III.
1245 Words
CHAPTER THREE
SHE PUSHED the blanket aside and stopped when she noticed that she was not wearing her clothes. It was an oversized shirt, and she also donned a pair of socks. Gabriela’s chest pounded. Who could have changed her garments?
Now she was anxious and curious at the same time.
She took a deep breath. She must find out the truth at once even though she was still weak and her head throbbed. If she was in danger, she had to save herself.
Gabriela headed to the door and turned the knob. It was not locked. She drew a breath once again and pulled it open. She was welcomed by a cozy living room with a huge entertainment set.
“Wow,” she uttered under her breath.
This place was practically her dream home. Whoever owned this place must be from the royal family or just simply filthy rich.
“Oh, you’re awake now,” said a masculine voice that made Gabriela jump.
She gasped and caught her chest as her gaze turned to the other side of the room. A tall, handsome man was standing by the doorway of the kitchen. He wore a gray shirt, black pajamas, and slippers.
He smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Gabriela gripped the doorknob tightly.
“W-who are you? Why am I here?” she said and swallowed.
“If you want to talk, you can come over here. Breakfast is almost ready. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Her hand moved down to her stomach. Well, it was rumbling. And he seemed harmless to her. But if his plan was to kill her later on, at least, she did not die starving and miserable.
Gabriela closed the door and walked to the kitchen when the man disappeared. She slowly drew a breath.
She found him in front of the stove, stirring something in the pan.
“Please have a seat,” he said without glancing at her.
Gabriela pulled a stool and settled down.
“Don’t you remember anything that happened the night before?”
“I… I was… crossing the street, and there was a car…”
“Well, I was in that car. I thought my driver hit you, but thank goodness, you were not. But you don’t look good.” He turned the stove off and retrieved two plates. He placed it on the table and scooped the fried rice from the pan.
Her mouth watered as she stared at her plate.
“Y-yeah. I remember. But if you hit me, I wouldn’t mind because I would probably be dead by now.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“I’m not like that.”
“It was a dark street. You can throw my body aside, and no one will know what happened.”
His face turned somber.
“Why do you wish to be dead?”
“Because I’m tired of living,” she replied in a bored tone.
Gabriela jumped when she felt his hand on her forehead. It was warm and comforting.
“Your fever’s gone,” he remarked in relief and pulled his hand back.
“You didn’t answer my question a while ago,” she said. “Who are you?”
“Can’t you recognize me?” he asked back.
Her eyebrows could not help knotting.
“Are you a model or something?”
For a moment, he looked thoughtful.
“You can say that.” He turned his back, grabbed some cutlery, and placed it on their plates. “My name is Theo James. You can call me ‘Theo’ or ‘James.’ Whatever suits you.”
“You didn’t put this shirt on me, did you?”
“Oh, that?” He smiled as he took two mugs. “I called my friends who are a doctor and a nurse. Luckily, they live next door.”
Gabriela sighed in relief.
“Thank you,” she said. “But honestly, you should have left me to die. I don’t have the money to pay you back for your kindness.”
“I won’t ask you to pay me back. Never.” He poured coffee on the mugs. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”
“Ramen or instant noodles.”
The corner of his lush lips curled into a smirk.
“Well, here’s a decent meal for you, Miss. I also have fruits here if you want them.”
“You’re not going to sell my organs, are you? Because you won’t have a problem. No one’s going to go looking for me if I’m gone missing.”
Theo chuckled, which stunned Gabriela because he looked even more handsome with his smile.
“As far as the royal family’s concerned, there are no o***************g syndicates in this country.” He finally sat down. “Your name’s Gabriela, right? Do you have a nickname?”
“How did you know my name?”
“Well, Lian, the nurse searched through your personal belongings for your identity. Your stuff was soaked by the rain, so I asked Danny to take them to the laundry shop. He’ll return them this morning so that you can use them again.”
She glanced at her shirt. “Is this shirt yours?”
He nodded.
“It looks cute on you,” he remarked.
Gabriela gazed down at her plate as she felt her cheeks flush.
GABRIELA almost did not recognize herself in front of the mirror inside Theo’s bathroom. Her eyes were still swollen, and so were her lips. Thinking about sharing a decent breakfast with someone like him made her want to melt to the core. Theo looked like a Prince Charming while she was the frog!
She tied her hair into a ponytail and washed her face. She felt better compared to last night, but she was still clueless about what to do next.
“How do I pay that man back? It looks like my organs will never be enough,” she muttered to herself.
When she returned to the kitchen, Theo was still sitting at the table in front of his laptop.
“I just remembered that I had my bike with me last night.”
He glanced up. “Oh, your bike, yeah. We were in a hurry last night that we forgot to pick it up.”
She unconsciously scratched the side of her nape.
“Is that so?”
Someone needy could have picked it up. There was no point in searching for it.
“I suppose you use your bike to go to work. Don’t worry. I already told Danny to buy one for you.”
Her eyes widened.
“You didn’t have to do that!”
He smiled. “It’s my responsibility, though.”
“I think you’ve done too much for me already.”
“It’s not a problem.”
Of course. He’s filthy rich.
“Just how rich are you?” she asked brazenly.
“Why do you ask?” Theo was smiling in amusement.
Gabriela pursed her lips as she sat across him.
“Do you think you can give me a job? Well, since you’ve been doing me all this favor since last night, do you mind if I take advantage of it?”
At first, Theo looked taken aback. But a moment later, he was chuckling. Gabriela’s heart skipped a beat.
Why does he have to look good doing that?
- Writer
