stranger to Northern River University. Graduated top of her class from the Foreign Languages program, and she had left quite the impression. Couple that with the hefty donations the Bennetts had made to the school, plus her shiny double master's degrees from Jena University, and she had got a recipe for an easy in.
Teaching at Northern River had never crossed her mind.
Still, with months to go before the diplomatic service exams, and William insisting the family business didn't need her touch, what would she do? Jump into company waters without a clue? That wasn't happening.
So, for the next few months, her calendar was wide open.
After mulling it over, she replied, "How about this? I have a couple of trial lectures, and if all goes well, I'll cover the German classes for now. When you find someone more permanent, I'll make my exit."
"Absolutely, Teresa. Don't worry. Once you ace that diplomatic exam, we won't hold you back," the department head assured her.
"Great, thanks. When's best for those trial lectures?"
"How about tomorrow afternoon? I'll have one of our advisors fill you in on the details shortly."
"Perfect." Teresa agreed and then hung up. Her phone started ringing almost immediately after. To her surprise, it was a call from Terry.
Terry was a schoolmate of hers, and they had gotten along well during their four years at the university. Following graduation, Terry stayed at the university, though Teresa wasn't quite sure in what capacity, as her years abroad had her too occupied to keep up with old classmates' whereabouts or their exact job positions.
Once she got through on the phone, it turned out that Terry was the department's academic advisor. Naturally, two old pals catching up after a long time had plenty to chat about.
After talking for a good ten minutes or so, Terry finally shared the details of Teresa's trial lecture, scheduled for two o'clock the following afternoon.
"Teresa, how about we grab lunch together tomorrow? You'll be on campus anyway, and it'll be convenient," he suggested, having finished discussing the official matters.
Teresa frowned slightly, pondering the idea, "You know, it's been ages since I've had a meal at the campus cafeteria. I kind of miss it. So, let's meet tomorrow at twelve-thirty by the entrance of the cafeteria."
