“Ah, I should have asked you to take a shower with me,” the CEO said as he stroked Gabriella’s hair.
“Max!” Amber shrieked while pulling the man’s arm. Her ears felt hot from what Max said to another woman. “Don’t try to test me! I also have a limit of patience.”
For a few seconds, the CEO didn’t make a sound. Only when the man was standing with Gabriella in his arms did he reply, “I have run out of patience. Don’t expect me to accept you as my wife!”
Amber suddenly sighed in disbelief. Her pride was hurt, especially when Max turned around without adding a word.
“You will regret it if you reject me!” the young lady exclaimed, throwing an index finger. However, no matter how hard she shouted, the CEO still ignored her. “You will never be happy with that girl! Never!”
“Auntie, protocol four!” Max suddenly gave a signal. He was really bothered by Amber’s voice.
The butler immediately nodded and stepped inside. “Sorry, Miss,” she said before closing the door.
A second later, an irritated groan could be heard from outside. Everyone knew that Amber didn’t accept being treated like that. But no one dared to bring it up, except for Gabriella when Max put her down on the bed.
“Why did you screw me even though you already have a future wife?”
Max frowned spontaneously. “She’s not my future wife.”
“Then, you want to use me to get rid of that girl?” the girl said in a cold and weak voice.
Even though her expression had flattened out, the tears hanging on the eyelids were unable to hide feelings. Her body was still shaking with resentment and fear.
Unexpectedly, Max smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“So, the girl who gave me spicy coffee is back, huh? Thank God.”
Gabriella’s expression remained the same. “What do you want?”
“Next time, if someone hurts you, fight back! Don’t let anyone treat you arbitrarilly.”
Suddenly, the vibrations on the girl’s fingers grew even more intense. Quick as lightning, Gabriella grasped her hand. However, the CEO had already seen it.
“What’s wrong?” the man asked as if not knowing that his words had triggered a bigger tremor.
The girl looked away. “You told me to fight back. But, you were the one who hurt me the most.”
The eyebrows slowly turned into wrinkles. Max realized that what the girl said was true. It also reminded him of the last night’s intention.
“Do you mind being my wife?” the man asked in a serious tone.
There was no emphasis in his speech, but the girl felt threatened. With a faint shake, Gabriella refused.
“I don’t want to be your wife.”
Max spontaneously took a deep breath and tilted his head. “Why? Didn’t you ask me to take responsibility?”
“I just want to get out of this house,” Gabriella said, lowering her head.
“What are you doing when you get out of here?”
The girl was silent. She didn’t have a plan yet. Gabriella’s idea was just getting away from the CEO and all the torture from that man.
“You take it easy. I won’t hurt you again. I already know that my suspicions of you are not true.”
Gabriella blinked. Slowly, she ventured to meet the man’s gaze.
Realizing that the girl was starting to pay attention, Max made his point clear. “Because of that, I want to marry you. I need to make amends to you.”
Gabriella swallowed hard, wetting her dry throat. That woman wasn’t sure whether the CEO’s words were honest or a trap. However, she couldn’t deny that a little hope had just grown in her heart.
“You already know?” she asked doubtfully.
The man nodded.
“Then why don’t you release me?”
The man’s eyes narrowed automatically. “You seem desperate to get out of here, hm? I told you, I want to make amends. I can’t possibly let you go.”
Gabriella’s brows furrowed spontaneously. “But, you don’t need me anymore. I can’t give you any information.”
“I have to make sure that you’re okay. Can you understand? I need your presence for my serenity. Therefore, marry me!”
“But, I don’t love you.”
The CEO snorted with laughter. “Do you think I love you? What I’m doing is purely out of responsibility.”
Gabriella frowned and looked back down. “Didn’t you say you would give me money and freedom?”
Max was silent watching the stubborn girl. After considering it for a moment, he said, “I will give it to you as long as you can return to normal.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you can pass the second round of the competition, you may leave with the money I promised. But, if you fail, you must be my wife.”
Gabriella’s eyes suddenly shook at her unstable fingers. “How could it be? I can’t even hold the pen,” the girl thought worriedly.
“So, do you agree? If you step back now, I will immediately arrange the wedding ceremony.”
After a moment of hesitation, Gabriella finally nodded. By taking the chance, she still had hope.
“Very nice! Then, I’ll have to go buy a piano for you.”
***
In two hours, a piano was standing in the CEO’s room. Gabriella was dumbfounded by the seriousness of the man.
“You have three days to practice. When the competition ends, if you fail, we get married right away.”
Gabriella stared at Max’s lopsided smile. How could the man discuss marriage so casually?
“Hey, don’t daydream like that! Start practicing! You don’t have much time. When I come home, I’ll test you.”
Without waiting for the girl’s response, the man left the room and closed the door. Gabriella was now alone with the piano, which seemed foreign to her.
“Can I?” she muttered before stumbling toward the piano chair.
When the girl sat, her attention was immediately distracted by the shabby notebook on top of the instrument.
“My songbook?” Gabriella gasped with tears in her eyes. Without realizing it, a small smile had crossed her face.
A few moments later, her gaze shifted to a folder containing sheet music. Gabriella’s heart suddenly melted. Without wasting any time, she placed the transparent folder on the stand.
After taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment, the girl placed her fingers on the piano keys. For a few seconds, no sound was heard. She was caught between doubt and unrest.
“Can I?”
Gabriella’s eyes fixed on her trembling hands. After a moment of silence, she began to play the instrument. Without her knowing, a man was smiling outside the door. His head nodded as the first note entered his ears.
“Good,” he thought before actually walking away.
***
“How was the result of your practice?” Max asked, making the pianist stop pressing the keys. The girl didn’t realize when the CEO opened the door.
“Try playing the song that you will show later!” The man leaned against the wall next to the piano.
Instead of obeying, Gabriella shook her head. “I can’t yet,” she said with bowed head.
“Are your hands still shaking?” the man guessed as he watched how the girl hid her fingers on the lap.
A second later, Gabriella nodded.
“Tsk, should I call the doctor again?” Max muttered, tilting his head.
After one blink, the man straightened his back and then asked, “Have you had dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Then, come with me!”
The girl blinked in surprise. “Where?”
“Just follow!”
Despite her doubts, Gabriella finally followed the CEO into a room. The spread of papers, cardboards, and thin boards on the table immediately caught her eyes.
“Can you draw?” Max asked, successfully prompting Gabriella to raise an eyebrow. “I thought, this could be an exercise to get rid of the tremors in your hands.”
“What do you mean?”
“Trace the patterns!”
The girl observed the various shapes of thick cardboard placed in a box.
“What is this?”
“Trust me, working on a mockup can help you get rid of tremors.”
Gabriella thought for a moment. Hiding her uneasiness, she looked at the fingers and patterns in turn.
“You’re using me,” the girl muttered.
The CEO’s eyes widened spontaneously before a sigh of disbelief accompanied his surprise. “You are too confident. Do you think I can’t do it by myself?”
Max raised an eyebrow and showed me a half-finished mockup. Gabriella’s lips pursed automatically together with suspicion.
“Now, don’t protest against me anymore! Hurry up and do it, or you will accept the consequences tonight!”
Like it or not, the girl obeyed. Halfheartedly, she began to focus on moving the markers to follow the pattern.
The CEO smiled at Gabriella in a secret way. The girl looked cute while she was furrowing her eyebrows and pursing her lips. Once aware of the direction of his attention, the man blinked.
“Jeez …. What’s wrong with me? Why did I see her like that?”
Shaking his head, Max returned to focus on work. He didn’t want to confess that something had tickled his heart.