Chapter 81 Probably a Namesake
After dinner, Teresa headed straight to her room to prepare for tomorrow's trial lecture.
Teaching freshmen was a breeze for her, but making the class engaging and loved by the students was the real challenge.
Fortunately, her years abroad had exposed her to a variety of dynamic instructors, from whom she had learned much.
Immersed in her work, she lost track of time, and before she knew it, it was past ten at night. After finishing her preparations, she packed up her materials, stretched languidly, and realized it was almost 10:30 p.m.
How come Gabriel hadn't brought back Croissant yet?
Immediately, she grabbed her phone to call him.
"Honey." The call connected instantly, and his deep, melodious voice filled her ear.
"Gabriel, where's the little one? Why haven't you brought him back yet?"
On the other end, Gabriel glanced at the child already asleep on the bed, a pleased smile curving his lips, "My mom built a playground for him, and he's having so much fun that he doesn't want to leave."
Teresa was speechless, suspecting he did it on purpose. "Fine then, our little one can stay over there tonight, and I'll pick him up tomorrow afternoon."
Gabriel hadn't expected Teresa would agree with it and quickly added, "Honey, I heard kids their age often wake up at night looking for their mom. What if the baby cries for you? Maybe you should come over?"
Teresa let out a scoff, amused by the clumsiness of the man who could run a multi-thousand-employee company. "Gabriel, you haven't spent a single night with our child in two years, let alone put him to bed. Tonight, spend some quality time with him. If he does wake up, he might not even look for me."
"Honey, I..."
"That's it," Teresa interrupted, stifling a yawn. "I'm beat. I'm off to take a shower and head to bed. Goodnight."
With that, Teresa ended the call before Gabriel could respond. On the other end, Gabriel was left listening to the beeps of the disconnected line.
The next day, while Teresa and William were having breakfast, the housekeeper hurried in, announcing that someone named Finley Sackler had come to see Teresa.
Teresa instructed the housekeeper to let Finley Sackler in.
Soon after, Teresa glanced over at the sound of footsteps, her eyes catching the armful of blue roses and an exquisite little box in Finley's hands. She instantly knew why Finley Sackler was there.
"Mr. Sackler, why do I get the feeling you're Gabriel's errand runner?" Teresa teased with a smile as Finley approached without a word.
"Good morning, Mr. Bennett, Mrs. Garcia," Finley started. "Gabriel had an important meeting this morning and couldn't make it himself, so he sent me to deliver the flowers and gift to you." Finley presented the flowers and the small box with reverence.
Teresa smiled, nodded, and accepted the gifts. She set aside the flowers and opened the little box to reveal its contents — two Maybach keys.
"Mrs. Garcia, this Maybach has been custom-designed for you — with its safety, comfort, and performance. Hope you like it," Finley explained with a smile as Teresa inspected the box.
"Where's the car?" Teresa asked.
"The car's outside."
William, sitting there, couldn't help but curve a sly grin as he looked at the luxury car keys worth several hundred thousand dollars. After gifting top jewelry yesterday, now a luxury car today, Gabriel sure knew how to spoil a woman in the most straightforward way.
"I got it. Tell your boss thanks for me." Since it was offered, why wouldn't she accept it? But then, a thought crossed her mind, and she quickly asked, "In whose name is the car registered? Mine or Gabriel's?"
"It's in your name, of course," Finley responded with a smile.
"Oh." Teresa nodded, flashing a smile back at Finley. "Got it. Thank you."
"Of course. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
She nodded again, watching Finley Sackler take his leave.
"Don't forget to pick out a few appropriate gowns for Cynthia's birthday party tomorrow night." William, having nearly finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and said.
"Sure, will do," Teresa replied, her spirits lifted as she continued enjoying her breakfast.
After finishing her meal, Teresa, along with Beatrice, headed to River North’s finest couture boutique to select a gown.
Sophia and Teresa were regulars at this store. However, having studied abroad for the past few years, Teresa hadn't visited there. Her sudden appearance today meant that her usual custom designs were not immediately available.
But that was alright by Teresa; she wasn't bothered about wearing off-the-rack. Even if she happened to wear the same dress as someone else, with her figure and looks, she was confident she wouldn't be the one feeling embarrassed.
As she stepped out of the dressing room in one of the dresses, a line of at least a dozen assistants awaited her, each holding a different, tastefully designed gown.
"Teresa, these are the latest designs from our chief designer and just finished. They're fresh off the rack, never worn by anyone else. Would you like to try them?" The store manager said with a respectful and welcoming smile.
Teresa considered the dresses with a frown, "You had mentioned earlier that these were already reserved by someone else. What's changed?"
The manager smiled respectfully, explaining, "Indeed, these pieces were reserved. However, the individual just called in to offer them to you instead."
"No, thank you. The one I have on is quite nice." Without a second thought, Teresa refused.
The last thing she wanted was to be indebted to someone for such a favor, especially if that person showed up at the birthday party claiming Teresa was wearing their rejected garments. How would she handle that?
Rather than that, she’d prefer an outfit clash.
The blush pink strapless tulle gown she was wearing now was a good option.
"That’s great if Teresa likes it!" the store manager said with an immediate nod and a smile.
Reaching into her purse for her wallet, Teresa pulled out her credit card and handed it to the clerk. However, the manager stopped her with a smile, "Teresa, someone has already picked up the tab for you."
Teresa’s brow furrowed, and right away, the name Gabriel popped into her mind.
Given that Gabriel had taken care of the bill, she had no objections. She changed back into her clothes, had Beatrice take the gown home, and then made her way to the language school at Northern River University.
She had returned to campus only once during her years abroad, and with no pressing matters today, she planned a stroll through the old stomping grounds where her three years of joyful youth were spent.
She had barely gotten into her car when her phone rang. It was Gabriel.
“Mrs. Garcia, you picked out a dress so quickly?” Gabriel’s pleasant voice came through as the call connected.
“Yeah." Teresa nodded, “Gabriel, you really don’t need to keep tabs on me every second. Rest assured, as long as we are legally husband and wife, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
Gabriel fell silent. What was she even talking about?
"Why only choose one dress? Didn't like the others?" Gabriel said, tactfully steering away from her earlier point.
"Yeah, they weren’t made just for me. I don’t want them," Teresa replied calmly, not missing a beat.
On the other end of the line, Gabriel chuckled softly, "So should I praise my wife for her thriftiness or for her high standards?"
My wife.
The words no longer felt awkward to Teresa.
"Have you finished with your meeting?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Even though it was just a simple inquiry, to Gabriel, it was thrilling.
