Claire stayed in her study for most of the day, deeply engrossed in her work. As much as Gabriel wanted to bother her, he had his own work to do, and besides, he did not want to sabotage her work. He did pop his head into her study around lunchtime but Claire was on some business call, instead, he brought her lunch up.
Claire, at last, came downstairs for dinner. To her surprise, Jonathan served the Stilton and Mushroom lasagne. Claire was curious how Gabriel would deal with it. He tried to hide his disgust, but he ate so slowly that Claire clearly could tell that he was struggling with it. He still managed to keep his face neutral, which Claire was impressed by. After dinner she returned to work, falling asleep hours later on her desk.
Gabriel was already in his pyjamas when he came to check on her. He let out a long sigh when he found her sleeping with her head resting on her arm on her desk. He gently picked her up and carried her to her room.
Gabriel gently laid her on the bed, taking her slippers off, and tucking her in. She was exhausted. It was starting to be visible on her face. She had dark circles around her eyes, and she was even paler. One huge change since she came back was that she ate well enough that he could already notice a difference, her cheeks seemed more full.
After making sure that she was okay, Gabriel left her alone, keen to go to bed himself.
He thought that sleep will come soon but it didn't. He couldn't shake off his anxiety over being followed barely a night earlier. He started having an inkling that the culprit was his own father. He hoped that he was wrong, but Claire's hesitance to share it with him, and her admittance to having a non-disclosure agreement with his father seemed like too much to be a mere coincidence. He wasn't going to force her to tell him the truth, but he wanted to know. He made up his mind almost as soon as that thought popped up, that he will take Claire's side no matter what. He knew her well enough to know that she couldn't do anything bad. And he knew his father well enough to know that the non-disclosure agreement was to cover some real shit.
Gabriel laid in his bed, tossing around for a while, struggling to settle his mind down, but at last, he managed.
It was almost 6 am when he came downstairs already dressed for work. He hesitated by Claire's bedroom but he wasn't going to disturb her in case she was still sleeping. She needed the rest before her busy work. He had a peek at her schedule and she was absolutely overloaded over the next few days. He knew that it was going to be a challenging week for her, knowing how hardworking she was. Claire's department was finishing several projects at once and they were starting many new ones. Never mind her new one billion projects that needed dealing with as soon as.
"Good morning, sir." Jonathan welcomed him as he and a maid quickly set a table for Gabriel.
"Good morning." Gabriel gave him a nod, sat down and started to read the morning news. "Why aren't you setting up a second plate?" He asked once he realised that they didn't bring a set for Claire which they were used to doing whenever he came down just in case she was to join him.
"Claire already left, sir. She left about half an hour ago." Jonathan explained quickly.
"How is it that you refer to me as 'sir', but Claire is 'Claire'?" Gabriel furrowed his brows as he mused.
"She insisted, sir. And as per your instructions, I followed her orders."
"Good. You can drop the formalities with me too then." Gabriel decided. "I don't want to be treated any more formal than Claire. We are to be treated on the same level and as equals."
"Are you sure, sir?" Jonathan looked worried.
"I'm certain," Gabriel said sternly as he sipped on the freshly brewed coffee. He rushed through his breakfast, trying to make his way in before 6:30. He already felt bad that Claire managed to get into the office almost an hour before him.
Once Gabriel made it into the office building, he decided to pop by the thirty-sixth floor with extra coffee for Claire. He was taken aback by how busy it was. At least fifteen employees were already chattering and working. Their expected start time was between 8:00 and 9:00 so unless they had to do overtime for the project or had to do extra preparation for the day, it was rare to see anyone in before 7:00, well, besides Claire.
He slowed down nearer to Claire's office as he heard her raised voice, wondering if he should interrupt. He cautiously opened the door to peek. Before entering completely, realising that Claire was on the phone.
"That wasn't a deal," Claire said rather angrily. "Our deal was that by 8:00 this morning the materials will be onsite. You can't call me now and tell me that the earliest you can do is tomorrow afternoon. If I don't get it today, I expect a substantial discount on the materials for the delay, and if not, the deal is off on this project and the Jill project." Claire was pacing across her office, her hair was already in disarray as she probably kept picking and pulling on it as her calming mechanism. Someone answered back and Claire grumbled at them a bit more. She still managed to keep professional, even if she was fuming at the supplier. As soon as she disconnected, she let out an angry groan, before slamming the phone on the dock.
"Good morning, Claire dear. I thought you could use some coffee." Gabriel said with a reassuring smile, passing a cup to Claire.
"Thank you." Claire took it with a smile, downing the content of the cup in one go. Gabriel looked at her with slight worry but he didn't say anything more.
"If you need help, give me a shout," Gabriel said carefully. "I know that you're having a large load on you at the moment and I just wanted to put it out there that I'm happy to help. And if you don't want me around, I can send you some backup from other departments."
"I'll manage," Claire said as she flopped on her chair, almost instantly the phone started ringing again.
"For f*ck's sake." Claire let out another long groan before answering the phone. "Claire Thompson, how can I help?" Claire answered with closed eyes, the stress of the busy week ahead was already getting to her.
"I'll leave you to it," Gabriel said as he walked around the table and kissed her on her head. "Make sure to take breaks."
Claire nodded as he walked away, already engrossed in another phone call.
It's been a long day by the time the clock hit 18:00 and Gabriel was keen to go back home. He came out on the thirty-sixth floor, in hope that Claire was ready to go too, but as he walked out of the lift, it seemed that all of the employees were still there. The sound of a busy hum filled the office, with many conversations and phone calls going on. Gabriel was quick to spot Claire. She was walking between desks, visibly stressed out and tired. Her hair was in an even bigger mess. She used her glasses as a headband, she didn't wear shoes, probably because by now her heels were beyond uncomfortable, and her cardigan was half-titled. Claire rubbed her temples, trying to stop the stress and upcoming headache, but her increasingly shaky hands were a clear giveaway of how badly she was already affected.
"What do you think I should do?" A male employee asked Claire as she looked over his work.
"Stick to the original plan for now. At least until you've received the proper paperwork. They can't blame you for something that's their fault. Refer to the standards under section A. I think it's number 73793. Ensure that everything is in compliance. Then send it for their review. But don't make additional changes until you have a written confirmation that their requirements were to be adapted."
"Understood, thanks." He took over the computer again, whilst someone else came up to Claire. Claire was quick to respond to them, having expertise way above what was needed and within all of the areas of the department. This filled Gabriel with pride.
"I wouldn't," Zoe said as she passed by Gabriel.
"What?"
"She's really on the edge," Zoe warned him. "Be cautious when you approach her. She might bite your head off."
Gabriel looked at Zoe who sat by her desk with a slight worry, before walking up to Claire who was explaining something else again.
"Hey, Claire," Gabriel said carefully as she was engrossed in a conversation. Claire didn't even look at him, stretching out her hand with her index finger up to quiet him. Gabriel was taken by surprise, and so did a few of the people around spotted it. It has been a long time since someone had the guts to silence him. He didn't really mind Claire doing so, but he still was surprised by it.
"Inform Harriet from accounting," Claire instructed the next person who nodded and walked off.
"Claire…" Gabriel started again.
"Not now," Claire answered him sharply, not caring for hurting his ego. "Susan, call Bernice. Derek said to go ahead with their project. It's. A green light." Claire turned to another person. "Chris, ensure that contractors for the Green City Project are all ready to go. Gina is currently working on the first-floor conversions. Stay on top of it with her. Zoe, did you get the answer from the Steel Cutters yet?" Claire turned to Zoe who looked at Gabriel with the 'I've told you so' written all over her face.
"Not yet. I'll get it to you as soon as."
"Gina, send the meeting schedule across for the Guildford project."
"Yes, boss. Are you sure that you're okay with them?"
"Yeah, Derek, you okay assisting me?" Claire turned to Derek.
"Of course, Claire. I will be your backup."
"Wouldn't it be easier for Derek to just take over?" Gina asked with worry.
"I have the best knowledge of the project," Claire answered honestly.
"Yeah, but they refuse to listen to you."
"That's why I'm asking Derek for help." Claire huffed as she walked across the office. She checked her watch whilst swearing under her nose.
"Suzi project has a green light!" Someone said which was met with a brief cheer.
"Good job, Maurice," Claire said with a smile, soon leaving the open office and heading back to her office. Gabriel followed her silently.
"Claire, I came to check on you," Gabriel said carefully as Claire hurried to her desk. "How can I help you?"
"Go away. You're currently getting in my way." Claire said with annoyance.
"I'm sorry," Gabriel said earnestly. "Can you at least tell me if you ate your today?"
"Yes, I had my lunch. I am yet to have dinner." Claire propped her chin up on her hand as she started reading through the emails.
"Are you planning to come home tonight?"
"I hope so but I've received 134 emails in the past hour and my inbox has 201 emails altogether that I am yet to answer. Also, I have a few contracts to finish writing and a few designs to render. Then I'll be done for tonight."
"I knew that you've said that you have a busy week ahead and that your department will be doing overtime, but this isn't exactly what I expected," Gabriel admitted. "Would you like me to bring you some dinner?"
"I'll be alright for now. Go home." Claire said rather sternly as the phone started ringing again. She scowled at it before answering it.
"Okay." Gabriel nodded in defeat. "Get Klaus to pick you up. And drop me a message if you need anything." Gabriel said, still unsure about leaving Claire behind. "I should be in the study once you get back."
"Just go away, Gabriel," Claire said to him. "Good evening, Claire Thompson." She answered the phone. "No, we didn't get an answer yet. I'll call back as soon as. At the latest, it'll be tomorrow morning."
Gabriel walked up to her, kissing the top of her head which put a momentary smile on Claire's face. She reached out and squeezed his hand as a silent goodbye and reassurance that although she was sending him away, she was okay.
Gabriel felt powerless as he left the office. He wished Claire would let him roll up his sleeves and let him get involved. But if he did that without her permission and within her department, he knew that she wouldn't let him off that easily and that he'd really come to regret it.
"Hey, may I have a quick word with you?" Zoe asked Gabriel, leading the way towards a small and quiet meeting room. Gabriel was surprised by her approaching him, especially as he suspected that she wasn't the most approving of him or his relationship with Claire. It was some deep inkling that she was ready to rip him into shreds at the littlest mistake he might make.
"What's up?" Gabriel looked at her worriedly as she closed the door behind them.
"Well, here's a thing." Zoe fidgeted uncomfortably. "Claire is going to kill us both if she finds out that I'm asking you for help."
"Go on."
"We have a fairly new project coming along for Guildford's. It's a mid-size project which I don't think we need to take on, even though Claire insisted. She took it onto herself because the customer is rather challenging…"
"Yeah?"
"I don't know how to phrase it." Zoe turned red. "The main customer, the CEO of the company, he's a misogynistic pig. No woman in this department wanted to work with him because of our previous experience, hence Claire took it on, but even then, she's asking Derek for backup because she struggles herself. I know Derek is great and that he'll help her, but I thought that it would be good if someone a bit higher up could put their foot down."
"So, the customer is a d*ck to females to an extent that no one wants to work with him, and Claire took the project upon herself due to her stubbornness?"
"Exactly."
"What level of a d*ck are we talking?"
"It's hard to describe. He makes every female uncomfortable by just entering the room, level."
"I see." Gabriel was lost in thought. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because Claire isn't going to, and I don't think we should be dealing with them, especially him." Zoe sighed. "I hoped that she might listen to you."
"She definitely isn't going to listen to me," Gabriel said in thought. "Is there any way in which you can send me their meeting schedule?"
"It's on her calendar already. Mark has access to it."
"Fair. I'll try to see what is happening." Gabriel nodded in thought. "If I tell Claire to quit it, she'll just go ahead with it to spite me. I need to think of an indirect way of dealing with it."
"Thanks." Zoe smiled shyly.
"By the way, any tips on how to make it through this week?"
"Don't get in her way," Zoe said after a moment of thought. "We tend to let her just get on with it. She tends to be appreciative of coffee and anything picky to eat. She isn't going to stop until she's done, and the only way to take care of her is to support her through this madness."
"Thanks." Gabriel smiled.
"No problem. Honestly, I and Gina dealt with Claire for years before you did. We're happy to help for as long as you treat her right."
"I'm trying," Gabriel said as he turned all red, feeling suddenly embarrassed and humbled.
"That's good. Now, get out of our way." Zoe grumbled.
Gabriel walked out of the meeting room with Zoe, catching Claire's curious gaze as she was back in the main office area. She raised her brows at them but she didn't say a word, too busy to care about what her husband and best friend might be talking about.
Gabriel left, still wary of Claire and her well-being. He waited for her at home for a long time but she didn't come back until after he went to bed. He only managed to fall asleep after he heard her bedroom door open and close.
Nothing has changed much for the rest of the week.
On Tuesday he popped into the office in the late afternoon only to be told by Gina that Claire was out on a personal matter. This made Gabriel feel uneasy as his mind wandered towards the darkest thoughts, but he managed to get a hold of himself and he didn't bring it up with Claire. She was already agitated and he didn't want to cause an argument.
Throughout the rest of the week, Claire was out of the house before he even came down, and she'd come back after he was in bed. She continued to ignore his offers of help. But it was Thursday when things took a turn for worse. Claire started showing her increased agitation at even the sight of him. Gabriel didn't quite understand why, and Claire wasn't going to share it.
At first, a lot of her irritation was purely due to being overworked and overwhelmed and feeling the need to prove herself to Gabriel. This changed when she received a new message request on social media. Without thought she opened it, regretting it immediately. 'Francesca Jones' was on top of the screen, whilst below the bar with the name was a long message. Claire tried to ignore it. She tried not to be involved in any drama. She really did.
The messages that kept popping up were annoying but for the most part, she could ignore them, and not read the content beyond the first line of the notification. However, Francesca send Claire a photo and that caught Claire off guard. She stared at the screen of her phone, looking at a picture of Gabriel and Francesca. It seemed recent enough that it was hard enough for Claire to work out when it was taken, and whether it was taken in the past few months or before her 'relationship' with Gabriel. The most infuriating aspect was that Gabriel was openly smiling in the photo, something that seemed rather rare. But by far, the most shocking thing was that Claire felt her chest tighten and an unimaginable pain within her heart. Physical pain like she never felt before, making her feel dizzy straight away, making the world turn faster and making her feel as if she was losing her grasp on it. She never felt like that, and she never felt quite so betrayed and hurt. She flopped in the chair in her office, staring blankly into the space, trying to collect herself enough to continue. There were more important things that needed to be done than Gabriel and Francesca. But her body was saying otherwise as she felt a pit in her stomach. She felt increasingly sick at a thought of Gabriel and Francesca together. She didn't know why. Or more so, she refused to acknowledge why.
She hated the thought of them together, even if it was before marriage. In theory, logically speaking, she shouldn't be bothered by it if it happened before she came back from her parents, merely two and a half weeks earlier. Logically, they were barely a couple beforehand, bound by contract and nothing else. But even then, Claire hated the thought.
At first, she managed to mask it and working till late on Thursday night meant that she could distract herself from it without having to face Gabriel.