“Do you expect that I really love you?” Max said while supporting his head with one hand. The smile beneath his narrowed eyes managed to intimidate Gabriella.
“Don’t hope. It’s just, I have the right to know that you do have feelings for me,” the woman said with an awkward blink. She didn’t know if her tone was right or not. But, she was already trying her best to sound firm.
For a few moments, the couple stared at each other in silence. The two of them read each other’s eyes that were both doubtful.
“So, do you expect love from me?” Max asked breaking the silence.
Looking at the lopsided smile on the man’s face, annoyance grew rapidly in Gabriella’s heart. With furrowed brows, she protested. “You always throw back questions from me. Are you afraid that your true feelings will be exposed? Or do you really like to make me wonder?”
Instead of being intimidated, the curve of the man’s lips grew wider. “If you’re wondering, doesn’t that mean you thought about it? In other words, you have hope for the answer to that question.”
Feeling unable to win against the CEO’s tongue, Gabriella finally pursed her lips. “Whatever! You’re so noisy. I want to sleep.” Without adding another word, the woman turned her back to her husband.
“Wait a minute. Why are you suddenly angry?” Max asked, pretending to be innocent. He didn’t want a sad laugh escape from his lips.
After a moment, Gabriella still kept silent. Her act made her husband take a deep breath and think, “What’s so hard about confessing, Gaby? I just want to get a guarantee that my love is not one-sided.”
“Are you annoyed that I can guess your thoughts?” Max asked, sounding like a tease.
After a while, there was no answer. Max could no longer let his curiosity hang. He touched the woman’s shoulder. “Is my guess right?”
A second later, Gabriella nudged her husband’s hand. “Stop teasing me! I will note it as a negative point if you keep disturbing.”
Realizing that his wife’s defense was too strong, Max finally sighed. “Perhaps, this is not the right time,” the man thought before laying down and embracing the woman.
Not expecting that Max would dare to approach, Gabriella began to rebel. “I told you, don’t disturb me!”
“Isn’t this our usual position?”
“But I feel disturbed.”
The woman kept urging her husband to stay away. However, the man did not want to loosen his arms.
“I just want to sleep. Please stop making a fuss,” Max pleaded, starting to make a frown.
Unfortunately, Gabriella was not silent either. “You already have Smiley. But, why do you hug me?”
“Because you’re warm.”
Listening to the spontaneous answer, the woman finally didn’t budge. Her brain needed time to process the meaning behind that simple sentence.
A moment later, she said with pursed lips, “Then just hug a blanket or a heater.” That was the only response the innocent woman could think of.
After a few breaths, no answer was heard. Gabriella was curious about Max’s expression. Unfortunately, her sight was limited. Instead, she threatened. “If you don’t let me go, I’ll put this act in the negative points column.”
Unexpectedly, Max corrected the position of his head to make it more comfortable. His arms locked even tighter.
“Still not wanting to free me? Okay. You get a negative point. Don’t blame me if the final result shows that you’re not a good person.”
“Sleep, Gaby. You need rest,” the man who was so close to her ear whispered.
Hearing how tired her husband was, Gabriella lost intention to nag more. She couldn’t deny that her act was too annoying.
“Well, tonight, I’ll give him a break. But tomorrow, don’t expect me to soften up,” Gabriella thought while pursing her lips. “I won’t let him settle down.”
***
Gabriella blinked to gather consciousness as soon as she opened her eyes. After the plan put together in her head, the woman smiled and turned around.
“Let’s start the game!” she thought.
However, two seconds later, Gabriella’s lips became flat again. Max wasn’t lying by her side anymore. There was only Smiley who was placed in a sitting position facing her.
“When did he wake up?” the woman murmured with small frown at the base of her brows.
When she checked the clock, her eyes trembled faster. “It’s still too early. There’s no way Max has left for work.”
Wasting no time, Gabriella slid into the bathroom. In just a few minutes, she went down the stairs in neat clothes and the same frown.
“Good morning, Mrs. Evans,” the butler greeted as she saw the woman in the blue dress enter the dining room.
“Good morning, Auntie. Where’s Max?” Gabriella asked bluntly.
Listening to the question, Minnie smiled instantly. “Master has already left for the office.”
“This early?” The young woman’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Master said there is a lot of work to be done.”
Gabriella flickered under a frown. “Why didn’t he take me to the office?” she muttered with her head tilted.
Realizing that the young woman was in confusion, Minnie took the initiative to pull up a chair nearby. “How about Madam have breakfast now? We have prepared a delicious menu.”
“Does Max’s face look like he’s upset this morning?” Gabriella asked as she followed directions.
“No. Master looks cheerful instead.”
The young woman’s eyebrows suddenly rose higher. “This is strange.”
Minnie’s laughter was no longer suppressed. “What is strange, Madam?” the butler said as she poured some water into Gabriella’s glass.
“This is suspicious. Did he purposely not wake me up to escape? He must be afraid that the negative points will increase,” the woman mumbled, not realizing that her expression had made Minnie shake her head in exasperation.
“What negative points are you talking about, Madam?”
Gabriella’s facial muscles instantly froze. After a quick blink, the corners of her lips were forcibly lifted. “It’s nothing. Please ignore what I just said.”
“Alright then. Enjoy your meal. I have to take care of other things.”
Before the butler could take a step, Gabriella had already asked, “Have you had breakfast, Auntie? How about you accompanying me to eat?”
“My breakfast is already in the stomach, Madam.”
“Would you like to sit here? I have something to ask,” Gabriella said hopefully.
After pondering for a while, the butler finally sat down at the designated seat.
In just two seconds, the young woman spilled her curiosity. “You must have worked here for a long time. Doesn’t that mean you know Max very well?” Gabriella asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
Unexpectedly, Minnie’s expression turned gloomy. With a slight curve of her lips, the old woman replayed the memory.
“Mister Max is like my own son.”
Hearing the touching answer, Gabriella’s curiosity immediately changed direction. There were no more plans to dig up information about things the CEO hated. The story behind Minnie’s sincere statement had caught her attention.
“Why so? Is it because you have been taking care of Max for too long?” Gabriella asked carefully.
Suddenly, the old woman beside her lowered the gaze. Bitter memories had weighed on her head.
“At that time, Master was ten years old, while Mia was only three years old.”
Gabriella spontaneously raised her hand. “Wait a minute. Did Aunt just mention Mia? Max’s second secretary?”
Minnie smiled a little and nodded. “Yes. Mia is my daughter.”
Gabriella was immediately taken aback. “No wonder I feel familiar and Max seems very confident in Mia,” the woman sighed while raising her eyelids high.
After blinking to relieve the shock, she continued speaking. “What happened then?”
“I wanted to quit my job so I can focus on taking care of Mia. John also supported the plan.”
Gabriella’s hand was again raised in the air. “Do you mean Uncle John, Max’s private chauffeur? Is he your husband?”
Again, the old woman nodded. A sigh of disbelief came out of Gabriella’s mouth again.
“It turns out, Max really has a trust problem?” she muttered faintly. “Then, what keeps Auntie here?”
The butler took a deep breath. “On the day I was about to resign, the accident happened. Mister had lost not only his mother, but also the affection of his father. John and I couldn’t bear to leave that poor child alone, or with an unknown stranger.”
Gabriella’s chest suddenly felt tight. An indescribable emptiness had filled the space of her heart. “What happened to Max’s dad?” the woman asked half-reflectively.
“I also don’t understand. Since the death of his wife, Mr. Herbert has hated his youngest son,” Minnie replied with a look of pity.
“He’s no longer warm to Max. Sometimes, Mister Herbert ignored his son as if he didn’t know him. Then, another time, he vented his anger without the slightest bit of pity. Once, Mister Herbert locked little Max out of the house when it was raining heavily. And when he found out his son had a fever, he didn’t feel guilty at all.”
Gabriella’s shoulders drooped weakly, as the corners of her lips were weighed down with sadness. She just found out that her husband had such bitter memories.
“But, despite the unfair treatment of his father, Mister Max managed to grow into a gentle and kind man. No matter how many times he has to be ignored, he still tries to get close to his father.”
Seeing a little smile painted with pride on Minnie’s face, the tight feeling that was pressing on Gabriella’s heart subsided. “Max has weathered the tough times,” she concluded with the butler’s nod.
“That’s right. Mister Max is a great man. After that long struggle, the relationship with his father begins to improve. Even though Mister Herbert was mostly silent, at least, he didn’t vent the anger on his son like he used to. He has also started to give trust through the company.”
A second later, Minnie took Gabriella’s hand and held it together with sincerity. “That’s why I’m so glad Max chose a woman as good as you. Although from the outside, he looks strong, deep in his heart, he holds many wounds. I really hope you can treat him until his heart doesn’t leave a scar.”
Gabriella’s blink suddenly turned awkward. With a doubtful curl of lips, she expressed her concern. “But, I’m not a great woman. I couldn’t possibly do that. What’s more, Max doesn’t like me at all.”
The butler shook her head disapprovingly. “My judgment cannot be wrong, Madam. I have known Mister since he was a child. He loves you very much.”
Gabriella flinched in contemplation. Minnie’s eyes looked so honest. However, the old woman’s words sounded impossible to her.