“Wow, Mrs. Evans is really stunning!” the designer flattered. “All dresses look more radiant on your body.”
Gabriella raised the corners of her lips a bit. The dress with crystal beads was the tenth dress she had tried on.
“So, has my fiancee found her dress yet?” Max asked suddenly before sitting on the sofa.
Without waiting for orders, the butler approached her master.
“Aren’t you planning on leaving this afternoon, Sir?” Minnie asked in a low voice.
“My business is done. Now, I want to check on my fiancee’s preparation,” he said, smiling at Gabriella. The girl who glanced at him suddenly looked away.
“Of all the dresses that have been tried, your lover is most suitable to wear this dress, Sir,” the designer explained as he pulled Gabriella to the front of the man.
“Is it true? Turn around!”
After a moment of hesitation, the girl finally turned around with her head down.
“Not so bad,” Max commented, crossing his arms and stroking his chin. “Which dress do you like the most?”
The girl’s face instantly lifted to follow her eyebrows. “All of them are pretty.”
“You want me to buy them all?”
Gabriella’s palms spontaneously waved as she shook her head. “No, no. I like this one most.”
“Okay. So, please take care of the payment, Auntie. And thanks for your service. Enchanting Bridal is really amazing.”
After leaving the message, Max gave a short smile and walked away. Gabriella just continued to stare at the man’s back until it was out of sight.
“Did he come just to pick out a dress?” the girl thought without realizing disappointment in her heart.
Until the fitting process was over, Gabriella kept thinking about Max’s reaction when he commented on her appearance earlier. Every now and then, she took a deep breath. However, the tightness in her lungs didn’t go away.
“What’s wrong, Miss? You look gloomy,” the butler who was walking slowly to keep up with her pace inquired.
The girl blinked and forced a smile. “It’s nothing.”
“Is it because of Mr. Max’s treatment? Because of his cold and rude attitude towards you?”
Gabriella could only hide the answer behind a smile. But a moment later, Minnie took the girl’s hand and gave her a deep look.
“I know, you have gone through a hard time because of him. But, please don’t hate him. In fact, Mr. Max is a very nice person, Miss.”
Gabriella’s eyebrows automatically conveyed curiosity. “Why would you say that?”
“I’ve been taking care of Mr. Max since he was little, Miss. So, I know very well what kind of person he is. You don’t have to worry about being his wife.”
Gabriella was silent. She didn’t know how to respond.
“Actually, I’m grateful that Mr. Max chose you. I really hope your presence can cheer him up. He has suffered too long alone.”
Confusion tilted Gabriella’s head in a sudden. “Suffer?”
There’s a silence in a moment before Minnie smacked her own lips.
“Oh, what did I say? Sorry, Miss. I have other business to do. Excuse me.”
Gabriella increasingly did not understand what the butler meant. Wondering, she turned to face the CEO’s family photo.
“What made him suffer? He looks fine. Did Auntie mean the problem at Max’s company?”
After a blink, she shook her head firmly.
“Why am I worried about that man? He’s none of my business,” the girl mumbled to herself.
A second later, Gabriella stepped into the room she had wanted to leave yesterday. However, the girl still had not realized that she was starting to sympathize with the CEO.
***
“Why are you here? Did I ask you to help me trace the pattern today?”
Max’s questions succeeded to make Gabriella glance at him.
“Didn’t you say that this thing can help me get rid of tremors?” the girl said with pursed lips.
“Then why do you keep stealing glances at me? Can my face also get rid of the vibrations on your fingers?”
“When did I do it?” the girl objected and rolled her eyes. She didn’t want the lie to appear on her face.
Suddenly, the man got up from his chair and approached Gabriella. The girl shriveled at his presence.
“Or maybe, you just realized that I am good looking?”
Gabriella suddenly grimaced. “Please don’t make it up. You’re so far from my taste.”
“Is it true? What kind of man do you like?” Max asked, crossing his arms over the chest. His raised chin seemed to express a challenge.
“Someone who is not rude and arbitrary like you,” the girl answered as she rolled her eyes back to the marker.
Feeling annoyed and disapproved, Max bent down, leveling his eyes with Gabriella’s face. Awkwardness instantly froze the girl.
“Don’t you know that you’re not my taste either?” he whispered making the chills go down the spine. Gabriella almost shuddered at that. However, she didn’t want to show her feelings.
“Then, just cancel our wedding. Besides, tomorrow is too urgent,” the girl grumbled with pursed lips.
Not wanting to lose, Max raised the corner of his lips sarcastically. “Do you forget? The reason I want to marry you isn’t about taste.”
Gabriella was finally provoked to corner her eyes. The tension in her nerves began to be replaced by resentment.
“How can I forget? You’ve said that a dozen times.”
A moment later, Max nodded and smiled. “Very nice. You have to remember that our marriage was built on a sense of responsibility.”
One of Gabriella’s eyebrows furrowed spontaneously. She really couldn’t understand her future husband’s attitude.
“Do you always force your will like this?” she said without thinking.
The man’s brows furrowed. “Why do you come to that conclusion all of a sudden?”
“You must be used to decide everything by yourself. Just look at how you marry me without asking your parents’ blessing.”
Gabriella’s answer succeeded in inviting sighs of astonishment from her future husband.
“You think of me that far?”
The girl blinked stiffly. She did not think that her words could turn against herself.
“Why would I think of you? I just said what comes to my mind. After all, it’s true. If you ask for your blessing, our marriage will definitely not happen,” Gabriella argued before lowering her head. There was a bit of fear when she dared to be honest with the man.
In an instant, Max’s breath was heard clearly. “So you’re worried about your future father in-law?”
The girl’s eyes fluttered erratically. After a while, she finally nodded acknowledging the truth.
“I’m sure your parent won’t accept me as a daughter-in-law.”
Seeing Gabriella looking down, Max let out a smile. “You’re self-conscious enough, huh?”
A second later, the man pulled a chair and sat down beside his future wife. It was there that he continued the work of assembling new mockups.
“Do you remember the little houses we built yesterday?” Max asked suddenly.
“Yes, where are they now?” Gabriella’s eyes began to sweep the room, but failed to find what she was looking for.
“I’ve kept it in a safe place. But, that’s not the point.”
The girl’s attention was again focused on Max.
“Let’s just say, the small house is you, and yesterday’s tall building is me. In your opinion, are the two of them comparable?”
Gabriella’s brows painted protest spontaneously. “Are you insulting me?”
Instead of answering, Max continued to explain.
“At the first glance, the Quebracha tall building is indeed more valuable than the small house. But, when they are combined, what do you think people think?”
Gabriella’s brow furrowed for a moment.
“You want to arrange those houses into a tall building?” Right at that time, the girl couldn’t hide her admiration.
“Yes. So, in your opinion, can the concept of a small house be underestimated?”
Gabriella’s breath immediately answered her future husband’s question. “What do you want to tell me actually? Please don’t confuse me.”
After smiling for a moment, Max looked at the girl intently.
“The combined concept is us. When you become my wife, no one can underestimate you.”
Gabriella was stunned by those words. However, after the blink of an eye, she let out a faint sigh. “Are you seducing me?”
Max’s expression suddenly turned stiff.
“Why would I seduce a girl I don’t like? I just want to emphasize that when your status has become my wife, you don’t have to worry about anything. I will act as a good husband.”
“Tch…. How dare you say that, whereas you still worry about your company’s problems?” Gabriella forgot to control her speech, so the man in front of her frowned and tilted his head.
“You overheard my conversation with Sebastian?” The accusation was accurate.
Gabriella’s mouth fell open without a word. After blinking tensely, the girl refuted, “Why do I care about your problem? It really doesn’t matter.”
“Then how do you know that I haven’t solved my problem?”
The girl’s eyes darted back and forth looking for an excuse.
“It’s written clearly on your face. Don’t you realize that you already look like a stressed person?”
Unexpectedly, Max turned Gabriella’s chair so that they were facing each other. Then, he got up and closed the distance between them.
“Show it! Which side of my face makes me look like a stressed person?”
The girl flinched for a moment. Her brain had been hijacked by the handsomeness that filled the view. She didn’t even notice that her breath was held and her heart was beating faster.