“Have you thanked Julian?” Max asked when he saw that his wife’s face was no longer somber.
In an instant, the woman who had just entered the room was smiling loosely.
“Yes. He’s awake when I saw him,” Gabriella reported before pulling up a chair and sitting on the side of the bed.
“Then, how is he?”
The woman’s lips pursed. “He’s fine, Max. The doctor said that his body is strong. In a few days, he is able to go home. Julian just need to keep his wound clean and follow the rules of eating. There’s a lot that he shouldn’t be consuming right now. Whenever I think about it, I feel more guilty.”
“Take it easy, Gaby. Mia will take care of him very well,” the man said, trying to lighten the burden in his wife’s heart. Unexpectedly, those simple words managed to make Gabriella smile again.
“Do you know what? I think, Julian has feelings for Mia,” the woman said with round eyes even though her eyelids were still swollen.
“Why do you come to that conclusion?” Max asked, furrowing his brows.
While fiddling with her husband’s fingers, Gabriella began to tell a story. “Just now, Amber made a fuss. She acted as if Julian was still her future husband. She even gripped Julian’s hand tightly, like this.”
After demonstrating Amber’s doing, the woman continued to speak. “But, unexpectedly, Julian didn’t care at all. Your brother kept calling for Mia and even reached out for her to hold him.”
“Is that true? What happens next?” Max asked, sounding enthusiastic.
“I don’t understand what they’re talking about. Something about courage. But, I saw Julian’s eyes on Mia. They looked very warm. It seems, your brother has completely forgotten about Amber.”
A second later, Max flashed a smile. His heart was filled with something of relief. “I’m grateful. I prefer Mia to be my sister-in-law, rather than Amber,” said the man lightly.
“Have Julian and Mia been close since long ago? Or, just recently?” Gabriella asked, tilting her head.
“Since childhood, I used to use Mia to piss Julian off. If I did it directly, Julian would be furious. But, if it’s Mia who’s caught red-handed, that guy can only sigh,” Max muttered as he replayed the memories.
Seeing the joy on her husband’s face, Gabriella automatically raised the corners of her lips. “Do you think Mia has the same feelings as Julian?”
“Who knows. That woman’s feelings are unpredictable,” Max said, raising an eyebrow.
“But I feel that you always manage to guess my feelings,” the woman implied while stroking her husband’s hair.
“That’s because you are different from other women, Gaby. My heart only recognizes you.”
Getting seduction from her husband, Gabriella’s smile suddenly fell. After a moment of silence, her gaze began to show sadness.
“Then, you should recover quickly, Max. You know what’s in my heart right now, right?”
“Is it because you can’t wait to invite the Little Prince?” the man joked, managing to raise the mood again. In a short time, his wife’s lips had returned to a light curve.
“That’s not the main reason, Max. We have many agendas. You have to make peace with your brother, as well as your father. Then, you also have to determine the steps of our next life, whether you want to continue the original plan or change it.”
Hearing the unexpected statement, the man’s eyes spontaneously narrowed. “What has to be changed?”
“Who knows, since your father has already acknowledged your status as his biological son, he will hand Quebracha to you. I can’t forbid it if you want to go back to the company,” Gabriella replied, shrugging her shoulders briefly. There was absolutely no weight in her tone of voice.
Realizing that his wife’s hunch was likely to come true, Max’s expression slowly turned flat. After pondering for a moment, he looked back at his wife.
“Would you rather live in this town or in our new house?” the man asked thoughtfully.
Without a second thought, Gabriella replied, “As long as I am with you, any place will be my favorite.”
“But, nothing beats that sea of stars, right?” Max teased again, inviting his wife to laugh.
“That’s the best, Max. The Little Prince also really liked the place. I could feel his happiness in my womb at that moment,” the woman said as she looked up, checking the memory. A layer of tears began to cover her vision.
“Do you think he was mad that I pushed him too hard that night?”
At such a question, Gabriella’s brows rose. Her husband’s joke had wiped the sadness from her eyes.
“I think, you should apologize to the Little Prince about that. He knew that you have made his mother suffer and lie helpless on the beach sand.”
“Suffer? Are you sure? I remember you moaning happily,” Max teased with an intimidating frown. In just an instant, both of the woman’s cheeks turned red.
“Stop teasing me!” Gabriella exclaimed while putting on a pitiful look.
However, Max understood that behind the shy look, his wife really missed moment that made her heart feel light.
“I can’t wait to recover quickly. We’ll make a lot of invitations to the Little Prince, right?” Max continued, successfully making Gabriella’s lips pursed.
“Don’t forget that making peace with your father and brother is much more important, Max,” the woman reminded.
Witnessing an expression that had not been seen for a long time, the corners of the man’s lips automatically lifted to the maximum.
“Yeah, take it easy. I won’t forget it, as well as the hundreds of invitations to the Little Prince. How about we experiment more often, hm? We have to make more creative invitations.”
“Max!” Gabriella scolded as she didn’t realize that her cheeks were red as tomatoes.
Receiving such a response, the man struggled to contain his laughter so his stomach wouldn’t churn. He didn’t want to have stitches in the emergency room anymore.
***
“Are you serious your wound doesn’t hurt anymore? Should we wait one more day?” Gabriella asked when she saw Max standing before her. The man’s outfits were no longer the patient’s clothes, while his face was not as pale as the day before.
“You don’t have to worry, Gaby. You heard the doctor’s explanation, right? I can go home. That means, I am fine,” Max said while patting his wife’s cheek. “It’s time for me to solve all the problems.”
Seeing her husband’s belief, Gabriella sighed in resignation. “Okay. But, if you can’t stand the pain, you have to say it right away.”
“Okay,” the man nodded without the slightest hesitation. The wide curve of his lips expressed how happy he was to have such a caring wife.
“So, who do you want to meet first?” Gabriella asked as she lifted the bag with both hands.
“How about we start with the easiest?” the man replied, raising an eyebrow.
Without thinking, the woman nodded. Together, they went to meet the man who was arguing with the secretary.
“Why did you call Amber? I told you, I don’t want to be taken care of by her,” Julian said with brows furrowed in displeasure.
“Sorry, Sir. But, I have to go to the office today. Mister Sebastian needs help. After all, what’s wrong with being taken care of by your future wife? Are you ashamed of her?”
Hearing that relaxed answer, Julian spontaneously snorted. “How many times do I have to tell you? She’s not my future wife. We don’t have any relationship anymore. Why do you trust that crazy woman more?”
“As long as Miss Amber still considers you as her future husband, you are still bound in that relationship, Sir. You can’t deny the fact,” Mia replied while clearing the table. She must ensure the neatness of the room before leaving for work.
“This is really unfair. Why should I be taken care of by a hallucinating woman as my future wife? I don’t want!”
“Why? You are going to get married,” Mia said lightly. “Think of it as an exercise for Miss Amber to take care of her husband.”
A quick sigh escaped from Julian’s mouth again. “I don’t want to be taken care of by her. I just want to be taken care of by you.”
Without the two of them realizing, a husband and wife who were initially about to enter, closed the door again.
“Would you like to see your father first? Julian doesn’t seem to be in a good mood,” Gabriella whispered, afraid that her voice would be heard throughout the room.
Before he could answer, Max’s eyes widened at a woman who was heading towards them. “Gaby, it looks like, soon … there will be a big war,” he sighed, making his wife turn around.
As soon as she found out about Amber’s whereabouts, Gabriella automatically put on the same expression as her husband.
“We have to stay here, Max,” the woman whispered as she was already on alert.