Chapter 170
Chapter 170:
Gabriela jogged toward Wesley, her breath coming in quick bursts.
Wesley’s gaze dropped to meet hers, his eyes harboring emotions that churned beneath a carefully controlled surface. The urge to reach for her clawed at him, but he held himself rigidly, afraid one wrong move might send her fleeing.
“Did you handle the online buzz about you?” he asked, his voice steadier than his racing pulse.
Something unreadable flickered across his features. All she could discern was an unexpected gentleness that made her chest tighten with gratitude. “Everything’s handled. Thank you for caring, Mr. Moss,” she replied, her voice warm with appreciation.
Wesley studied her face. She had grown up in a suffocating, nightmarish household; those painful past experiences were being revisited now, tearing open old wounds for strangers to dissect and judge. Yet her eyes remained untainted by the darkness she’d endured. She was still the bright, captivating Gabriela.
Something shifted in Wesley’s expression. Before he could stop himself, his hand moved to the crown of her head, fingers threading gently through her hair. “Don’t be afraid anymore. You have me now p>
Gabriela’s smile blazed across her face as she nodded vigorously. “I only found the courage to release those videos and evidence because you stood behind me, Mr. Moss p>
Without his protection, she and the financially struggling Farley would have watched helplessly as Marie buried those posts before they could cause any damage. Given Marie’s ruthless nature, she would have dispatched thugs to steal the will and driven Tyler’s bar into bankruptcy within weeks if she hadn’t feared offending Wesley.
Wesley’s mouth curved upward before he asked, “Now that you’ve reclaimed your house, what dreams are you chasing p>
ոo𝘷el𝗌 iո 𝘁𝘳e𝗇𝗱 𝗈𝗻
The question caught Gabriela off guard. She blinked, then answered with honest enthusiasm, “I want to stay close to you and earn mountains of money p>
Wesley’s smile turned to stone. Was that truly the extent of her ambition?
Unease flickered across Gabriela’s face when she noticed his disapproval. “Actually, dreams don’t need to be grandiose affairs p>
Wesley’s response cut through the air like a blade. “Craving vast wealth ranks among the most grandiose dreams imaginable p>
His expression turned coolly superior, the kind that reminded her exactly how far her simple mind fell short of his razor-sharp intellect—an intellect that generated wealth at will. Heat crept up Gabriela’s neck. She scrambled for safer ground. “Then I’ll aim smaller—maybe deciding what to purchase with my next paycheck, or choosing my next vacation destination p>
“What would you buy?” Wesley pressed. “And for this vacation, who would accompany you, and where would you venture p>
Gabriela’s temples throbbed. Conversations with Wesley felt like navigating a minefield. Did even imaginary dreams require such exhaustive detail? She grumbled under her breath, “I haven’t gotten my next paycheck yet. Why torture myself thinking about these things p>
A melodic chime interrupted her complaints—her phone’s banking alert. She yanked the device from her pocket with frantic urgency. One glance at the screen, and the world tilted off its axis. How many zeros stared back at her? Gabriela counted the seven digits once, then twice. A wild thought seized her—had scammers grown this sophisticated?
Wesley easily glimpsed her screen. With calm, he announced, “That’s your advance for ten years’ salary p>
Reality crashed over her. Gabriela’s words tumbled out in a rush. “There’s absolutely no need for advance payment, Mr. Moss. I’ve already resolved everything p>
Thanks to the media storm Phyllis had created, Gabriela hadn’t spent a penny of her own money.