Chapter 102 Finally, Some Good News!
Gabriel's brow furrowed slightly, and for a moment he said nothing.
He had loved Emily—truly, deeply loved her for over ten years. Even after her marriage to Dominic, he couldn't stop caring for and protecting her.
But now, just when he'd finally managed to stop loving Emily, she suddenly had a change of heart and developed feelings for him?
Gabriel felt a cold mockery rise in his chest, finding it almost laughable.
"Anyway, if you two work things out and your family becomes stable, then I can settle down too. Gabriel, whatever you do, don't get divorced." Dominic looked at him seriously, suddenly sitting up straight with a pleading expression.
Gabriel's expression grew somber, his eyes deep and complex, unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, Arabella, who had gone to the office, was having an equally difficult day.
She was working on the project with Ella, and things were going smoothly work-wise, but this very success was causing resentment among some colleagues.
Gradually, she found herself being ostracized.
During the lunch break, colleagues gathered in groups of three or five, but no one invited her along.
Fortunately, she didn't particularly care about this—she just wanted to focus on doing her current job well and improving herself.
Near closing time, Ella approached her, asking if she needed to rush home to take care of the children.
Thinking about her relationship with Gabriel, she felt some resistance to going home, so she quickly said, "No rush, there's someone at home to look after them."
"Good, then stay and work overtime with me."
Ella ordered takeout, and the two sat together continuing to discuss their proposal.
At seven o'clock, her phone rang.
Seeing it was a call from the estate, her heart skipped a beat. She apologetically stood up, "Ella, let me take this call."
She walked away to answer. Mary's puzzled voice came through, "Mrs. Sterling, aren't you coming home yet?"
Arabella lowered her voice, "I'm working late, I'll be back later. What's wrong? Are Henry and Isabella fussing again?"
"That's exactly it. They keep crying and turning their heads toward the door—they're definitely waiting for mommy to come home."
Arabella's heart tightened upon hearing this.
"The thing is, Mr. Sterling isn't back either. He said he has something tonight and might not come home if it gets too late."
"He's not coming home tonight?" Arabella was surprised.
Mary hesitated, "I'm not sure... Mr. Sterling said it depends on the situation."
Arabella felt puzzled.
What did that mean?
Not even coming home—was this his way of confirming he didn't want to see her? Was he definitely set on divorce?
"Alright, Mary, I'll come back as soon as possible." Hearing that Gabriel wasn't home, she felt considerably relieved and thought about getting back early to spend time with the children.
When she returned to her workstation after the call, Ella was already packing up her files.
"Ella..."
"Is your family calling? Are the kids looking for mommy?" As a single mother herself, Ella understood completely.
Arabella nodded apologetically. "Yes..."
"That's fine, we've discussed most of it today anyway. The rest can be taken home to work on. My daughter is waiting at home too, so I need to get back." Ella efficiently packed her files, put her laptop in her bag, and smiled at her.
Arabella felt grateful and quickly gathered her things as well.
As they went downstairs together, Ella asked, "Do you enjoy writing?"
"Writing?" She smiled when she heard this, looking a bit embarrassed. "I dabble in it, writing random things. Back in school, I used to submit frequently to magazines."
"Really?" Ella was mildly surprised. "If it's convenient, could you show me some of those articles?"
Arabella looked confused, not understanding the purpose.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Ella explained, "Here's the thing—I run my own Medium account. Originally it was just a hobby, writing for fun, but over the years I've gradually gained some followers, and occasionally I get business partnerships reaching out. But with raising my child and having a day job, I'm stretched thin. I'm looking for someone to collaborate with."
Arabella's face lit up with interest.
Actually, a couple of years ago, she'd had the same idea, but before she could act on it, she got unexpectedly pregnant.
The process of carrying twins was truly exhausting—she lived each day in struggle and had no energy for anything else, so the idea just passed by.
"Don't worry, this wouldn't be unpaid work. If you agree to join, we can sign a contract—base salary plus commission. Think of it as a side gig."
Ella was good at reading people.
She could tell that Arabella had probably married well, which was obvious from her clothing and appearance.
But if she were truly a carefree wealthy housewife, she wouldn't leave her children to work for relatively modest pay.
Since she was working, it meant she didn't want to rely solely on her husband's support and didn't want to be a stay-at-home wife who only knew how to ask for money.
In this situation, if there was a side gig that could earn extra income without significantly affecting her regular work and life, she would definitely agree.
Sure enough, Arabella nodded repeatedly, "Yes! But I've never written on Medium, and I don't know your style..."
"No problem, I'll send you the link later—you'll understand once you look."
"Great."
After they parted ways, Arabella found her old submitted articles on the subway and sent them to Ella.
Ella was driving home, and while waiting at a red light, she also sent Arabella her Medium link and quickly glanced through her articles.
Arabella clicked on the Medium account and was delighted to discover articles she had actually read before and quite enjoyed. Her admiration for Ella immediately soared.
Before she even got home, Ella called, "Arabella, I looked at your articles—they're quite good. If you're okay with it, please come help me."
"Yes! Ella, I actually read your articles before—I never imagined I'd end up working with you!" Arabella felt like a successful fangirl, and the two women appreciated each other mutually.
Ella smiled modestly, "It's nothing really—I struggled for years before a few articles took off and gained some followers. Please keep this between us—I don't want my colleagues to know."
"Of course, I understand completely."
If colleagues knew about this, there would inevitably be curious inquiries, and if word reached management, they might think she wasn't being given enough work.
After hanging up, Arabella was in an excellent mood.
Indeed, you had to step out and engage with society to find opportunities.
She was incredibly grateful for her determination to fight and insist on working. Look—opportunity had come knocking at her door, and the future looked bright!
————
When she got home, Gabriel was indeed absent.
As she picked up the children, she casually asked Mary about it. Mary uncertainly said, "I think he went back to the Sterling Manor..."
Back to the Sterling Manor?
Arabella was puzzled but didn't think much of it.
She roughly understood—they were probably discussing how to get rid of her.
Actually, Arabella was overthinking it.
Gabriel had gone back because James was unwell.
With the weather getting colder, James had caught a chill during his morning exercise. Given his existing heart condition and diabetes, his body's resistance was poor, so even common cold symptoms couldn't be taken lightly.
Gabriel was also worried about facing Arabella at home and having another argument. Feeling somewhat evasive, he thought he'd go check on his father.
Who would have expected to run into Emily there?
"Gabriel, you're back." Emily saw him enter and immediately stood up, greeting him with a smile.
Gabriel frowned, remembering his morning conversation with Dominic at the office, his emotions in turmoil.
After responding curtly, he looked toward his mother and asked, "How is Dad doing?"
"His fever broke, he's resting in his room. We'll have Dr. Wood come check on him again tomorrow." Joanna answered her son, then stood and walked toward the dining room. "Eat first. Your father is sleeping now—you can go see him after dinner."
Gabriel noticed Emily approaching as well and asked flatly, "Aren't you going back to keep Dominic company?"