Chapter 399

Chapter 399
“You too, take care and have fun! Don't work too hard. Let Chief Antony take care of the boring office stuff,” Lilian continued, chuckling softly as she released her from the hug. Noticing the tears in her friend's eyes, she added affectionately, “Hey, don't cry...”
Gabriela waved her hands in front of her face, trying to dry her tears before they fell.
“Of course! I'm going to make him work like our slave...” She stifled a laugh, imagining Antony's complaints.
“I'll be waiting for you in November, Gabriela! You have to come and bring Antony too... I already miss him,” said Lilian, fighting her own emotions. She didn't want to cry, afraid of causing Gabriela to burst into tears.
“Of course, I'll drag him along with me. Okay, okay... I'm leaving now, Lilian...”
Charlie, Dinho... bye!“ Gabriela smiled at them and hurried away. She knew that if she stayed another second, she would burst into tears right there.
”Gabriela!“ Lilian shouted after her, loud enough to attract attention. ”Next time you come, bring my brother-in-law too!"
Gabriela almost choked on her own saliva. She said nothing, just waved her hand without looking back, trying to hide her red face as she disappeared into the crowd.
Lilian smiled, watching her best friend disappear from view. She stood still until she could no longer see her. Then she turned to the two security guards.
“All right, let's go, guys...” she said, starting to walk.
“Where are we going, ma'am?” asked Charlie, keeping pace with her.
“Home. I'm tired and need to sleep,” replied Lilian, covering her mouth to hide a heavy yawn.
Dinho frowned, surprised by the changes he had observed in her today. Lilian never got tired so easily.
“Yes, ma'am!” Charlie felt relieved. He had already received strict orders from Ethan to make sure Lilian went straight home to rest as soon as Gabriela boarded the plane.
São Paulo Military Base.
Daniel had just parked his car in the open space in front of the tallest building in the complex. Before turning off the engine, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
He didn't rush. He got out of the car, locked it, and walked calmly toward the entrance, thinking it was just another work notification.
Only when he was halfway there did he pick up the device.
Daniel stopped abruptly when he saw the sender's name.
“Gabriela? Why did she send another message?”
A wrinkle formed on his forehead. He opened the notification.
Instantly, he felt his knees go weak. Her response was a bucket of cold water:
\[Gabriela\]: Sorry, Daniel. I can't...
“What does she mean by ‘I can't’?” The wrinkle deepened.
Seconds later, a frightening thought occurred to him.
“Damn it!” he cursed, scrolling through the screen to check the conversation history.
His heart sank when he saw the previous message. The message he thought he hadn't sent.
\[Daniel\]: Gabriela, sorry to ask, but can you stay a few more days?
“What the hell!” he whispered, incredulous. “How could I have sent that?”
He remembered the scare he had with his sister, Marcella. His finger must have slipped on the screen at that moment.
Sighing deeply, Daniel reread Gabriela's reply.
I'm sorry, Daniel. I can't...
For some reason, the rejection hurt. Bitter disappointment settled in his chest, a familiar and unwanted feeling, much like the one he had felt when Lilian rejected him.
“So, she can't...” he muttered, with a cold, self-deprecating smile. He shook his head.
“Man, looks like you missed your chance... again.”
He glanced around to make sure no one had seen his moment of weakness and continued walking toward the office, his posture rigid.
As he entered the building, some officers and employees greeted him respectfully, but Daniel just nodded slightly, silent and distant. His mind was stuck on Gabriela's “no.”
“Has she given up on me?” he thought as he entered the empty elevator. “Maybe she realized I'm not worth the effort.”
“Man! You're not being polite to a lady, huh!” he scolded himself mentally.
The elevator reached his floor. He passed the reception desk like a storm cloud and entered his private office.
As soon as he settled into his leather chair, his cell phone vibrated again on the table.
He glanced at it without much interest, but almost dropped the device when he saw her name flash on the screen again.
\[Gabriela\]: I can't stay because I need to go home. It's my mother's birthday the day after tomorrow. If I miss it, my father will kill me!
A slow, genuine smile of relief appeared on the General's lips. It wasn't rejection. It was just... family logistics.
Soon after, another message arrived:
\[Gabriela\]: But I'll be back in November for Théo's birthday. I hope to see you then, Daniel. 😊
And another one, almost immediately:
\[Gabriela\]: I'm boarding now. See you soon! 👋
The weight on Daniel's chest disappeared. Without thinking twice, he typed quickly, hoping she would read it before the plane took off:
\[Daniel\]: Let me know when you land safely.
Sent.
Daniel immediately put his phone on silent mode and pushed it to the edge of the table, as if it were radioactive. He was afraid he would send another stupid message if he kept it in his hand. But the smile on his face remained.
Lilian woke up to find the world spinning.
Her head felt light, a sickening dizziness, and her stomach churned dangerously. It was a familiar feeling, a physical déjà vu from the first months of Théo's pregnancy. Morning sickness had returned with a vengeance.
Not wanting to wake Ethan, she slid out of bed carefully and went to the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water and drank a glass of water, hoping the nausea would pass.
When she returned to the bedroom, she glanced at the clock. Seven in the morning.
Ethan was still fast asleep, which was very rare. He was usually the first to get up.
Lilian's gaze fell on the corner table: the laptop was open, with the standby light flashing, and there was a pile of documents next to it.
“He must have stayed up all night working,” she thought, feeling a pang of guilt. She decided to let him sleep a little longer.