Chapter 70

Gabriela felt as though she could barely catch her breath,nearly overwhelmed by how close she was to Wesley.

Why was he still rock-hard against her?

Was he awake?

If he realized she was nestled so snugly against him,would he be upset?

Wesley was, in fact, fully awake.

The slightest shift from Gabriela snapped him to attention.

A twinge of irritation flickered within him.

It was early morning, and the woman he cherished was wrapped in his arms-how could he possibly remain unaffected?

His body burned with intensity, yet he held himself still, wary of alarming Gabriela. He planned to feign sleep, hoping she would slipaway first, but she stayed put.

Now, with his physical reaction impossible to hide,she seemed too nervous to move, as if she were suffocating under the weight of the moment.

Wesley, both frustrated and self-conscious, spoke with measured calm. "Have you forgotten how to breathe? Open your eyes."

His tone was cool, but it carried the rough edge of someone freshly roused from sleep, making the moment feel even more intimate.

Gabriela, still pretending to be asleep, refused to open her eyes.

"Don't you care about your paycheck?"

That sentence got her attention. Her eyes flew open instantly.

earn everywhere. She tilted her head up, meeting Wesley's intense,deep-set gaze.

Her cheeks flushed crimnson as she played dumb,acting as if she had just stirred awake. "Morning, Mr.Moss."

"Morning," he replied, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Didn't you say sleeping on opposite sides of the bed wouId work out fine? Care to explain this?"

Petite as she was, Gabriela had curled up completely within Wesley's embrace.

With any other man, this might have spelled trouble.

Her attempt to brush it off didn't fool him, and at his words, her face grew even redder. With a playful tone, she shot back, "Mr. Moss, if I said I might have a sleepwalking problem, would you buy it?"

Wesley didn't respond to her quip. Instead, he said,"Get up, freshen up, and figure out how you're going to justify this to me."

Gabriela scrambled to her feet and bolted to the bathroom, her heart racing.

She was flustered.

Wesley seemed so stern-did accidentally ending up in his armns really warrant an explanation?

Watching her dart away, Wesley let out a soft chuckle.

The master bedroom's bed was enormous, spanning four meters, plenty of space for two to sleep far apart.

Last night, after lying down, he had tried to force himself to sleep immediately.

But the subtle scent beside him enveloped him,setting his pulse racing.

He tossed and turned, barely sleeping a wink.

Making her a little anxious and flustered felt fair-he shouldn't be the only one uncomfortable.

Wesley rose, planning to leave the room and find another bathroom to shower. But the door wouldn't open.

Recalling Loretta and Miriam's meddling from the night before, he pieced together their scheme and chuckled quietly.

Today,he realized just how charming Gabriela was.In just two days at the estate, she had completely won over his housekeeper and grandmother.

When Gabriela emerged, dressed and composed,Wesley informed her, "The door is locked from the outside. I've called my grandmother-she will come and unlock it."

Without waiting for her reply, he stepped into the bathroom.

Soon after, Loretta and Miriam arrived to open the door.

Loretta had a restless night, and when Wesley's call came, she rushed over to see what had unfolded.

Seeing Gabriela already dressed, she felt a pang of disappointment. "Gabriela, did anything happen between you and Wesley last night?"

Gabriela's expression faltered, a touch awkward."Everything was fine. The bed is huge, and we each kept to our own side without disturbing each other."

She didn't dare admit she had ended up curled in Wesley's arms.

Miriam's eyes widened. "You two shared a bed?"

Gabriela's ears turned scarlet as she insisted, "It's an enormous bed! We weren't even within arm's reach of each other!"

Loretta and Miriam exchanged a look.

Miriam kept scanning Gabriela's neck for any telltale marks,but found none.

What the hell! They had slept in the same bed, and nothing had happened.

Was it possible that Wesley really had no interest in women?

Gabriela sensed Loretta's and Miriam's disappointment but didn't know how to comfort them.

"Mrs. Larson, Miriam, shall we head downstairs?" she suggested, hoping to escape the awkwardness before Wesley finished his shower.

Loretta and Miriam, visibly deflated, followed her out of the master bedroom.

When Wesley emerged from the bathroom and entered the walk-in closet, he chose a shirt, vest, tie,and watch, dressing with care before slipping into his suit.

He usually worked from home in casual clothes,but today, for some reason, he felt the need to dress sharply.

Perhaps it was to reassert some authority in Gabriela's eyes.

As Wesley descended the stairs, Gabriela's gaze immediately found him.

Now fully dressed, he exuded his usual distant, unapproachable air.

She said briskly, "Mr. Moss, I apologize for the inconvenience these past two days. I would like to head home now."

She hoped her polite request would spare her from explaining herearlier actions.

Wesley's lips quirked slightly.

Despite the morning's unexpected events leaving him a bit irritated, deep down, he wanted her to stay.He enjoyed her presence.

"Which home?" he asked with a scoff. "The one where they locked you out at night?"

Gabriela hesitated, then met his gaze firmly. "Yes,that's my home-the house my mother left me.I'll reclaim it one day, no matter what."

In the future, no one would dare bar her from her own home again.

The usually reserved Gabriela had a spark of determination in her eyes as she spoke of taking back her house.

Wesley was certain she could do it.

Having grown up in tough circumstances, she had still emerged vibrant and optimistic.

Nothing could stand in her way.

"Is your foot better?" he asked, his tone detached.

Hearing his cool voice, Gabriela replied quickly, "It's

fine now. I can even wear heels."

Even if it still ached; she wouldn't admit it-Wesley would only lecture her again.

"I'll have my driver drive you home," Wesley said.

Gabriela almost declined, but knowing his temperament, she nodded and thanked him.

Their conversation flowed smoothly, but it left Loretta and Miriam uneasy.

"Come on!" Loretta interjected urgently. "Wesley,

Gabriela is a guest-you can't just send her off the moment she's up. At least let her have breakfast first."

Miriam chimed in, "I'll have the kitchen prepare it."

She hurried off to the kitchen in a flash.

Gabriela had no choice but to stay.

She resolved to leave right after breakfast,determined not to linger.

But things did not unfold as she expected.

After a quick breakfast, Loretta mentioned the onions she had brought and asked Gabriela to help dry them in the sun.

Wesley, catching onto Miriam's matchmaking,said with a sigh, "Grandma, Gabriela is on vacation. You shouldn't be giving her tasks."

Loretta, unimpressed, was about to scold him again.

"Mr. Moss, it's fine," Gabriela cut in quickly,worried Loretta might get upset. "It's just a small favor, no trouble at all."

After drying the onions, Loretta produced a stack of gift boxes, handing them to Gabriela to help assemble.

Each one would be given as a New Year present to the estate's staff as a small token of appreciation.

Gabriela was stunned- she had never seen a family give gifts to their servants before.

How many staff did the manor have? How much would it cost to prepare all those gifts?

For a fleeting moment, Gabriela reasoned that if she shamelessly stayed for New Year's, perhaps she would get a gift too.

Surely Wesley wouldn't mind adding one more,right?