Chapter 610
Chapter 610:
A wave of complex emotions swirled in Matthew’s mind, but the distant gaze in his daughter’s eyes felt like a cold shock, stirring a quiet ache in his heart.
He glanced at his driver, whose helpless expression mirrored his own turmoil. If anyone else had caused Matthew such pain, the driver might have reacted with his fists, but this was Matthew’s cherished daughter.
Before the driver could act, Matthew dismissed him, saying, “Bring the breakfast and then you’re free to go p>
Relieved, the driver handed him the breakfast and made a quick exit.
Matthew arranged the extravagant breakfast on Gabriela’s desk, saying, “Gabriela, have you had breakfast? The chef made something special today, so I brought it for you to try p>
Gabriela, however, was not pleased. Her desk was covered with important documents, and food risked staining them. Moreover, Matthew’s unsolicited familiarity unsettled her.
“Thank you, Mr. Howard, but I have already eaten,” she said. Ken’s cooking was wholesome and sufficient, unlike the opulent spread Matthew brought.
Jo𝗂𝘯 𝗍hе 𝖼𝗼𝘮𝘮𝘶n𝗂t𝘆 аt 𝗀𝗮𝗅ոo𝗏𝘦𝘭ѕ.𝘤о𝗆
Disappointed, Matthew urged, “Just a small taste, it’s really delicious p>
“No need, really. Thank you,” she replied firmly, her tone cautious. She eyed him warily. “Is there a specific reason for you coming to see me so early, Mr. Howard p>
“I was just in the area and thought I would stop by to see your workplace,” he said casually.
Gabriela found this odd—what concern was her workplace to him? She kept the thought to herself, opting instead to say, “I’ve been quite busy lately, Mr. Howard p>
“It’s alright, go about your tasks,” he responded lightly. “I’m just looking around p>
Gabriela fell silent, at a loss for words.
She quietly moved the food to a side table and resumed her work.
Matthew, seeing her ignore the breakfast, felt a pang of disappointment but stayed silent, watching her focus intently.
As noon approached and the office grew warmer, Gabriela switched on a fan.
Noticing this, Matthew asked, “Why not use the air conditioning p>
She glanced at the unit and explained, “It’s out of order, and I haven’t had time to fix it. If you’re uncomfortable, Mr. Howard, perhaps you would prefer to leave p>
Her words hinted at wanting him gone, but Matthew seemed oblivious and quickly said, “A little heat doesn’t bother me p>
Though Gabriela found Matthew’s behavior odd, her own busy schedule left no time to ponder it. She ended their brief conversation and got back to her tasks.
Meanwhile, Matthew messaged his driver to purchase a top-notch air conditioner and have it delivered.
Gabriela worked steadily through the morning, nearly clearing her backlog of paperwork.
A sudden rumble in her stomach finally pushed her to take a restroom break, which ended up taking longer than expected. Two of the stalls were out of order, and the only functional one was occupied for what felt like an eternity.
While she was away, the air conditioner Matthew had ordered arrived, and he personally guided the technicians as they removed the broken unit and installed the new one.
However, the building’s outdated wiring could not handle the high power consumption. The office lights flickered violently before the entire fifth floor went dark.
When Gabriela returned to a powerless office, her first thought was that a rival company must have sabotaged them, and she immediately called an electrician.
Stepping into her office, she quickly realized the true cause of the outage as she spotted the installation crew and a visibly remorseful Matthew.
Struggling to keep her composure and failing, she snapped, “Mr. Howard, what on earth are you doing p>
Her unsaved documents flashed through her mind, a knot of dread tightening in her chest.