Chapter 12
"What are you doing here?!" Gabriel whisper-yelled the moment they stepped into his office, shutting the door firmly behind them.
Before Nicole could even open her mouth to answer, he cut her off sharply.
"How did you even get here in the first place?"
She looked at him like the answer should have been obvious.
"Isn't it obvious? Your chauffeur brought me here. And, oh, by the way-your chauffeur is good-looking. You have quite a good taste when it comes to hiring."
Her casual tone only succeeded in infuriating Gabriel even more. She was smiling, complimenting his employee, while he was standing there barely holding onto his patience.
"Why are you here?" he demanded again, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached.
"I only came to thank you for the credit card," she said brightly, her voice filled with excitement, "and also to show you this new dress I got. I wanted to know if you liked it."
"And you thought it was best to come to my office?" Gabriel asked, running a hand through his hair as he struggled to keep his anger in check.
"I was excited, okay?" Nicole replied, pouting slightly. "I didn't know you'd react this way."
Gabriel stared at her in disbelief.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door. Gabriel straightened immediately.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened and his secretary stepped inside.
"Sir, I came to inform you that the meeting will be starting in ten minutes."
"Thank you. You may go now," Gabriel replied curtly.
As soon as the door shut behind her, he turned back to Nicole, his expression cold and firm.
"We'll talk about this when I get home," he said sternly.
"But you still haven't complimented my dress," Nicole said, her tone light despite the tension.
Gabriel shot her a warning look.
"Fine," she huffed. "I'll leave."
She walked out of the office, annoyance written all over her face, but it faded quickly once she stepped outside.
Nicole felt disappointed with herself.
What was she thinking? That he would welcome her with open arms and tell her how beautiful she was? She felt foolish for ever imagining something like that. With a heavy heart, she returned home, sadness weighing on her chest.
Gabriel returned home that night and went straight to Nicole's bedroom, his anger from earlier still simmering beneath the surface.
"What was the meaning of the stunt you pulled in my company today?!" he yelled, no longer bothering to hold himself back.
Nicole looked up in surprise, startled by both his sudden appearance and his raised voice.
"Could you please knock the next time you want to come in here?" she said calmly, though her heart was racing.
"Stop changing the subject, Nicole!" he shouted.
"I'm not changing anything!" she snapped back, raising her voice as well. "I already told you why I came to your office!"
She paused, took a deep breath, and then continued more steadily.
"Look, I don't want to argue with you. It's too early for that. I honestly have no idea why you're so upset about this. You asked me to act as your fiancée, and I don't think you were implying that I should only act like your fiancée inside this house."
Nicole was right, and Gabriel knew it. Sooner or later, he was going to have to appear in public with her. He should have thanked her, not lashed out at her the way he had.
She slowly walked toward him, closing the distance between them, and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, okay?" she said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Her closeness made Gabriel suddenly aware of what she was wearing-a short, red, sexy nightwear that clung to her perfectly.
He wasn't wrong when he thought she had good taste in fashion.
Gabriel let himself relax under her touch, his anger slowly melting away.
"By the way," he murmured, his voice barely audible, "you looked beautiful today."
Nicole's face instantly lit up at his words. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, hugging him with clear happiness.
"Thanks for the credit card," she said into the hug.
A week had passed since Nicole moved into the mansion. Determined not to feel lonely in such a large house, she spent her days touring New York. She visited places she had always dreamed of seeing but never could before-places that once felt unreachable because of money and class.
Nicole was starting to feel comfortable in the mansion, even though Gabriel still acted rigid and distant around her. He was difficult to understand, but she wasn't ready to give up on him just yet.
That morning, Gabriel and Nicole were seated in the dining room having breakfast. Nicole was struggling to eat the vegetable salad placed in front of her. It wasn't that she didn't eat vegetable salad-she did-but not this often.
Gosh, Gabriel was really serious about her diet.
She noticed that he hadn't left early for work like he usually did, which made her curious. Once Gabriel finished his breakfast, he stood up, preparing to leave.
"Hey, wait!" Nicole said, folding her arms. "Are you leaving without saying goodbye?"
"Not yet," he replied. "I need to get something from my study."
As soon as he left the dining room, Nicole saw her chance. She quickly asked the maids to take the salad away and bring the muffins and donuts she had asked them to bake earlier.
She was still eating her first donut when Gabriel returned.
"Where is your breakfast?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nicole looked up at him with puppy eyes, silently begging him to understand that she needed a little sweetness in her life. Unfortunately, he remained standing there, waiting for an answer.
"I'm sorry?" she said innocently after swallowing the last piece of donut in her hand.
"You're going to work out every pound you gain under my watch," he said, trying to sound angry, even though he wasn't-at least not entirely.
"I will. I promise," she replied. "But not in your presence."
She reached for another donut, this one covered in chocolate.
"I'm leaving," Gabriel said.
Nicole immediately dropped the donut and stood up, walking toward him. She was about to do something daring-like giving him a goodbye kiss-especially since the maids were still present in the dining room.
Just then, her phone rang.
She mentally groaned in annoyance.
Perfect timing.
Nicole glanced at the caller ID and saw Rick's name.
"It's a friend," she said guiltily to Gabriel.
Seeing Rick's name made her realize she hadn't told her friends where she was, and they were probably worried sick.
Gabriel glanced around the dining room to make sure the maids weren't watching.
"Don't say a word about this to anyone," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
She nodded, waved him goodbye, and hurried upstairs to her room to take the call.