Chapter 23
It was time for dinner, so they all headed to the dining room together.
The long dining table had been carefully set, and arranged neatly on it were plates of grilled chicken, seasonal vegetables sautéed to perfection, chicken Caesar salad, and for dessert, a chocolate-filled banana cake that looked far too tempting to ignore.
Nicole couldn’t help but feel hungry after seeing the different dishes laid out before them. Her stomach betrayed her before her mind could fully catch up. They all took their seats and began eating quietly, the soft clinking of cutlery against plates filling the otherwise calm room.
“So…” Helen suddenly began, breaking the silence far too easily. “When are you two getting married so you can start making babies?”
Nicole immediately choked on her salad, coughing slightly as the words hit her without warning. She reached for her glass, her embarrassment arriving faster than her breath. Helen immediately smiled knowingly.
“I know that reaction,” she continued, clearly amused. She acted so calm, as though she hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of dinner.
“Weren’t you guys planning on getting married?” she asked, her gaze moving between Gabriel and Nicole, expectant and curious.
Nicole gulped down a glass of water, her throat burning slightly as she tried to steady herself.
“Mom, we haven’t talked about that yet,” Gabriel replied, his voice measured but tense.
“You two are never going to talk about it if it’s left in your hands, Gabriel,” Helen replied dismissively. “But don’t worry, I’ll take care of it... I have no idea why I still have to do things for you.”
She murmured the last part mostly to herself than to anyone else before calling for a maid and asking her to bring her phone.
Nicole felt her heart begin to race. She had no idea what Helen was about to do.
She turned to Gabriel, staring at him in confusion and quiet panic. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since Gabriel’s parents arrived, and already things were spiraling out of control.
“Say something,” Nicole mouthed silently to Gabriel, her eyes pleading.
“Um, Mom, I don’t think—”
“Oh no, honey, you don’t have to say anything,” Helen interrupted smoothly. “And Nicole, don’t pay any attention to him. Jacob almost played the same trick on me. That was why we only had Gabriel — because he was always busy.”
Helen spoke fondly, as though recounting a harmless memory, completely ignoring the tension thickening in the room.
“Honey, can you just let them be?” Jacob finally spoke, noticing how uncomfortable both Gabriel and Nicole looked.
“Oh no, no, no, Jacob,” Helen replied firmly. “I know our son better than you do.”
The maid returned with Helen’s phone, and without hesitation, Helen took it and dialed a number.
“Hello, Angela,” Helen said brightly. “I think I’ll be needing your services.”
The air in the room suddenly felt suffocating to Nicole.
She stopped hearing anything else Helen said after that. The room seemed to fade, the voices growing distant, as if she were underwater.
How did they get here? She wondered helplessly.
“It’s done,” Helen announced moments later, ending the call with a satisfied smile. “You both are getting married in a month.”
Nicole felt something drop heavily in her chest.
Her appetite vanished instantly. Her hands rested limply on the table as panic settled in. This wasn’t the plan. This wasn’t part of the contract.
How was she going to get out of this now?
She glanced at Gabriel, her heart pounding, waiting for him to say something—to stop this—but he remained silent, his expression unreadable. Wasn’t he going to say anything? Wasn’t he going to stop this?Was he angry? Confused? Why wasn’t he objecting?
Dinner ended quickly after that. Nicole barely registered the rest of the evening. All she wanted was to retreat to her room and lie down, her mind numb from everything that had just unfolded.
“Mom, I need to talk to you,” Gabriel said as soon as they stepped out of the dining room.
“Oh baby, I’m so tired,” Helen replied, already making her way upstairs. “Can we talk some other time? Maybe tomorrow?”
Gabriel stood there for a moment before turning away and heading toward his study.
Once inside, he poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it in one go, the burn doing nothing to calm the storm inside him.
He was in shock. He couldn’t fully process what had just happened.
His mother had arranged a wedding, his wedding — right in front of him—without discussion, without warning, without giving him a chance to speak.
How was he supposed to clean up this mess?
His mother wasn’t one to accept excuses. She never had been. And forcing Nicole into something she hadn’t agreed to went against everything he stood for. Asking her to pretend to be his fiancée had already been too much. He never wanted to force her into anything beyond that.
She deserved her own life. She shouldn’t have to please him or his family.
As for him—he felt undeserving of anyone. Maybe being alone was his punishment for all the mistakes he’d made in the past.
With that heavy thought, Gabriel left his study and went to his bedroom, hoping sleep would come easily tonight—though he doubted it would.
Nicole was already asleep in her bedroom when she felt a gentle touch on her hand, fingers softly stroking her skin in an attempt to wake her. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly, surprised to see Helen.
She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Midnight. She couldn’t help but wonder what Helen wanted at this hour.
“Is everything okay?” Nicole asked groggily, sitting up slightly.
Helen took a seat beside her, her expression unusually gentle.
“I know you two aren’t talking to each other,” Helen said calmly.
Nicole’s eyes widened in shock.
How did she find out?
“I could tell from your body language,” Helen continued. “I’m not a kid you know.”
“I um… we—”
“You don’t have to explain,” Helen interrupted gently. “Couples fight. It’s normal.”
Nicole remained silent.
“ But what I want is for you two to settle whatever disagreement you’re having,” Helen said, helping Nicole out of bed. “And I want you to do it right now.”
“It’s late,” Nicole protested softly. “Can’t we do that tomorrow?”
Nicole was trying to avoid having any conversation with Gabriel.
“I insist,” Helen replied.
“And honestly, I don’t understand why you’re sleeping in separate rooms,” she added, shaking her head, as she guided Nicole toward the door. “Come on, let’s go. You’ll be sleeping in his room tonight. You both need to learn… I don’t even get how you children these days behave.” Helen concluded.
Nicole’s heart pounded. She swallowed nervously.
“Um, Mrs Harrison—”
Helen glared at her.
“Um... I meant to say Helen,” she corrected herself quickly. “I don’t think this is the right hour for such a discussion. He’s probably asleep by now, and I don’t want to wake him.”
Tonight was already an eventful one, Nicole didn’t want more drama but Helen was bent on her decision.
“You’re not doing anything wrong, honey,” Helen replied reassuringly.
Before Nicole could object further, Helen knocked on Gabriel’s bedroom door.
After a few seconds, the door opened.
Gabriel stood there, surprised to see his mother — and a sleepy, and slightly nervous looking Nicole standing beside her. His eyes briefly drifted to Nicole’s short black pajamas, to her bare legs.
For a brief moment, his mind blanked. Those legs. They were always his distraction. He had to force himself to look away.
“Mom,” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“I want you two to make up,” Helen said simply, taking him by surprise.
“Excuse me?"
“I know you too well,” she replied. “I could tell from the moment I walked into this house.”
“So you both should talk it out… And I don’t want any excuses.” She said firmly.
Before he could respond, she gently pushed Nicole into the room and closed the door behind her.
Gabriel sighed.
Why was his mother always like this? Why was she always on his case?
How does she expect him to face Nicole again after that incident, which neither of them is ready to remember, not to mention discuss? He couldn’t blame his mom even if he wanted to. She has no idea what transpired between them.
Nicole leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest. She couldn’t help but glance at Gabriel— he was shirtless, relaxed.
She had to admit it. This man was undeniably attractive — dangerously so.
His body was one to die for. Knowing he didn’t belong to her hurt more than she expected , or even wanted to admit.
How did he even manage to maintain this body when all he ever did was work?
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to stop staring, and having wild thoughts.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I’ll leave once I’m certain she’s asleep.”
Gabriel was currently seated on a couch, busy on his phone.
Nicole wondered why he wasn’t asleep yet. This guy is a robot.
“You’ll have to wait forever for that. I know my mom, she’ll check on us later. Go to bed.” He said gesturing for Nicole to go lay on his bed because he could tell she was feeling sleepy.
Nicole didn’t argue. She walked over and lay down on his bed, sighing softly as her body sank into the mattress. This is paradise, she thought.
But she couldn’t get some sleep to her displeasure. She just stared at the ceiling, hoping that would help.
When Gabriel finished what he was doing, he joined her. They both lay there staring at the ceiling in silence, like it was the most interesting thing to do.
“I’m sorry for bothering you the other day,” Nicole finally whispered, breaking the silence.
Gabriel’s chest tightened, as the word bother hurt him more than he expected.
He felt guilty hearing the word ‘bother’.
Nicole wasn’t a bother to him, she could never be.
The truth was that he enjoyed her company.
He also felt relieved after hearing her apology.
He was glad she didn’t yell or get mad at him like he had thought.
“I’m sorry for the things I said,” he replied. “I never meant any of it.”
A sense of peace washed over Nicole at his words.
“Can we be friends again?” he asked quietly.
Nicole couldn’t help but smile. She never believed he considered her as a friend before now.
“Sure.” She replied softly with a smile, turning onto her side to conceal her blush.
“Goodnight.” She whispered.
“Goodnight.” Gabriel replied quietly.
He didn’t believe that Nicole would forgive him so easily. He had thought it would be difficult to get her forgiveness.
Gabriel smiled to himself knowing they would return to being the way they used to.
He closed his eyes, and for the first time in days, sleep came gently.