Chapter 44

Mason walked over to Wesley, offering him an apology for being late."|got caught up at Century Square-some company was holding an event, and the crowd was so packed it blocked the road. That's why I'm late."

Wesley waved it off, but Mason still felt the need to repeat his apologies.

Turning to Gabriela, Mason greeted her warmly.pleasure to see you again, Miss Haynes."

"Please, just call me Gabriela," she replied quickly.

"All right, then." Mason nodded.

Despite his age and statusas a major client, he carried himself without airs, speaking easily with Wesley.

Wesley, however, kept a polite smile paired with an icy demeanor, just enough to hint at aloofness.

Gabriela worried his cool manner might offend someone as important as Mason and risk losing a multi-million-dollar deal.

With practiced ease, she steered the conversation, drawing smiles from Mason.

They'd met twice before, once at a banquet where Mason had been busy with other guests, and once on the golf course, where Gabriela had been attending to Wesley. Neither occasion had allowed much conversation.

Now, seated across the table, Mason discovered her sharp eloquence and refined taste.

As they talked, he learned she was skilled at building architectural models-detailed creations involving design, structure, and every element from foundation to finish-each infused with her own ideas.

Mason, a devoted enthusiast of handcrafted architecture, lit up at the discovery.

Gabriela described her college project-a model of an undersea city, roughly 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. The whole city was submerged in miniature, evoking a distant, ancient world.

"It took me about a hundred days to finish," she said.

Afterward, a gaming company had approached her to buy it as a game backdrop.

"I'd love to see it," Mason said with interest.

Gabriela hesitated. "I'm not even sure where it is anymore."

She guessed the model might be buried somewhere in her room, gathering dust.

"I don't have any pictures saved on my phone-otherwise, I'd show you the finished product," she sighed.

"That's a pity," Mason said with regret.

Something stirred in Wesley's mind as he glanced at her.

When she spoke of the undersea city, her voice carried a quiet pride, and her eyes shone with unguarded triumph.

It was the kind of confidence that naturally drew attention.

Billy, too, was surprised.

He'd always known Gabriela to be diligent and well-educated, but he'd never seen this spark before.

Now, he better understood why Wesley was interested in her.

Mason seemed equally taken with her and hoped she might build another one someday.

"When I have time, I will," Gabriela said. "And I'd be glad to have your thoughts on it."

Mason laughed. "I'd love to see it."

Though she spoke modestly, her eyes still carried that confident gleam, enough to curl Wesley's lips into a faint smile.

"I'm looking forward to it too," he said. The meal went on, and Gabriela and Mason found themselves in easy rapport, regretting they hadn't met sooner.

She even toasted him several times, despite Wesley's attempts to stop her.

Still, every time she steered the conversation toward the deal, Wesley subtly deflected.

Gabriela found it puzzling, but after several tries, she sensed Wesley's lack of enthusiasm for the deal and chose not to push it any further.

After some drinks, Gabriela excused herself to use the restroom.

The hallway to the restroom was long.

On her way back, she passed an open private room and spotted Phyllis inside.

Phyllis looked effortlessly chic in her light gold coat and matching beret-every inch the fashion icon.

She was with Dustin and a few female friends, all busy complimenting her.

"Phyllis, you're absolutely radiant today. I mean different. That outfit's stunning-and I've never seen you wear this hat before. Where'd you get it? It's gorgeous."

Phyllis accepted the praise, offering to take them shopping sometime.

Dustin sat beside her, attentively serving her food.

Gabriela knew the hat was hiding Phyllis's bald patches, which she found amusing.

Still, a conversation with Phyllis was the last thing she wanted. Her pace instinctively increased.

But a woman with red hair spotted her and stepped into her path. "Gabriela? What are you doing here?"

Gabriela ignored her and kept walking until another woman joined in, pulling her into the room.

One of them sneered, "Don't rush off! Tell us, are you working part-time here?"

"I'm here dining with my boss," Gabriela said coldly. Those women laughed, their eyes sharp with mockery.

A woman smirked. "Since when can you splurge on meals like this? Dining with the boss? Really? Where is he-introduce us!"

The Grace Robuchon required membership, and they clearly didn't believe her.

The red-haired woman scoffed. "Stop pretending. We all know you're poor. What else would you be doing here except working part-time? Even if you were serving or washing dishes, we wouldn't mock you, but acting high and mighty makes you look ridiculous."

In an instant, all eyes turned to Gabriela.

Phyllis watched in silence, enjoying the scene.

Once the others had taken their shots, she leaned in with a soft, patronizing tone. "Don't you already have a job, Gabriela? Why are you still working part-time at a restaurant? Is money tight again?"

Her gaze flicked to Gabriela's designer clothes, jealousy flashing in her eyes.

She said in feigned concern, "I know girls love designer things, but working part-time just to afford them isn't worth it. My dad promised your mom he'd look after you, yet here you are, degrading yourself for the sake of vanity. If he knew, he'd be heartbroken."

Dustin's expression soured, and he subtly shifted away, as though being near Gabriela were somehow embarrassing.

Phyllis sighed. "If you're really that short on money, I can lend you some."