Chapter 128

Chapter 128:

She gave a small shake of her head. Something in his clipped tone told her he was in a foul mood. Was it possible the deal in Athea had fallen through?

Trying to be a thoughtful subordinate, Gabriela held back from trailing after him, not wanting to push his temper any further.

Wesley had gone only a few strides when the absence of footsteps made him glance over his shoulder. She lingered in place, eyes wide and uncertain, like a stray kitten left out in the rain.

Something in him eased at the sight. His unmet desire wasn’t her burden to bear. What sense was there in taking out his frustration on her for that?

R𝘦аd 𝘸і𝗍𝘩𝗼𝘂𝘵 i𝗇te𝗿𝗋𝘶p𝘵𝗂𝗈ո𝘴 оո

Suppressing a sigh, he said, “I’ll take you home first p>

In a hesitant whisper, Gabriela inquired, “What about Mr. Clarke? Shouldn’t we bring him along p>

The cold bit through the air, and the rain was falling harder by the minute. She doubted Billy’s girlfriend would ever appear.

Wesley let out a dry snort. “He’s still waiting on his girlfriend. Planning to stick around and wait with him p>

Billy quickly cut in, “Miss Haynes, you should go ahead with Mr. Moss. I’ll wait here a little longer p>

Though he knew his so-called girlfriend would never show up because she didn’t exist at all, he had to maintain the facade.

The drive back to Rosemont Gardens passed in heavy, unbroken silence. When they arrived, Gabriela found the door locked, and repeated calls to Josh went unanswered.

The wedding was probably still underway, and Josh was no doubt occupied. Wesley’s brows drew together as he watched her make call after call with no answer. “You don’t have a key?” She actually lived here without one? Did she often end up stranded like this?

“It’s usually Ken who lets me in, but he’s helping at the hotel right now,” Gabriela murmured.

Turning away, she felt a small wave of gloom settle over her. It looked like she’d be paying for another hotel room. She pivoted too quickly, frustration tugging at her focus, and her heel slipped. Wesley caught her before she fell, but the left heel of her shoe snapped, sending a sharp twist through her ankle. A soft cry escaped before she could stifle it.

Though a flicker of concern crossed his mind, he masked it, keeping his voice even. “What happened p>

Gabriela tilted her face up, forcing a faint smile. “It’s nothing p>

She’d already made a fool of herself earlier—no way was she letting him think she was so hopeless she could injure herself just walking.

All of a sudden, Wesley bent down and scooped her into his arms in one smooth motion. Her feet left the ground so suddenly that instinct had her looping her arms around his neck.

“I can walk by myself, Mr. Moss,” she protested, her voice quick and flustered.

Wesley’s expression stayed impassive as he remarked, “Don’t read into it. I don’t have feelings for you. I’m just making sure you won’t aggravate your sprain to the point where you’ll have to hobble into work and force the company to assign someone to babysit you p>

The bluntness left her momentarily speechless. Clearly, whatever she’d imagined back at the beach—that fleeting, ridiculous thought he might actually like her—had been nothing but a foolish fantasy.

Wesley slid Gabriela into the passenger seat and pulled onto the road without missing a beat.

“Could you just drop me at the nearest hotel, Mr. Moss?” she blurted out hastily.

Keeping up his façade as the attentive boss, he replied, “Let me see if any hotels still have vacancies tonight p>

Pulling out his phone, he made a quick call. Ten minutes later, he said evenly, “I had Billy check. Every nearby hotel is already full p>

Gabriela’s brows drew together. That didn’t make sense.

It was the holiday season—shouldn’t most people be at home with their families? How could the hotels be overflowing?

Then she blinked in surprise. “Hold on—Mr. Clarke’s still at the beach, isn’t he? Waiting for his girlfriend p>

For the briefest moment, Wesley’s composure slipped, but he quickly smoothed it over. “She turned him down—said fireworks and roses were tacky p>

So Billy had not only pulled holiday overtime but also endured a doomed proposal.

“Poor Billy,” Gabriela murmured, a faint note of sympathy threading her voice. “All that charm and money, yet he’s unlucky in love p>

Beside her, Wesley—wealthy, magnetic, and fresh from his own failed love confession—kept silent, though his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.