Chapter 98
"Hey, honey," Gabriel sauntered into the room with a grin.
"Don't you come in. Get out!" Teresa’s smile fell instantly as she glared at him.
"Why is Mommy mad at Daddy?" The little one looked sympathetically at the man. "Daddy's not wearing clothes, so bare and pitiful."
"Yeah, honey, look, even our little munchkin thinks Daddy's had a rough time. Can we let bygones be bygones?" Gabriel's long arms reached out in an attempt to wrap around Teresa's waist.
Sharply, Teresa slapped his hand away before he could touch her, chiding him, "Take care of the kiddo, I'm off to freshen up and change."
Then, Teresa plunked the child back into his arms.
With the little one in his embrace, Gabriel's face lit up with joy as he playfully saluted, "Aye aye, my queen."
Rolling her eyes without a word, Teresa headed for the bathroom.
"Daddy, why do you call Mommy 'my queen'?" the child said in confusion, staring at Gabriel's utterly submissive expression.
"Sweetheart, referring to Mommy as 'my queen' means both Daddy and you need to listen to her. We can't make her mad; she's the boss of the house," Gabriel explained earnestly, settling down on the couch with the child.
"Ohh..." The child's eyes gleamed with understanding as he nodded, "Then I'll call Mommy 'my queen' too, and we'll both follow her lead."
Gabriel had no words. Kids these days are quite a handful!
Teresa was swift; she returned from the bathroom and headed straight to the walk-in closet.
Walking into her closet, she was stunned.
Rows upon rows dedicated to her belongings took up two-thirds of the enormous space, displaying only the season's fashion.
What a fast fashion!
Then again, considering Katherine's jaw-dropping jewelry collection, Teresa felt her array of couture and accessories paled in comparison.
In a flash, Teresa slipped into an outfit and walked back out.
On the bedroom sofa, the two were engaged in what seemed like a lively debate, chattering animatedly.
Gabriel really was in top shape. Not an ounce of excess weight on him; even while lounging, his abs were distinctly defined, and the rest of him, well, was equally impressive.
"Enjoy looking at my physique?" Gabriel asked with a sly grin, noticing her appraisal.
"Cheeky!" Teresa scolded him with a glare, striding over to scoop up the child, "Come on, sweetheart, let's head downstairs."
"My queen, are we going to leave Daddy and not wait for him?" The child nodded, wrapping his little arms around Teresa's neck.
My queen?!
Teresa shot the man a sidelong glance, a wry smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, "No need to wait for him. It's not like he's a baby."
The little guy nodded vigorously, "Yes, I will listen to my queen."
Teresa was at a loss for words.
She cast another look at the man and then scooped up her son, turning to leave.
Gabriel watched them with an elated grin.
...
Today was Friday, and Teresa had a morning off, but she faced two long sessions back-to-back in the afternoon.
After breakfast at the Garcias', Teresa and Gabriel took Croissant and headed to the hospital to visit Patrick and Sophia.
Patrick appeared to be getting better and will likely be released in a week.
These past few days, Sophia had been by his side day and night in the hospital. Now that Patrick was getting better and moving freely, she could finally take a breather and handle her affairs, no longer needing to keep vigil every night.
After spending over half an hour in Patrick's room, he and Sophia urged them to leave, not wanting to keep Gabriel from his work.
Teresa also needed to swing by the Bennetts' to grab some things for her afternoon lectures, so they all left together.
"Should I take the little one with me to the office?" Gabriel asked as they stepped out of the elevator with the boy in tow.
Teresa certainly wouldn't be going; she headed straight for the car with her son and drove back to the Bennetts', leaving Gabriel alone on the sidewalk as she sped away.
Gabriel chuckled to himself and got into another car.
Back at the Bennetts', with Victoria there, Teresa didn't need to worry a bit.
At lunch, as she was about to feed the little one, Finley Sackler popped up again.
No need to guess; he was there on Gabriel's behalf to bring a gift.
A daily gesture, a good “habit” indeed!
"What's the gift today?" Teresa asked while settling Croissant into his high chair.
With a smile, Finley Sackler respectfully extended an envelope toward Teresa. "Best for you to take a look yourself!"
Teresa took it and peeked inside...
It was a procurement contract for a Boeing 747, the high-end, custom model, no less. A personal private jet priced well over 400 million dollars.
Holy smokes! Gabriel had lost his mind.
"Ha... didn't Madam mention wanting a Boeing 747 of her own? Seeing that you hadn't treated yourself, Boss took the liberty of placing an order for you," Finley Sackler said with a grin, amused by Teresa's stunned expression.
"I was just... joking," Teresa blurted out half-heartedly, as she looked up from the papers to meet Finley's eyes, then hesitated.
If she admitted it was a joke, then Gabriel might never take her words seriously again. A joke... it certainly can't be that.
"Does that mean Gabriel will take care of all the subsequent costs after the jet's customization, too?" She quickly shifted her tone.
"Of course!" Finley Sackler reassured her, trying to ease her mind, "You really needn’t worry, Madam. The aircraft is part of the mutual property after your marriage to Mr. Garcia. And it's actually his first time buying a private jet."
