Chapter 96

Chapter96 Reading To Wesley

Brenden mumbled in irritation, "It's just one book.You've got shelves full of them-why get so worked up?"

Wesley didn't bother replying. He turned each page with deliberate care, checking for damage before closing the cover with a slow, deliberate motion.

His eyes lifted, sharp as ice when they landed on Brenden. "From now on, stay out of my bedroom unless I say otherwise. No drinking in there, no touching my things."

"Fine," Brenden said, still baffled. "You never used to be this strict. Guess the older you get, the fussier you become."

Wesley's gaze hardened to steel as he retorted,"Want to say that again?"

Brenden instantly recognized the danger in his tone and clamped his mouth shut.

Gabriela lingered at the doorway, catching fragments of the exchange. She couldn't piece together exactly what had happened, but it was obvious Wesley was ripping Brenden to shreds.

The door stood partly open, and Wesley had already spotted her. She froze, caught between the urge to slip away and the impulse to knock.

Wesley wrapped up his tirade at Brenden, then flicked a glance at the door and said in a cool, measured voice, "Come in."

Gabriela stepped inside quickly, carrying a glass of milk, the tension in the study prickling against her skin

In that moment, she wished she hadn't agreed to Miriam's request.

Choosing her words tenderly, she told him, "Mr. Moss,you barely touched dinner. I thought you might like a glass of warm milk."

Wesley's expression softened, the edge in his eyes easing as a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Just set it down here."

The moment Gabriela tried to make her quiet exit,having set the milk down, Wesley's voice froze her in her tracks. "Hold on, Gabriela. There's something l want you to take care of."

Brenden wasted no time slipping out, seizing the escape while he could. He believed Gabriela hadn't come to the study just for Wesley's sake-her errand had been the perfect excuse to steal a few last glances at him.

Yet he had to scurry off and leave her behind. Facing Wesley head-on was enough to rattle anyone.

"Sorry, Gabriela," Brenden muttered as he fled, guilt etched across his face.

Left standing by the desk, Gabriela rested her hands stiffly at her sides, waiting for Wesley to speak. When the silence stretched unbearably,she broke it in a low voice. "Mr. Moss, what would you like me to do?"

Wesley finally lifted his head from the book he'd been leafing through, his dark gaze locking with hers.

For a moment, his eyes glimmered with a depth that felt both unreadable and oddly tender.

Everything about him looked immaculate, and from where she stood, he seemed almost dangerously handsome.

Her chest fluttered, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her heart betrayed her with a sharp, unsteady skip.

Catching her flustered expression, Wesley's mouth curved, and he let out a low chuckle as he extended the book toward her. "Read to me." Her fingers brushed the cover as she accepted it, a jolt of recognition running through her.

Wasn't this the very same book that "NotASaunders"shared in his post?

Did that mean both Wesley and Brenden shared the same strange fondness-being read to from this particular book?

While Gabriela tried to steady herself, Wesley never looked away. His gaze lingered on her face, examining every flicker of emotion.

Although Gabriela felt uneasy, she hid it behind a facade of composure.

The corners of his brows tightened.

She knew this book-he was certain of it. Then why was she feigning ignorance?

The book's weight pressed into Gabriela's palms, its presence oddly familiar.

Perhaps it was because she had once owned the same book.

When she flipped open the cover, her eyes landed on a name scribbled in the lower corner-Allan. She found herself wondering who he was. She flipped to the next page, and an unexpected illustration met her gaze: a saint cloaked in light, arms outstretched as though blessing an endless crowd.

Just as her fingers reached to turn another page, a faint trail of sandalwood, cool and sharp like winter air,signaled Wesley's approach.

The atmosphere shifted instantly, her thoughts scattering like startled birds in flight.

"Start from here." His hand closed gently over hers,guiding the book open to a marked passage.

Gabriela lowered her gaze to the lines he had indicated for her to read.

"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin,some in gloss. But every once in a while, you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare."

Gabriela's pulse surged, their close proximity sending an uncontrollable rush through her.

She drew back a step, throat tight, then forced herself to steady her voice and begin reading aloud.

Wesley reclined in his black chair, listening in slence,his expression shadowed with thought. The dim corner seemed to swallow him, his presence merging almost seamlessly with the night.

Gabriela noticed the heaviness in his demeanor and realized he truly wasn't in good spirits today.

That brief sense of sympathy quickly vanished as her throat grew raw, each word scraping against the strain of two relentless days of reading and singing.

Two hours slipped by until her voice finally broke with quiet insistence. "Mr. Moss, it's already very late.Maybe you should try to rest."

Wesley shifted his gaze toward her, the depths of his eyes holding quiet displeasure, carrying the weight of disappointment that pressed heavier than his silence.

Gabriela was frustrated. Wesley's stern expression left no doubt about his displeasure.

He reminded her of "NotASaunders" on WhatsApp-always issuing demands, never once content with what she offered.

Catching her reluctance, Wesley's sharp look softened,and he dismissed her gently. "You may go."

She slipped from the study as though fleeing an unseen pressure. The manor lay in heavy silence. The stillness pressed down until sleep felt impossible.

Her thoughts circled endlessly around the blind girl,Myah.

Her mind refused to quiet, pinning her awake beneath the weight of the night.

When morning came,it was New Year's Day.

With the servants gone on holiday, the vast manor seemed even more hollow and deserted.

Gabriela realized that since Myah had shown up,the entire mood in the manor had grown heavy. Even Brenden, usually so irrepressibly carefree, carrieda rare weight in his expression.

The first day of the new year slipped by in uneasy silence. They exchanged a few polite greetings, but the lively celebration Gabriela had pictured never arrived.

On the second day, a summons from their grandfather compelled Wesley and Brenden to return home for a family dinner.

Gabriela decided she would spend the day visiting Farley instead. Wesley arranged for a driver to take her.

When she reached Farley's home, she was welcomed by the sight of a table overflowing with snacks.

"Happy New Year, Farley!" she greeted warmly

"Happy New Year to you too, Gabriela!"

Farley passed her a neatly wrapped gift, his face glowing with childlike joy.

He hadn't looked this cheerful in years, humming tunelessly as he bustled around the kitchen.

Once the food was ready, the two settled at the narrow dining table, sitting across from each other.

Although his dishes weren't exactly refined, Gabriela felt warmed by the simple comfort of his cooking.

He might not have been related by blood, but he was always kind to her-much kinder than Josh had ever been.

"Farley, Marie has agreed to move out after the holidays," she told him softly.

His head bobbed in approval, eyes crinkling with happiness.

Gabriela went on, her tone steady but full of resolve, "My next step is to slowly take back my mother's company."

Back then, without wealth or influence, she had been forced to tolerate Marie's endless schemes. Now, with three million in savings tucked away, the landscape looked entirely different-she finally had leverage.

She learned that Marie's assistant was both a gambler and a notorious womanizer.

A man with such weaknesses could be steered easily enough.

Still, the inner workings of the Haynes Group weren't something Gabriela fully grasped yet. For that, she would need Farley's guidance.

Hearing her plan, Farley's whole demeanor shifted.Determination flickered in his eyes as he leaned forward. "Miss Haynes, just tell me what you need."

She bent closer, lowering her voice as she outlined her ideas. With each word, Farley's admiration grew.

Gabriela might look gentle and uncomplicated on the surface, but when she set her mind to something,she carried the same sharp edge and brilliance her mother once had.