When Henry and Gabriella arrived at the old villa, the servants came out to greet them."Please have a seat. Madam Aster is still in the kitchen."The housekeeper brought out a plate of fruit for them to have while they waited.Aster Trich had grown up without the luxury and wealth she had later on in her life. Now retired, she spent her days like any other ordinary elderly person. She enjoyed the company of her children, cooked for the family, and knitted every now and then.She was highly respected by everyone in the family."Where's Grandpa?" Gabriella asked.The housekeeper pointed upstairs. "Still resting. He's been feeling tired easily these days."Both Gabriella and Henry seemed worried about him.Albert's father was the one who started the Toussaint family's business, but he was the one who built it up into what it came to be now.In his old age, his health deteriorated due to the injuries he sustained in his youth. He had also undergone a liver transplant and relied
Gabriella quickly stepped in to lighten the mood. "Here, try my duck a l'orange, Grandpa. I know it's your favorite.""See how much Gabby loves you, dear? Even I'm getting jealous," Aster said fondly."Our Gabby's the most considerate child," Albert said with a smile. "She's not like some other heartless child who seems to want to make me die of a heart attack."Henry, the heartless one, could not respond to that."Don't say that, Grandpa. You still have decades left to live!" Gabriella declared.Her parents had gotten divorced when she was a young child. Her father had received full custody of her as her mother never wanted her.Gabriella never saw her mother again after that. She was raised by her grandparents as her father was busy with work. It was only after her grandparents passed away that she started living with her father again.When she was sixteen, her father passed away as well.It was Aster and Albert who had taken her in and gave her a loving home once more.Sh
Hours later, the two left the old villa.While they were inside the car, Gabriella asked, "You've seen how Grandpa reacted to the news of our divorce. What do you plan to do next?"Henry gazed out the window and sighed. "We can get the papers signed first without telling him, and break the news to him later."So, he still wanted to go through with it, even though he would be going against his grandfather's wishes and potentially angering the old man.Every breath Gabriella took felt like blades slicing her heart open. She looked away. "Okay. When will we get it officialized?"Henry skimmed through the planner on his phone. "Next Monday? I'm busy for the rest of the week.""Okay."Henry glanced at her. He found her lack of hesitation somewhat unsettling.Frankly speaking, Gabriella was a beautiful woman. She had bright, doe-like eyes and a heart-shaped mouth that reflected both tender smiles and stern ferocity.When she beamed, dimples appeared on her cheeks. They made her lo
The next morning, Gabriella got to the photo studio before the shoot started. She had the staff decorate the set.Soon, the photographer and makeup artist arrived. Both were Gabriella's work acquaintances. She had collaborated with them numerous times in the past.They were quick to pick up on how Gabriella wanted the advertisement to look like.When the props and set team had finished their work, Gabriella checked the time.The shooting time was supposed to be 9:00 am. They were half an hour behind schedule.Yet, Hannah and her team had yet to arrive.Yvonne quickly messaged them while Quinn grumbled, "She thinks she's some big shot, huh?"Colene Whistle, the makeup artist, scoffed. "Probably. It can't be helped. She did spend years overseas. "What can we do if she chooses to waste everyone's time? "We can't fire her. Not even Gabriella could."Everyone knew Henry was the one who gave Hannah this position. Naturally, Gabriella had no say in the matter, even though she wa
After a meeting, Henry leaned back in his chair and slowly massaged his temples while taking a break.Seconds later, his phone rang.He checked the caller ID and answered the call. "Yes?""Are you at the office right now, Henry? I want to come and see you."Henry glanced at his planner. "Did the shoot finish early?""There … There wasn't a shoot today," Hannah replied."Oh? Why is that?"Henry was about to head to the washroom when he spotted Gabriella's locked door. It looked like she was still out.She would always stay for the entire shoot.If she was still out of the office, why did Hannah say there was no shoot today?"When we reached the studio, Gabriella said the shoot was called off because of some emergency. She didn't tell us anything else.""I'm sure there must've been an emergency, then. In that case, why don't you come over to the office?"Henry knew Gabriella's work attitude by heart. She would not call off a shoot without notice for no good reason.Hannah sn
Henry had given Hannah his permission to do this.Gabriella wanted to laugh.Because of Hannah, Henry was once again unnecessarily involved in MQ's processes.Because of Hannah, Henry was once again messing up Gabriella's work and leaving her to clean up after him.Henry could not see all the hard work and effort Gabriella had put into MQ after he decided to swap out the brand ambassador without warning.All he cared about was pleasing Hannah.It was Gabriella who had to deal with the mess that was left behind, so why would he care about the consequences of his actions?Colene was outraged. "What? When has Mr. Toussaint ever gotten involved in something so trivial?"Hannah grinned. "Since it's something trivial, he allowed me to make the decisions based on what I want.""Everyone knows that even details as minor as this one has a great impact on the advertisement, Ms. Hannah. "I'm merely wondering why Mr. Toussaint decided to permit this in the first place," Gabriella said.
Gabriella stared blankly at her phone. She stood still for a while before picking it back up.She told herself not to humiliate herself again.Henry never had eyes for her. All he wanted was Hannah.If Henry wanted to know the truth about yesterday, he would have gotten the information himself. Instead, he chose to believe Hannah.Was this how a man felt about his first love?…"Ms. Carrington, Ms. Colene and Ms. Quinn are still waiting for you in the lounge."After seeing Gabriella staring blankly into the distance for several minutes, Yvonne came over to remind her."Thank you." Gabriella swiftly composed herself and went back to the lounge."Well? What did Mr. Toussaint say?" Colene asked eagerly while Quinn looked on from the side.Gabriella shook her head. The two women sighed."I thought he was a wise man, but it turns out that he thinks with his bottom half too," Colene grumbled. "What now, then?""I'll work things out with them. Let's see if we can get them to compl
The driver glanced at Henry through the rearview mirror and saw him staring intently out the window.When he followed Henry's gaze, he was shocked to find Gabriella standing there.Who was that beside Mrs. Toussaint? He had to be someone famous, given the cap and mask he was wearing.They looked close, too."Mr. Toussaint, Ms. Hannah is here," the driver reminded Henry.Henry hummed in acknowledgment before instructing, "Drive the car to the studio entrance."The driver knew that meant Gabriella would see Henry's car pulling up.Still, he did as told.Meanwhile, Hugo gestured toward the black Cayenne. "Isn't that your boss?"Gabriella followed his gaze and saw the car with Henry's plate number.Hannah was beside it when Henry stepped out.He said something to her, and she smiled brightly in response.Henry opened the car door for Hannah and waited until she took her seat before going back into his side of the car.Then, the Cayenne sped off into the distance.Henry had co