Gabriel tossed his clothes on a bed and got into the shower. He turned on the water and stood under it, still trying to understand the words that had come out from his mouth earlier.
'You should take care of yourself more. You have a pretty face and a body to go with it' the words echoed in his head and images of Maria's body had crossed his mind several times which caused him to feel like banging his head on the wall
'What is wrong with me?' Gabriel wondered as he switched the hot shower to a cold one and when he was clearheaded, he got out of the shower with a bathrobe and opened the closet 'Good thing Mark still kept my spare pajamas in this room. Since it's the only room I've ever stayed in when I spend the night' he thought as he picked out some pajamas and put on the pants while holding the shirt in hand and left the room
He was surprised to see Maria exiting Cia's room in a black sleeping gown and equally black night robe while holding a glass of water.
She entered Dan's room and dropped the glass of water on the nightstand before tucking in Dan. She kissed his forehead and he smiled as she left the room and shut the door gently with a sigh.
"Are they already sleeping?" Gabriel asked from behind her and she was spooked as she held her chest and turned to face him
"Why would you do that around this time of the night?" She whispered angrily
"I didn't expect you to spook so easily"
"Can't you just apologize instead of always trying to argue with me?" She asked with a saddened expression as she stared into his eyes "Or will you continue to label me as someone below you?"
"I could try the second option"
"Well then, I'm tired. Can you step aside?"
"I...don't want to" Gabriel said
"Are you drunk?" Maria asked worriedly as she placed one of her palms on his forehead
"If I were, you'd surely be screaming right now" when he said that, his words echoed in her head and her eyes landed on his abs
"What?" Maria squeaked as she pushed him slightly away and looked to the side "Look, the kids are already sleeping. I don't want them waking up to see you messing with me, Gabriel"
"Good point" Gabriel said as he moved away from her and saw her run off to the room down the hallway. She instantly opened the door and ran inside before shutting it. What she didn't notice, was the very detailed black tattoo of a Lion's head that covered the entirety of Gabriel's back.
Gabriel smiled at her reaction and headed back inside the room with his shirt still resting on his hand "Well, I think it's about time I head to bed" he murmured as he shut the door of his room
******
The Next Day
By seven in the morning, Maria was already up and preparing breakfast in her nightgown and robe. This time, she wasn't as fast as the last time when it came to cooking because, like Gabriel said, her wrist still hurt a lot. She couldn't help but grit her teeth through the pain when someone suddenly hugged her from behind
"I'll help you with that" the person said as they held the handle of the pan and Maria smiled
"Thanks, Helen" Maria said as she let go of the pan and Helen took over "You're here early" she said
"I was already up by five and thought I should go on a little trip around town gathering gifts for those kids. My gifts are currently sitting in the living area" Helen said as she transferred the contents of the pan unto some plates
"What did you get them?" Maria asked
"You'll see when they open them later" Helen said "Is the ice sculpture still around?"
"Call him by his name"
"He most likely calls me savage the first chance he gets whether it's in his mind or not" Helen said "Even if you request I call him by his name, I won't"
Maria sighed "He's still around. I was so shocked when he hadn't yet left"
"He must be a pain to live with"
"Nope. It's actually the opposite. I feel safer when he's around" Maria said
"Have it your way" Helen said as she dropped the pan "What's for breakfast?"
"Pancake and egg sandwich, freshly squeezed juice, bacon and veggie salad, and coffee for Gabriel and me" Maria said
"I wasn't counted in the equation?" Helen gasped loudly
"Stop being so loud. Everyone's still sleeping" Maria said as she covered Helen's mouth with her hand "Plus, Haven't you already eaten?"
Helen removed Maria's hand from her mouth "I was running around since five and it's passed nine. Cut me some slack, I need my calories" she said and Maria laughed
"The pastries Vivian bought for us, are in the fridge" Maria said "Jelly doughnuts included"
"I love Vivian" Helen said as she rushed to the fridge and saw a large pastry box. She opened it and took out one jelly doughnut before taking a bite and humming in delight "Delicious"
Maria shut the fridge after picking out two more jelly doughnuts and placing them on a plate "For you. Can't have you continuously visiting the fridge"
"Yes, ma'am" Helen said as she took the plate from her
"Aunty Maria, good morning" the twins said sleepily as they entered the kitchen
"Good morning" Maria and Helen said at the same time. And when the twins looked up, they first, rubbed their eyes before hugging Helen
"You came. You came" the twins rejoiced
"Of course I did. I keep my promises" Helen said while Maria began to stack the pancakes she made earlier on top of the eggs she fried recently
"So, where are the stuff?" Cia asked
"Well..."
"You can find out about those later. Wash your hands and go eat" Maria said as she passed by the twins with a plate of food in each hand and entered the dining room
"Maria has spoken...I can't go against her" Helen said as she squat down to their level "However, as promised, I'll introduce myself properly. My name is Helen Ashley and I'm Maria's best friend. Nice to meet you" she smiled
"I'm Cia"
"Dan"
"We also have a little sister named Kali" Cia said "She's a cute baby. And mum and dad says she looks like Aunty Maria because of her blue eyes"
"That's cute" Helen said as she stood straight "You two should probably go wash your hands. I can't let you go hungry"
"Okay" the twins said as they set a stool and climbed it before washing their hands at the sink
Helen carried the other two plates to the dining room and the twins followed her out with the cutleries. Maria went back inside the kitchen and came out with the salad and a jar of juice.
"You shouldn't really be overusing your hands like that" Helen said as she took the two things from Maria "Just bring the glass cups and coffee"
"Thank you" Maria said before heading back into the kitchen
"Aunty Helen, is there something wrong with Aunty Maria's hands?" Dan asked while Helen set the stuff down on the dining table
"That ice sculpture that's still sleeping almost broke her hand yesterday" Helen said
"Figures" the twins sighed
"Does that usually happen?" Helen asked
"Dad says that Uncle Gabriel is socially awkward" Cia said
"He doesn't know how to say 'sorry' properly so, he becomes unusually depressed when he hurts a woman" Dan said "He helps them out later as a way of apologizing"
"Then..."
"Yesterday, when Aunty Maria was cooking dinner, he helped her out" Cia said "I thought it was strange but now, everything makes sense. He hurt her, so he was apologizing"
"So the ice sculpture is socially awkward?" Helen mumbled before bursting into laughter "That makes sense"
"It's not good to laugh at him like that" Maria said while setting down the glass cups next the Dan and Cia's plates. Helen then tipped the jar over and poured some juice for the twins
"Why can't I? It's hilarious" Helen said "Kind of makes me wonder what the rest of the family is like"
"Well, the rest of my family has nothing to do with you" Gabriel said as he opened the door to the dining sleepily. His hair was a mess and none of the buttons of his nightshirt were buttoned. He entered the dining room and sat down on the closest chair to him while Maria dropped a plate of food in front of him.
"You look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed" Helen said
"Isn't that what nightmares do?" Gabriel asked in a sarcastic hoarse voice "Either way, Maria, why didn't you wake me up? I'm late"
Maria dropped a cup of black coffee beside him before saying "Your words exactly were, 'You don't need a nanny to be worried about you'" she smiled before sitting next to him "I simply did what you said and didn't worry. Plus, aren't you the boss? You don't need to go to work everyday. Try to be selfish every now and then"
"You really sound like Mark" Gabriel picked up the coffee and took a sip
"Well, it must be because he's a smart person compared to a certain workaholic" Helen said as she entered back inside the dining room with her plate of jelly doughnuts and a cup of coffee for herself. She had gone back to the kitchen as soon as Gabriel and Maria started talking. Looking at the sitting arrangement, Dan and Cia were sitting next to each other while opposite them, were Gabriel and Maria.
When Gabriel finished the cup of coffee and took a bite out of the pancake and egg sandwich, he noticed every other person had syrup on theirs and looked towards Maria who was sitting next to him. "How did you know I like my coffee, black? And I hate syrup?" he asked
'Now that he mentions it, the pancake and egg sandwich he ate, was the only one without syrup and Maria just dropped black coffee next to him' Helen thought as she sat next to Dan.
Maria stopped eating so she could swallow before answering "Well, you seemed like the type that likes black coffee. And, when Maid Alina mentioned the pastries Vivian bought for us, the face you made, was a clear sign you dislike sweet...things" she noticed the dumbfounded look on his face as he rested his head on one hand while holding the table knife
"You knew that...just from meeting me once" Gabriel said and Maria took a sip of her coffee
"Does it really matter?" Helen asked seeing as Maria was getting uncomfortable "Maria does that to everyone she meets. It's one of her charms. She really knows how to make someone happy"
"Helen" Maria called out and Helen made a gesture of her zipping her mouth shut as Maria lowered her head
Gabriel was still staring at her before going back to enjoying his meal. Everyone else in the dining did the same thing and when they were done, Maria and Helen began to pack up the plates
"Yay, presents" Cia said as she jumped out of her seat and started to pull Dan along
"No presents" Maria said sternly "You're both not touching those until you're done taking a bath and brushing your teeth"
"What?" the twins groaned as they looked to Helen with pleading eyes
"Maria's older than me. I can't do anything about her. Plus, she feeds me and houses me" Helen said
"How old is Aunty Maria?" Dan asked
"She's twenty four as of last month the twelfth" Helen said "I'm not turning twenty four until Saturday, this week. Hence, she's older than me by a month and some days"
'That explains a lot' Gabriel thought as he got out from his seat "Thanks for the meal" he said before exiting the dining
"Fine. Cia, we bath" Dan said as he ran out of the dining with Cia
"No running" Maria reminded them
"Maria, is something going on between you and Gabriel?" Helen asked
"Nothing at all" Maria said
"Then why are you getting close to him. He's dangerous"
"Helen, unlike you, I don't want to continue holding on to the past" Maria said as she entered the kitchen with Helen and dropped the plates next to the sink "Sure, I don't want to completely forget all my past experiences....because, they've thought me so much. But Helen, you have to let go sometimes, and live a little...actual living. It's about time we come out of our shells, don't you think?" she smiled and Helen nodded as she dropped the plates she was holding on the kitchen island
"I was thinking the same thing" Helen said
******
Gabriel took out his phone and sat comfortably in the living area while the twins ran up the stairs
'Seems like the twins lost this battle. Not that they ever win as long as Maria's around' Gabriel thought as he turned on his phone and headed straight to his contacts and tapped on the name [Chu Cheng]. The phone rang for only two seconds before Cheng picked the call and Gabriel put it on speaker
"Master Wayne, good morning. Is there something you need?" Cheng asked in a respectful tone
"Mr Chu, I need you to pick up a pen and paper and write down what I'm going to say. Cause I'm only saying it once" Gabriel said
Cheng who was at Wayne Corp had asked his assistant to give him a pen and paper "I'm ready Sir" he said
"First of all, announce to the other directors that, apart from tomorrow, I'll be absent from work for two weeks" Gabriel said
"That's unusual for you" Cheng commented as he wrote down what Gabriel said "Is it a business trip?"
"No. The second, I need you to meet with Janet and ask her for some of my clothes" Gabriel said
"Clothes? What type?"
"Casual. Underwear included" Gabriel said "Then, tell her to place all the work I need to do today, on my personal laptop. Cause, I'm going to be working from home"
"Yes, Sir" Cheng said as he wrote everything down
"She's to do that everyday, for two weeks and you're to deliver it to Mark's Mansion in Mill Neck" Gabriel said "That's where I'm staying for personal reasons. Oh, and Mark took a two week business trip yesterday. Tell Janet to inform everyone of that"
"Sure" Cheng said before repeating everything he had written and asking "Is that all?"
"The person filling in the fashion department's director's seat, tell Janet to collect the pass card from Mark's assistant and bring it here" Gabriel said
"Yes, Sir. Goodbye" Cheng said as he hung up
'Crystal and Aren are returning on Saturday and Mark isn't going to be around for two weeks. If I force Crystal to stay at the ancestral home, or wait two weeks in Switzerland, it might cause her to have an episode' Gabriel thought 'If I kick out Helen and Maria from the mansion, who's going to take care of the kids...especially the baby? Frank is most likely coming back to only clean the house and do some grocery shopping...plus, he's old. I've been pushed into a corner because of some bastard causing trouble for the SIAs. Unbelievable'