Chapter 284 I’ve Come to Take You Home

Chapter 284 I’ve Come to Take You Home

Arabella explained earnestly, "Not exactly. A powerful man like you always has value. But if I'd just stayed home doing nothing, your value to me would've been nothing more than an ATM. Taking your money would've meant surrendering my dignity, making me inferior to you—which is why you never respected me, even ignored me. The emotional damage you caused far outweighed any material comfort you provided. That's why I had to leave."

After all, she could earn money herself without enduring further hurt—so leaving had been the best option.

Gabriel listened intently, his expression thoughtful. "So because of my past mistakes, I don't get a second chance for the rest of my life?"

Arabella knew what he was really asking. She didn't answer, deflecting instead, "What did you actually come here for? I haven't finished working yet."

Seeing her dodge the question again, Gabriel's face showed helpless frustration. But this wasn't the place to discuss their tangled emotions, so he exhaled slowly and dropped the subject.

"I told you on the phone," Gabriel said. "I came to take you home."

She'd already explained she had other plans. Before he could respond, she continued, "Isabella's gradually recovering. With Mary and the nanny there, and now that you're back, I don't have to be there."

Besides, she'd fallen behind on work and needed to put in overtime these next few days to catch up.

Gabriel frowned, displeasure crossing his features. "I personally came to pick you up, and you're playing hard to get?"

"You're the one who decided to come," Arabella said, exasperated. "You force people to do things and then act like you're the victim?"

As they faced off, Mark knocked on the door again. "Um... Arabella, I sent you the video. I'm heading out now."

"Great, thanks. See you." Arabella smiled and waved, then picked up her phone to review the footage.

Satisfied, she opened the account to upload it.

Gabriel stared at her, and remembering Mark reminded him of the important issue he'd momentarily forgotten. "That kid likes you. Why are you keeping him around?"

"He's doing his job just fine and hasn't done anything wrong. Why would I fire him?"

"Because he has ulterior motives."

"You saw that?"

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes—the way he was staring at you, absolutely smitten."

Arabella glanced at him and mentally scoffed, choosing not to respond.

Gabriel said seriously, "Young guys like that act impulsively. Love can easily turn to resentment. You should take my advice and fire him before something happens."

Actually, Ella had already mentioned that Mark might have feelings for her.

When the studio expanded, Ella had spoken with Mark about it—initially intending to let him go—but he'd eagerly agreed to work full-time and follow company policies. Under those circumstances, they couldn't just fire him without cause.

Now, with the short video account struggling, replacing the videographer would mean breaking in someone new, which would be even more troublesome.

After brief consideration, Arabella found an excuse, "Ella handles personnel. I don't deal with that."

"It's a five-person operation and you're a partner, but you have no authority to fire an employee?" Gabriel's voice rose slightly, his eyes narrowing with a cold smile. "Or do you enjoy being admired by young guys?"

Arabella had just finished uploading the video and set down her phone. At his words, her expression darkened as she stared at him steadily.

Gabriel realized he'd spoken out of turn, but he genuinely couldn't stand all these men circling around the woman he cared about—Manuel hadn't been driven away, and now some random kid had appeared.

The air suddenly went quiet. Arabella looked at his stern face, then suddenly smiled brightly. "You're right... Mr. Sterling, don't you enjoy being pursued by all those socialites and heiresses? Being admired proves your charm. And being admired by someone younger? That proves I'm still young, that I haven't aged."

Gabriel clenched his jaw so hard he couldn't speak.

Arabella felt inexplicably satisfied. Her gaze returned to her work as she tossed out, "Mr. Sterling, don't let me keep you."

Gabriel, thoroughly thwarted, stared at her intensely for a long moment before abruptly standing and walking out.

Arabella glanced at his retreating back, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

Coughing sounds came from outside—apparently she'd gotten under his skin.

————

Arabella's first video after her return unexpectedly went semi-viral!

Ella was thrilled, lavishing praise during the morning meeting. "You're the one! Arabella, you're our lucky charm, my money tree!"

Crystal was equally excited. "The new script is finished. Let's shoot it right away! We need to strike while the iron's hot and update more frequently!"

She turned to Mark. "Let's film right after the meeting. We're shooting outdoors today, and there'll be fewer people out this morning."

Unlike usual, Mark didn't respond enthusiastically. His eyes darted away as he mumbled, "I... I need to see how things go."

"See how things go? What do you mean?" Crystal asked curiously.

Mark seemed reluctant to speak.

When everyone's attention turned to him, they noticed something was off about Mark today.

Ella asked directly, "What's wrong? Some kind of problem?"

Mark sat up straighter, suddenly looking like he'd made a difficult decision. He looked at Ella and Arabella. "Ella, Arabella, the thing is... I'm probably going to resign."

"Resign?" Everyone was shocked, exchanging glances.

"Why? Things have been going well. We're just starting to see results—why quit now?" Crystal asked, confused.

Ella was equally puzzled. "Is it about compensation? Or is the workload too heavy? You can tell me—I'll work something out."

Ella knew that with only five people, and tasks constantly increasing, the pressure was indeed mounting.

She'd been planning to hire two more people once the short video account gained traction.

"Ella, it's not that you've treated me badly, it's just..." Mark did have some conscience. After hesitating, he decided to be honest. "A headhunter contacted me. They said they liked my portfolio and want to recruit me for an advertising firm—a pretty well-known one. Not only would my compensation double, but I'd be working with fashion resources."

His personal account featured mostly fashion content.

Double the compensation.

That left Ella speechless.

Though she was a generous boss who hadn't shortchanged her employees, even if she raised his salary, she couldn't possibly double it overnight.

"Fine. People climb to higher ground—I understand." Ella was straightforward, immediately accepting Mark's resignation. "I'll settle this month's salary for you shortly."

Crystal was angry, thinking Mark was only interested in money and had no loyalty. She was about to argue when Arabella raised a hand to stop her.

Arabella agreed with Ella.

Everyone worked for money. If someone had a chance to earn more, there was no point holding them back through moral blackmail.

However, while accepting Mark's decision, doubt flickered through her mind.

Wasn't the timing awfully convenient?

Just the other day, Gabriel had expressed suspicion about Mark, and today Mark was voluntarily resigning, having found a better opportunity.

Could this be Gabriel's doing?

After the morning meeting, Mark packed up and left that same day.

Without a videographer, Crystal and Sophia had to handle that day's shoot themselves. Unfamiliar with the equipment, they worked inefficiently, which meant staying late.

By the time they finished and left, it was already eight o'clock.

As Arabella walked out of the office building, she spotted a familiar figure waiting by the roadside.