Chapter 297 A Completely Private World for Two

Chapter 297 A Completely Private World for Two

After Arabella asked this question, her gaze shifted to the telescope on the balcony.

Gabriel's expression grew even more awkward. Without looking back, he lowered his head and uncomfortably rubbed his nose again. "If I said I use that to look at stars and the moon, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

Arabella laughed in exasperation, her smile bright and dazzling. "After all this time as husband and wife, I never knew you were interested in astronomy."

Gabriel couldn't maintain his composure. He finally said, lacking confidence, "That thing... actually, I've barely stayed here, so I didn't really spy on anything."

"Spy—at least you're self-aware about what you were doing," Arabella said coldly. She stared at his handsome, chiseled features, still finding it incredible. "You're the CEO of Sterling Group, such a prominent figure—engaging in this kind of creepy behavior. Aren't you afraid people would laugh themselves sick if word got out?"

"Mr. Sterling, what exactly were you thinking? I'm divorced from you. Am I really worth all this effort and obsession? Even with Emily gone abroad, you could have countless better options."

When Arabella had lain down to rest on the sofa earlier, she hadn't fallen asleep right away. She'd stared at the telescope on the balcony for quite a while, unable to make sense of it.

His behavior, so abnormal, would make anyone who didn't know better think he was madly in love with her.

Of course, it was also possible he genuinely had psychological issues.

She'd long heard that wealthy men often had some twisted quirks and strange fetishes.

Seeing her serious expression and the distance she was creating with her words, Gabriel's sheepish look gradually turned serious.

"What I'm thinking? Can't you tell? Men like to conquer. The harder the challenge, the more it stokes the desire to win. I just wanted to see if that cold heart of yours could ever be warmed."

Arabella frowned. "And what if it does warm up? You'll lose interest and discard it again?"

Gabriel's lips curved in a wicked smirk as he glanced at her coolly. "I'll only know what comes next after it's warmed up."

This time it was Arabella who fell silent.

Dusk was settling in, and it was getting late.

Gabriel stood up, one hand sliding into his pocket, his tone commanding and authoritative. "Pack up. Come with me. It's not safe here."

Arabella looked troubled.

She really didn't want to spend day and night with Gabriel.

Seeing her internal struggle, Gabriel looked down at her. "Right now it's not just nosy netizens looking for you—Ms. Marie has sent plenty of people searching too. I'd bet her people are prowling around the complex. If you're ready to face her, then suit yourself."

His words struck precisely at Arabella's weakness.

She had no desire whatsoever to see Jade.

That afternoon, Ella had suggested she record a video response, but she was still hesitating.

She didn't want Jade to get even a shred of information about her. The thought repulsed her to the extreme—how could she possibly want to meet her?

Left with no choice, she stood up.

Gabriel helped gather her laptop, picked up her bag and coat, and jerked his chin toward the door. "Let's go."

Just as Arabella was about to move, the man added, "Bring the flowers."

Arabella looked back at the bouquet.

Though she wasn't particularly romantic, she had to admit the arrangement was exceptionally elegant and sophisticated. Each champagne rose was stunning, fresh and vibrant—it seemed wrong to abandon them.

So she turned back and picked them up.

Seeing this, Gabriel's expression softened slightly—at least this time the flowers had been accepted.

They descended together. In the elevator, they encountered a young couple.

The moment the girl saw Gabriel, she stared fixedly at him, seemingly forgetting her boyfriend standing beside her.

Worried about being recognized, Arabella could only lower her head and bury her face in the bouquet until the elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened.

Gabriel freed one hand and grabbed hers, pulling her out.

As they neared the building exit, they heard the couple behind them starting to argue.

The boyfriend was complaining about his girlfriend ogling another man. The girl explained, "I just thought that guy looked like someone from online... you know, that super-rich heir, the one from the Sterling family..."

Arabella's heart nearly stopped in fear, terrified they'd chase after them with cameras.

Fortunately, Gabriel's car was parked nearby. With his long legs, he strode swiftly, pulling her along, and they quickly got in the vehicle.

As the Maybach pulled away, Arabella glanced in the rearview mirror at the couple standing by the roadside and breathed a sigh of relief. "See? I told you we should keep our distance during this time. There's really no need to drag you into this mess."

Gabriel drove, responding coolly, "From the day we got married, keeping distance became impossible."

Online mobs were never rational.

Even divorced, even if they never saw each other again, nothing could stop the trolls from feeding on drama.

They thrived on chaos.

Arabella didn't respond. She felt a slight stirring in her heart but didn't want to show it, so she turned her attention to scrolling through short videos on her phone.

The algorithm knew her well—several consecutive videos it pushed were related to her.

As someone in social media, she thought with self-mockery that even negative attention was still attention.

She'd worked diligently on her videos, hitting walls repeatedly, achieving only modest success. Who would've thought her personal drama would generate such massive traffic?

If she started a livestream selling products now, she could probably make a fortune riding this wave.

Gabriel noticed her silence as she stared seriously at her phone. He offered a cold word of comfort: "Don't worry about what's online. I've already got people handling it."

Arabella didn't respond but turned to him. "Let's not go to Parkside Estate. I'm worried people are already staking it out. The children can't be exposed."

Gabriel's residence at Parkside Estate wasn't a secret—returning there would be too risky.

He asked, "Prime Residence then?"

"Yeah, that works."

Prime Residence was the downtown penthouse—an upscale community with relatively tight security. Outsiders couldn't easily get in.

Arabella could handle being cyberbullied, but she was terrified of Jade finding her.

It was rush hour and traffic was heavy.

Gabriel focused on driving. Arabella remained silent.

The bouquet in her arms gave off a refreshing, intoxicating fragrance. Arabella stared blankly at the beautiful, delicate flowers, suddenly remembering Gabriel's earlier mention of their meaning.

Almost involuntarily, she picked up her phone and opened a search engine.

When she saw that champagne roses carried such deep and romantic meaning, Arabella's eyes froze in place.

[I'm devoted only to you.]

How could that be possible?

He'd loved Emily for so many years, faithfully waiting for her, without complaint or regret.

Now he claimed to be devoted only to her?

Yet even knowing these words were false, she couldn't stop the ripples in her heart, the warmth spreading through her chest.

Gabriel noticed her prolonged silence. The quiet in the car felt uncomfortable. Finally, when he stopped at a red light, he turned to look at her.

"Still angry?" He took the initiative to explain about the telescope. "I didn't buy that apartment to spy on you, and I don't have any twisted fetishes. I was just worried—you'd never lived alone before. I was afraid you might run into trouble or danger."