“Look, who touched first?” Max teased, raising an eyebrow.
Annoyed, Gabriella threw her husband’s hand away.
“I want to sleep!” Roughly, the woman threw herself on the bed and then laid with her back to her husband.
A few seconds later, she changed position to her back, then turn to the right. But, wherever she faced, her eyes still wouldn’t close.
“Why? You can’t sleep because of thinking about me?” Max teased with a crooked smile.
Gabriella chuckled in annoyance and then threw her husband with the teddy. “Stop bothering me!”
“Wow! So, you don’t love Snowy anymore? Good.” Max hugged the teddy bear and returned his focus to the phone.
Looking at her husband’s behavior, Gabriella was provoked to sit down. “Hey, give my Snowy back!”
“This isn’t yours anymore. You already gave it to me,” Max said casually.
Without further ado, the woman slipped her hand between the girth of the stout arms.
“Give it back!” She tried to pull Snowy out, but failed.
“Stop disturbing my composure! I need concentration,” Max muttered without loosening his grip a bit.
“Give me Snowy first! Only then will I let you be at peace!”
Suddenly, Max let the teddy off the hook. Instead, he hugged his wife. “You’re not afraid of me anymore, hm?”
“I’m never afraid of you,” Gabriella said as she tried to get up. However, her body remained locked in her husband’s arms.
“Then you don’t need to be threatened anymore to comply with my commands.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”
The CEO gave his cell phone. “Do the presentation, now!”
“Now? It’s past midnight.”
Max nodded. “You aren’t sleepy, right?”
Gabriella sneered in annoyance and pursed her lips. “Good!”
As soon as the man let go, the woman grabbed the phone and slid away.
“Would you like to do a presentation while hugging that dull bear?” Max protested, annoyed with Snowy.
“So what? It’s just practice.”
Suddenly, the man reached out and wiggled his five fingers.
“Give it to me! This is the last rehearsal. Pretend you’re in front of the board of directors.”
Gabriella sighed in annoyance and handed her the teddy. “Satisfied?”
“Not yet. You have to do a good presentation, then I’m satisfied.”
With a heavy heart, the woman obeyed. She spent the first night practicing. Despite that, Gabriella was secretly relieved. At least, the activity did not threaten her heart health. In the past 24 hours, it had been churning too much.
“I hope the next day won’t be more thrilling than today.”
***
“All my life, I’ve always dreamed of becoming a pianist. But, why am I now concerned about the project to be built on the ruins of my house?” Gabriella thought with her eyes fixed on Max’s phone screen. One faint breath was enough to represent her feeling.
“Are you ready?” the man beside asked. The woman’s daydream was instantly shattered.
“Hmm, yes.”
Suddenly, Max took her hand and placed a white hair tie around her wrist. “If you’re nervous, just touch this hair tie. Think of it as Snowy’s replacement.”
Spontaneous astonishment enveloped the woman’s face. “Since when do you care about your wife?”
“Tch, you are too confident. I just don’t want you to mess up my plan. I’m not doing this as your husband, but a CEO who wants to keep his job.”
Gabriella was suddenly annoyed. “I was used again,” she said without thinking.
“At least I didn’t repay you.” Max showed his black index fingernails. “It looks like I’ll have to get the marker out of your sight.”
The woman almost laughed. “It’s your own fault for not being careful when taking a shower.”
“Stop joking! Now is the time for action,” the CEO said as he opened the door beside his seat. Anxiety immediately swept through Gabriella’s mind.
“Tsk, why does he surprise me again? In fact, I just relaxed.”
With a deep frown, the inexperienced woman got out of the car. Her heart beat faster as her eyes fell on the door of the Quebracha Company building.
Tension ran high as they entered the meeting room. All eyes were on Gabriella with a look of displeasure.
“Why does that girl come here?”
“Why does Max take the girl to the meeting?”
“Why didn’t anyone kick her out?”
Hearing the angry voices, Max automatically raised the corners of his lips. The surprise was successful.
“Good morning, esteemed board of directors! You must be wondering what I mean by bringing Miss Gabriella here. Believe me! I come with good intentions. This decision of mine will bring great benefits to the company.”
While Max was grabbing attention, the woman was busy observing the people in front of her. There were only four faces she recognized. Sebastian, Julian, Amber, and… her father-in-law.
“Isn’t that Max’s dad?” Gabriella thought with a faint sigh. She could accept that Amber was on the board of directors. But, her logic refused to believe that Herbert was on the opposite side of his own son.
“Is this what Aunt meant about Max’s suffering? Disputes with his family? No wonder he didn’t ask for his parent’s blessing.”
Suddenly, the CEO touched her shoulder. Gabriella gasped and immediately understood the code from him. Quickly, she received the pointer even though her hands were still shaking.
After taking a deep breath, Gabriella started the presentation. Ignoring the cynical looks from the audience, the woman continued to explain what she had been practicing.
***
When Gabriella finished her presentation, no one clapped for her. Everyone whispered, doubting that the building was her idea.
“So, are you sure you want me to step down?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow. “In that case, you give up this very promising project.”
There was a sudden silence until Julian spoke up.
“Are you threatening the board of directors? This attitude of yours doesn’t reflect a CEO at all.”
Max shook his head casually. “Not threatening, but offering a more visionary view. But, if you don’t like this design, that’s okay. We could offer it to other companies. They will definitely accept it with open arms.”
Julian’s jaw was throbbing with displeasure. The meeting was supposed to be a historic moment for him. However, the younger brother came and ruined the atmosphere.
“Can Miss Gabriella be trusted?” Amber asked suddenly taking all the attention. “Isn’t this woman rumored to have conspired with you to hinder the Quebracha project?”
The councilors started nodding to confirm her words, while Gabriella swallowed hard and gripped her own hands. Aware of his wife’s fear, the CEO could not remain silent.
“Even if the rumors are true, if Miss Gabriella has signed a work contract, what can she do? After all, until this moment, the incident did not cause any significant harm. If you consider it, her presence is actually a blessing.”
Max’s words suddenly caused a lot of whispers in the forum.
“Just imagine! If Quebracha has already started construction, can we still switch to this hybrid building? Remember! This building not only brings greater profits, but also lower construction costs.”
Several people began to sigh in resignation and nodded in agreement. The corners of Max’s lips lifted slightly. He realized that he had the upper hand, especially when looking at Herbert Evans not making a sound at all.
“So, what’s your decision? Please negotiate! Miss Gabriella and I will give you ten minutes before the start of voting. Think carefully, whether it’s time for you to substitute the CEO or not.”
After giving the statement, Max came out with the pale woman. When they had left the meeting room, Gabriella finally caught her breath and her lips slowly returned to color.
“How’s my presentation?”
Max nodded with pursed lips.
“Not bad, but not really good either.”
The sigh of relief blew again. “At least I didn’t mess up your plan.”
The CEO suddenly snorted. “We don’t know the result yet. Don’t be too happy, yet!”
Tension instantly carved rigidity on Gabriella’s face. The woman could no longer relax waiting for a decision. “Am I still have to enter?”
“Of course. You have to be in charge of your project,” Max said, raising an eyebrow.
A tired sigh escaped from the woman’s mouth again. “Then I’m going to the toilet.”
“Make sure you add lipstick on your lips. Mrs. Evans mustn’t look pale,” the man joked before curling his lips. Seeing Gabriella purse her mouth seemed to have become one of his hobbies. He even kept smiling while the woman had stepped away.
“Has she finished her assignment? So you let her go?” Amber was suddenly behind his back. Max’s face turned serious in a flash.
“She just goes to the toilet. Should you comment on her footsteps?”
“Tch! I wonder why you always defend that girl. But now, come on in! The forum is waiting.”
The CEO’s eyes suddenly widened. “This fast?” A second later, he turned his head in the direction Gabriella had gone. The woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Don’t worry! Your pet will surely follow.”
Max spontaneously furrowed his brows in displeasure. “Watch your mouth, Amber! You can’t insult Gabriella.”
Without waiting for a response, the man rushed into the room, leaving the woman who had just sighed in disbelief.
“Can’t insult her?” Amber murmured disgusted.
After rolling her eyes for a moment, the woman took a step towards the way Gabriella had walked.
“Let’s see what I can do for that dirty girl.” A crooked smile was now painted on the face full of malice.