Chapter 93

Chapter93 He Refused To Give Her A Gift

"No way!" Loretta and Miriam blurted it out together.

Gabriela wasn't just a good catch. She was the one they'd both been quietly guarding like treasure. Letting her walk away? Unthinkable.

"You really think a little 'no' is going to stop her?She's my employee,not my property. Where she goes is not up to me," Wesley replied, voice as flat and cold as a sheet of glass.

A flicker of panic crossed Loretta's face. "You're her boss! Find a way to keep her here."

"I'm just her boss, nothing else," he said, the words clipped,sharp.

For the first time, his irritation simmered beneath the surface.

The sheer decisiveness in Gabriela's rejection was maddening.

"Then give her a raise!" Loretta blurted, eyes sparking as inspiration struck. "Not just a little bump, five times her usual pay!"

Wesley let out a sharp, derisive snort.

Why would he do that? To Gabriela, he was nothing more than the man who signed her paycheck.Quintupling her salary would only cement that cold,professional distance.

"No," he said, voice hard as stone.

Loretta's stomach sank.

Their schemes had spectacularly backfired-rather than drawing Wesley closer to Gabriela, they'd practically sent her running for the hills.

Loretta's glare slid toward Miriam, whose eyes were narrowed in thought.

Then, all at once, Miriam lit up. "Loretta! Fake an illness. Gabriela's got a soft heart, and she won't leave you if she thinks you need care."

Loretta nodded in approval. Perhaps, that could work.

Across from them, Wesley's jaw tightened, his face darkening with barely contained fury.

"That's enough from the both of you! No more ridiculous schemes, and don't scare her again," he said,massaging his temple as though their antics physically pained him. If Loretta and Miriam could just rein themselves in,everything else would fall into place.

Now that she was his secretary, each day brought another opportunity for them to spend more time together, and he felt confident he could win her over.

Gabriela was heading upstairs, ready to retreat to her room, when she caught sight of Brenden stepping out of Wesley's.

His hair was disheveled, and there was a strange flicker in his eyes.

"What was all that racket downstairs? Who dropped by?"he asked.

"Dr. Reed," she replied automatically, then hesitated,brow furrowing. "Why were you in Mr. Moss's room?"

Brenden was familiar with that name. Melvin would make regular visits to check on Wesley.

He was feeling uncomfortable, and his patience was running thin, even for Gabriela. "It's my cousin's room.I come and go when I want. Do I need your permission now?"

Gabriela stayed silent, unwilling to push. Then her gaze drifted down to the bottle of red wine dangling from his left hand, and the hardcover book clasped in his right.

"Were you drinking in Mr. Moss's room?" she asked,perplexed.

Wasn't Wesley a notorious neat freak? Why would he allow Brenden into his room?

"What do you care what I was doing in his roomn?"Brenden's voice was sharper now, his restlessness spiking under Gabriela's steady gaze. The heat still coursed through him, prickling under his skin. He took two brisk steps back, eyes narrowing. "You're just a secretary.Stick to your lane."

So what if she had a crush on him? That didn't give her the right to poke her nose into his business.

Gabriela nodded.

After all, Brenden and Wesley were clearly close, and as Wesley's secretary, it wasn't her place to interfere.

Piece by piece, the puzzle fit together."NotASaunders" had to be Brenden after all.

So,she'd had it all wrong.

A hot flush of embarrassment creptup her neck.

How could she have been so thoughtless? Someone as rigid and maddeningly arrogant as Wesley pretending to be Brenden? Impossible.

She fled to her room, shut the door tight, and collapsed onto the bed. "Sleep," she ordered herself."Just sleep."

But the silence pressed in. The moment she killed the lights, she could almost hear Wesley's deep, husky murmur grazing her ear, warm and intimate, curling under her skin like a secret. "Help me unbutton..."

She had helped him unbutton his belt, hadn't she?

Yet, he'd still tossed her off the bed without the slightest mercy.

The more Gabriela replayed it, themore her frustration simmered. She kicked off the covers and sat up.

Wesley was truly uninterested in women.

Somehow, she felt an inexplicable sense of dismay about that.

She grabbed her water glass and drained it, but her throat still felt parched.

Sleep was a lost cause. She padded over to the full-length mnirror, studying her reflection.

She wasn't plain. Actually, far from it. Her figure was decent, her face more than passable. And yet,when their bodies pressed together, Wesley hadn't shown so much as an inkling of desire for her.

Infuriating.

But then, the instant his striking features flashed in her mind, her irritation faded into a hollow ache.

He was tall,impossibly handsome, wealthy, and carried himself with an elegance that could slice the air. Of course he wouldn't look twice at her.

Gabriela let out a bitter laugh.

Back in college, she had only dated Dustin, a despicable man who cheated on her.

Then she entered the workforce and quickly fell for her boss-the unforgivable workplace taboo. And Wesley wasn't interested in women at all.

She'd even once convinced herself he was pretending to be Brenden.

The shame was unbearable. She couldn't face him again, especially after all this. Tomorrow, she'd make her farewells and disappear from this whole mess.

The next morning, Gabriela stepped into the living room and froze. The space, normally serene and echoing with quiet, was bustling with people. Even the chef, who had already left for the holidays, had returned.

For a house this size, a large staff was expected,but Wesley liked things calm.

Usually, the servants kept to the far wings, well out of his way.

Seeing them all gathered together, she realized for the first time just how many people it took to run the estate.

It didn't take long to piece it together that Wesley was handing out the New Year's gifts.

Every year, the tradition was the same: the staff got their presents early, so they could go home and celebrate properly.

Gabriela's planned farewell caught in her throat.

She had helped wrap these very boxes, each packed with something extravagant.

And,well...it would be a shame to leave without one So,she sidled into the line of servants, aiming to walk away with her own generous parting gift.

As the minutes passed, she listened to the young servants, their cheeks pink, their voices pitched high with excitement. "Mr. Moss is just as generous as he is handsome!"

"I know! Usually Miriam's the one who hands them out.

I can't believe he's doing it himself this year."

"I'm keeping that gift forever."

Gabriela couldn't help but sigh. Poor things.

They could moon over him all they wanted, but Wesley wouldn't even give them a second glance.

He moved through the line briskly, each gift handed off with practiced efficiency. Then, at last, it was Gabriela's turn.

A sidelong glance, and then, without a word, the box slid right past her hands and into the next person's waiting arms. It was as if she were invisible to him.

Soon enough, the last box was handed over.

Gabriela blinked in disbelief. "Don't I get a one, Mr.Moss?"

The expectant glint in her eyes made Wesley's mouth twitch,half in irritation,half in reluctant amusement.

After everything that had gone down last night, she still had the gall to stand in line with a composed expression as if nothing had occurred. His answer was merciless. "The gifts are prepared for the household staff. And technically..." His gaze lingered on her just long enough to sting. "You're just a temp. Not an official employee."

The warmth drained from Gabriela's expression, her smile freezing in place.

Wesley, of course, enjoyed every second of it-watching her seethe behind a composed mask,knowing she couldn't lash out.

Leaning in just enough to make sure she caught the words, he added, his tone all stern authority with a spark of mischief underneath, "Which means-you get nothing."