“Do you still have Max’s favorite cookie recipe?” Gabriella asked with sparkling eyes.
In an instant, the butler was astonished to see the woman who suddenly approached her.
“Yes, Madam. Would you like to learn it?”
Gabriella shook her head with a crooked smile. “I want to make it now.”
Minnie blinked in disbelief. After noticing the change in young woman’s eyes, she hurriedly took out a tattered book from the cupboard.
“Do you need help to make it?”
Again, Gabriella shook her head. “I can make it by myself. Thank you.”
Enthusiastically, the young woman prepared her little surprise. Never once did she frown. Something burning in the chest had pumped the spirit to make the husband smile.
“I hope my decision is not wrong,” she thought every time worry came.
***
When night fell, Gabriella waited in the living room with a glass jar decorated with a red ribbon. The gingerbread neatly arranged inside looked warm even though it had been taken out of the oven for hours, just like a smile that never left the woman’s face.
“Max must be happy to see what I’ve prepared,” Gabriella muttered before looking back at the door. Even though the thick wood was always still, she didn’t get tired of looking at it.
“How long will Madam wait here?” Minnie asked as she had been watching quietly for a few seconds.
Gabriella gasped and turned around. The curve of her wide lips suddenly shrunk. “Until Max comes home,” she said shyly.
The butler suddenly tilted her head. “In that case, do you need anything? A cup of coffee?”
The woman with thick eyelids was silent for a moment. Three seconds later, she nodded and said, “Thank you, Auntie.”
Minnie pursed her lips in exasperation. Apparently, the young woman realized that she was sleepy. “Then, wait a moment. I’ll serve it.”
After a few minutes, the butler returned with a cup of coffee. However, as soon as she saw the mistress asleep on the sofa, her steps stopped. With a warm smile, she put the coffee on the table, then went to get the blanket.
“She must be tired after three failed baking,” Minnie thought as she sat sipping coffee, watching Gabriella. “But thankfully, she’s already realized her feeling.”
Suddenly, the door opened and a man stared wide-eyed. “Why is Gaby sleeping here?” he whispered to the butler.
Casually, Minnie approached the CEO. “Why come home so late, Sir? Your wife is already tired of waiting. She has prepared a special gift for you.”
The man’s eyes grew wider. “A gift?”
Minnie raised the corners of her lips meaningfully. “Excuse me, Sir.” Leaving no other clue, she went with the almost empty cup.
With a confused blink, Max looked at his wife. “What did you prepare for me?” he asked in a barely audible voice.
As soon as he was about to approach, the man’s attention was caught by the jar on the table. The tension in his brows instantly dissipated.
“She really did what is written on the paper?” Max sighed in disbelief.
A second later, happiness brightened his face. Cautiously, he sat on the edge of the sofa.
“Is this a sign that my love is not one-sided?” he thought as he stroked his wife’s hair.
After a moment of admiring Gabriella’s beauty, the man sighed.
“Finally I understand why the employees are always annoyed every time they work overtime. It’s because they have someone waiting at home.”
Suddenly, Max’s eyeballs rolled with ideas. “Should I change the rules? Sacrificing time with family for work is not healthy.”
After shaking his head and smiling faintly, the man turned his attention back to his wife. “Only you can change my mind.”
Then, carefully, he carried his wife to a more comfortable place.
“And only you can make me work out despite my hectic schedule,” Max sighed as he climbed the dozens of stairs. “Thank you, Gaby.”
***
“Hmm? When did I move here?” Gabriella thought as she found the ceiling in front of her eyes.
“Sleep well, Princess?”
The woman turned and blinked flatly. “Did you move me here? Going up those many stairs?”
“Do you think I have a heart to let my wife sleep in the living room?”
Gabriella’s brows immediately furrowed in regret. “Sorry. I-”
“How long are you going to bother me? Why don’t you just sleep in front of the fence?”
The woman froze for a moment. She was used to being scolded like that. But, why did the words just feel sharper? Was it because her heart that’s no longer guarded?
“I …”
Gabriella couldn’t think because of the tightness in her chest. It was hard for her to accept that the plan to make Max smile had failed just because of a little carelessness.
“Next time, if you miss me, just tell me directly. You don’t have to wait until you fall asleep like that.”
The woman’s brow furrows suddenly changed meaning. With a look of incomprehension, she looked at the smiling man with eyebrows raised high.
“Are you mad or what?” she muttered, unable to contain the confusion.
Suddenly, Max kissed her forehead. “Don’t make me feel guilty anymore. Understand?”
The woman’s astonishment immediately skyrocketed beyond the limit. “Why do you feel guilty?”
Annoyed that his wife was insensitive, Max finally flicked the woman’s forehead. Gabriella spontaneously blinked and rubbed the skin that wasn’t red at all.
“Why did you do that?”
“So that you come to your senses and don’t repeat such stupid questions,” the man answered, raising an eyebrow.
A sigh escaped from Gabriella’s mouth. “Why do you always confuse me? Sometimes, you are good to me. Then, another time, you love to scold me. What do you really want?” the woman grimaced in despair.
Max’s patience no longer lasted. His heart was urging to be revealed.
“You asked what I want?” the man sighed in a hanging tone.
One second later, he covered his wife’s mouth with warmth.
“That’s what I want,” Max whispered as he looked back at the woman who was frozen in shock. “You know that not everything has to be put into words, right?”
Gabriella was still silent in contemplation. Her lips trembled against the crowd in her mind. “What does it mean? Does he really love me? Or just want my body?”
Unknowingly, the woman’s hand gripped tightly on her husband’s sleeve. “But, I still don’t understand,” she said in a low voice.
Once again, Max kissed his wife’s tenderness and smiled. “Unfortunately, I have to hurry to the office. But tonight, I’ll be home on time. Let’s continue this discussion while we enjoy your cookies.”
The woman’s brow furrows slowly began to unravel. “Are you going to explain all of it tonight?”
The man nodded. After rubbing Gabriella’s arm, he got up and started getting ready.
“So, everything will be revealed tonight?” the woman murmured as she suppressed her heart which suddenly went crazy. “Gosh! What should I say later?”
After taking a deep breath, she bit her lip to strengthen the guts. “I hope I don’t love the wrong person.”
***
“Where is your appetite, Madam? Is the food bad?”
Gabriella gasped and turned to the side. Minnie was smiling a little at the kitchen door.
“It is not like that. It’s very delicious,” Gabriella said with a stiff curve of lips.
“Then why is the plate still not empty?”
Gabriella grimaced and looked down for a moment. “Can I ask Auntie something?”
The butler’s eyes narrowed. In just a few steps, the old woman arrived next to Gabriella. “What is troubling you, Madam?” she asked softly.
“I’m curious about the true meaning of love. Aunt said that Max loves me. However, I doubt that. Is it possible that our understanding of love is different?”
Minnie thought for a moment. After a brief silent, she returned the gaze of the young woman.
“Love is like a pearl. When we watch it from a certain angle, the sparkle will look different. Even so, it is still the same pearl. Beautiful and precious.”
Gabriella was stunned to digest the meaning. As soon as she understood, the corners of her lips lifted lightly. “That’s a very beautiful analogy, Auntie.”
“Not only that, Madam. They are also similar in terms of struggle. The most beautiful pearls are in the deepest sea. To get it, it takes enormous effort and sacrifice.”
“So, love is also hard to come by?” Gabriella concluded, tilting her head.
Suddenly, Minnie rubbed the young woman’s arm. “That’s right, Madam. Therefore, do not waste what you have found. It’s worth it. Not everyone is as lucky as you.”
“Wow, I didn’t know there was a lecture here.”
People who were sitting at the dining table spontaneously turned towards the door. As soon as they saw Amber standing there, both of them stared at each other and got up from the chair.
“What did you come here for?” Gabriella asked, not realizing that she was clenching her fingers.
Realizing such a cold welcome, the uninvited guest chuckled. “Are you afraid that I will show my strength again?”
With the corner of her lips raised sarcastically, Amber approached the host.