Chapter 82
"Yes, the meeting is over. Mrs. Garcia, would you like to join me for lunch at the office?" he asked, buoyed by the thought.
"I’ve already made other plans. You should get back to work. Bye," Teresa ended the call without waiting for a response.
On the other end, Gabriel stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in his top-floor Capital Construction office, the disconnect tone beeping in his ear, and he stood there feeling an indescribable mix of emotions...
Teresa was typically discreet and had been abroad for several years, so as she strolled through the foreign language school, although she caught many a glance, no one recognized her to stop and disturb her reprieve.
By the time she reached the entrance of the campus cafeteria, it was precisely half-past noon and Terry was already there waiting for her. Seeing Teresa, he waved excitedly, prompting her to jog over pleasantly. They chatted and laughed as they entered the cafeteria together, got in line, and selected their food.
The food in the cafeteria tasted just as Teresa remembered — not particularly delicious, but not bad either. The key was reliving memories over a meal with an old college mate.
Meanwhile, Gabriel's secretary had just brought his lunch into his office. As Gabriel picked up his spoon, Teresa flashed across his mind, and he immediately summoned Finley Sackler.
"Who's Teresa having lunch with?" Gabriel inquired, his food going tasteless as he awaited the reply.
"Uh..." Sackler hesitated under his boss's stare.
"Speak!" Gabriel demanded coldly, cutting to the chase with a single word.
"Terry. Mrs. Gabriel's college mate," Sackler reported promptly.
"Terry?!" Gabriel's brow furrowed instantly. "A guy?!"
"Yes, a man, and one you've met, Sir. He was the one who supported Mrs. Gabriel three years ago at the Teresa Pavilion when she puked all over you," Sackler explained.
His memory was impeccable, not a detail out of place.
After reporting, Sackler kept his head low, yet he could still sense the palpable drop in the temperature of the spacious office.
Suddenly, Sackler had an urge to slap himself. Why did he have to be so brutally honest? Would omitting the details have killed him?
"Did you get that card I asked for this morning?" Unsurprisingly, Gabriel's voice was tinged with a cold tone when he spoke again.
"It's ready," Sackler said hurriedly, producing a black supplementary credit card that featured no pre-set spending limit and extending it toward Gabriel.
"Deliver it to my wife."
"Now?" Sackler looked up at Gabriel in surprise.
Hadn't they agreed it could wait until tomorrow morning?
"Yes, now, immediately," Gabriel's tone was even deeper and colder.
"Yes, Sir."
...
Over lunch, Teresa was truly enjoying herself, almost as if she had returned to her carefree college days.
After Teresa and Terry finished their meal in the cafeteria and were heading towards the German studies office, a black Mercedes came to a halt a few meters away from them, and then the door swung open.
Teresa glanced over without much interest, only to catch sight of Finley Sackler stepping out of the car.
Why him again?
At that moment, Teresa wished she could just vanish into thin air or hide under a rock to escape Finley Sackler's notice.
"What's wrong, Teresa?" Terry asked, noticing her distress.
"Oh... it's nothing, I just need to hit the restroom. Let's hurry." Saying this, Teresa quickened her pace.
"Mrs. Garcia!" But, to her dismay, as soon as she picked up her speed, Finley Sackler's booming voice called out from a few meters away and he started jogging towards her.
Gabriel had sent him at this very moment to deliver a black card, his intentions couldn't be clearer. As Gabriel's confidant, the only person who had witnessed firsthand the dismal journey of Gabriel's courtship, there was no way Finley Sackler could misunderstand.
Hearing that loud "Mrs. Garcia," Teresa felt a sinking feeling.
Clearly, it was too late to run away, so she stopped, turned around, and took a resentful glare at Finley Sackler.
Terry also turned his gaze to Finley Sackler upon hearing the call of "Mrs. Garcia," and seeing Teresa's reaction.
"What do you want this time, Finley Sackler?" Teresa asked before he could speak, as he approached.
"Ah, Mrs. Garcia, did you enjoy your lunch? It's Gabriel who sent me to deliver something," Finley Sackler responded with a cheeky grin, trying to appease her evident annoyance.
Mrs. Garcia?
Terry, standing next to Teresa, alternated between looking at Finley Sackler and Teresa, completely baffled.
Teresa, feeling truly irritated, lowered her voice and asked, "Finley Sackler, is this on purpose? Oh no, it's not you, it's Gabriel who's doing this on purpose, isn't it?"
"Oh, don't mind me, Mrs. Garcia," Finley Sackler said, presenting a black card trimmed with gold that signified exclusivity, "Gabriel is just worried you're being too frugal. So he sent me to deliver this card to you. With this, you can buy anything you want."
Teresa could've exploded with irritation, but she composed herself quickly and asked, "Can I use this any amount I want, as many times a day as I please?"
Finley Sackler nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Garcia, Gabriel said you just feel free to use it!"
Teresa glared at him, teeth clenched, and snatched the card from his hand, "Alright, go tell Gabriel that I'm going straight out to buy a Boeing 747."
A Boeing 747.
Finley gulped at the thought. Several hundred million dollars, at the very least.
"Well... if that's really what you want, Mrs. Garcia," he grinned nervously.
Teresa stuffed the black card into her purse without another word and waved him off, "I've got the card; you can go now."
"Do you need a ride anywhere, Mrs. Garcia?" Finley asked, still grinning.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" Teresa snapped, her patience worn thin.
"Of course, I'm leaving. I won't bother you any further." He left with one last chuckle.
Once he was gone, Terry finally snapped back to reality and, slightly pale, asked Teresa, "Teresa... Did you... get married?"
With a gentle smile, Teresa nodded, "Yeah, we registered the marriage a couple of days ago."
"That’s..." Terry forced a smile, hiding his discomfort, "That's wonderful news! Why haven't you mentioned it in our community?"
