Chapter 18
Nicole hurried through the mansion, to find the house administrator. Her heart was racing with worry. Gabriel was sick. She needed him to call a doctor immediately to check on Gabriel. She couldn't just wait; she had to make sure he was okay.
Once she had the administrator on it, she returned to the kitchen, instructing the maids to prepare chicken soup for Gabriel.
She lingered for a moment, feeling a strange mix of worry and guilt.
He had been silent ever since that night in his study, and now to see him ill.
.. it made her heart ache in ways she couldn't explain.
About half an hour later, the doctor arrived. He checked Gabriel's temperature, pulse, and vitals. After a thorough examination, he turned to Nicole with a serious look.
"He has a fever," the doctor said calmly. "I'll prescribe some medication. Make sure he takes them exactly as instructed. And he'll need at least a week of rest."
He went ahead and prescribed the medication for Gabriel, and told Nicole how and when they were to be taken. Nicole nodded, taking notes of the instructions. Before leaving, the doctor strictly advised Gabriel not to overexert himself with much work when he eventually gets better.
She thanked the doctor profusely, for his time as he left, and immediately sent one of the maids to fetch the prescribed medication. Then she returned to Gabriel's room, and gently called out to him.
"Gabriel, you need to shower before taking your medicine," she said softly.
He groaned and dragged himself out of bed.
Nicole guided him into the bathroom, helping him undress and running the bath with precise care.
While he bathed, she went into his closet, searching for something comfortable for him to wear.
Her fingers settled on a pair of grey sweatpants and a crisp white T-shirt.
She laid them neatly on the bed, then left him to his privacy.
When Gabriel emerged from the bathroom, he noticed the clothes.
The soft grey of the sweatpants, the crisp white T-shirt-it was all neatly folded.
He could feel Nicole's thoughtfulness behind this simple act, and a small sense of gratitude warmed him, because he wasn't strong enough to do it himself.
Dressing quickly, he returned to bed, pulling the duvet over his legs, feeling both relief and exhaustion.
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in," he said.
Nicole entered with a tray in her hands. She moved deliberately, settling herself comfortably beside him on the bed. Gabriel's mind briefly questioned why she hadn't sent a maid. Why was she doing this herself?
"Why didn't a maid bring this?" He asked.
"I chose to bring it myself," she said simply.
"Here are your drugs. Take them and have this chicken soup." She handed him the medication along with a glass of water, and he followed her instructions carefully, swallowing the pills and placing the glass back on the tray.
Gabriel told himself he needed to recover fast, because he hated staying sick in bed, hated being dependent. It made him feel weak.
"Here," Nicole said, interrupting his thoughts, as she placed the tray of chicken soup on his lap.
Why was she acting as if nothing had happened? As if he hadn't been avoiding her. As if the incident in the study, the tension, the unspoken emotions-none of it existed? Gabriel's chest tightened slightly, conflicted.
He began eating slowly, each spoonful warming him, grounding him.
Nicole, on the other hand, felt her nerves fray under the weight of two weeks' silence.
She fidgeted nervously beside him. Seeing him, so close yet distant, stirred a mixture of guilt, and frustration within her.
She needed to say something, to unburden the guilt that had been gnawing at her since that night.
"Gabriel? About the other day, I um..." she began, her voice tentative, hesitant, almost trembling.
"That's in the past now," he interrupted, his voice cam but firm.
Nicole's lips pressed into a thin line. She nodded silently, swallowing her words. She didn't push further, recognizing the wall he was putting up, but the ache in her chest remained.
When Gabriel finished the soup, Nicole removed the tray and placed it on the nightstand. She tucked him in gently, smoothing the duvet around him, lingering just slightly, before moving toward the door.
"Thank you," Gabriel's voice, soft but laden with a hint of vulnerability, murmured just as her fingers brushed the doorknob.
Two days later, Gabriel felt much better. Nicole's care had been tender, patient, and quiet. She had taken her time feeding him, making sure he didn't strain himself, tucking him in after every meal, staying until he fell asleep. But today, Gabriel insisted he could manage on his own.
Not because he no longer needed care-he did-but because he couldn't let himself get used to it, not to her closeness, not to the vulnerability, not to Nicole.
The contract loomed over him, a constant reminder that this connection wasn't real.
It had an expiration date. He couldn't afford attachment.
This wasn't just about fear-it was accountability; he had gotten her into this mess, because he wanted to prove a point to his mom and the press, and he was the only one responsible.
He decided to distract himself by returning to the study, burying himself in work.
Nicole, however, couldn't resist checking on him.
She searched his room carefully, glancing through the closet and bathroom, but he was nowhere to be found.
Her heart sank slightly as she made her way to his study, hoping she was wrong, but her unease only deepened when she found him at the desk, absorbed in work.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her voice calm but tinged with concern.
"Working," he replied curtly, not lifting his gaze.
"You know you're supposed to be resting in bed," she said, approaching him.
"The doctor was specific when he said you needed at least a week's rest," she continued, reaching for the papers he was holding, and gently taking them from his hands.
Gabriel was already irritated with the fact that she was telling him what to do. As if that wasn't enough, she had to disrespect him in this manner. He stood up from his chair angrily,
"Give them back, Nicole," he said, teeth gritted.
Nicole on the other hand was annoyed because Gabriel was being stubborn when it was quite obvious that he wasn't yet strong enough to be working.
She held her ground, meeting his glare with firm resolve. "Not until you tell me you're going to get some rest."
"I'M FUCKING OKAY!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the desk.
Nicole staggered slightly at the intensity of his reaction, but she didn't budge. "YOU'RE NOT, AND YOU KNOW IT!" she yelled back, frustration and care lacing every word.
She couldn't understand why he was acting this way all of a sudden.
Gabriel's jaw tightened. "Stop bugging me, Nicole, and give me the damn papers!"
Her heart clenched at the harshness in his voice. "Now I'm bugging you?" she asked softly, hurt flickering across her features.
He didn't answer.
"I don't know why you're being this stubborn, Gabriel. I'm only doing this because I care about you," She continued, her voice softening but edged with frustration.
"I don't want you to care about me. Just leave me the hell alone!" he shot back, anger and exhaustion entwined in his tone.
Nicole felt the sharp edge of hurt, but she refused to falter.
He was pissing her off right now. For the past weeks, he had been the one treating her like she didn't exist, like he hadn't walked up to her asking for her help.
Still, she had treated him with patience, concern, and respect, yet, he's the one lashing out in this situation.
She refuses to accept the injustice. No matter how much was on the line, he had no right whatsoever to treat her this way.
"I'm not one of your employees, Gabriel," she said, eyes glistening with tears, voice firm. "You have no right to speak to me the way you're doing."
"Need I remind you, Nicole, that I'm paying you for what you're doing?" he countered, almost coldly, as if the financial transaction negated her feelings.
Nicole's heart sank immediately. The words hit her like a blow. She had thought... maybe there was a thread of friendship, a hint of something more. And here it was-shattered, dismissed.
"Fine then," she whispered, voice breaking. "I don't see any reason why I'm still here... and don't worry about your money. I'll make sure it gets back to you any way I can."
Tears welled in her eyes as she dropped the papers back onto the desk. Without another glance, she stomped out of the study, leaving Gabriel staring after her, a tangle of irritation, guilt, and something he couldn't yet name knotting inside him.