Chapter 127 When Do You Plan to Move?
The car pulled away smoothly, heading toward home.
Gabriel had waited outside the company for nearly two hours—the kind of juvenile behavior he'd never exhibited in his thirty years of life.
Even when he'd been infatuated with Emily in his youth, he'd never been foolish enough to wait around for her like this.
Yet all that devotion couldn't even earn him a proper look from Arabella. The thought darkened his mood once again.
The oppressive silence in the car stretched on until Arabella's phone rang, breaking the tension.
It was Sophia calling.
Arabella didn't need to answer to know what her friend wanted to discuss.
She was about to decline the call when Gabriel's voice cut through the quiet. "Why aren't you answering? Is it Manuel?"
At his prodding, Arabella picked up out of spite. "Hi, Sophia."
Gabriel fell silent.
"Arabella, how did everything go? Didn't you say you were handling that breast milk situation at work today?"
Arabella replied calmly, "It's resolved. I found who did it. She apologized to me in person, sent a company-wide email apologizing, and resigned voluntarily."
"That's it?" Sophia sounded surprised. "Seems like you let her off too easy. If you'd pressed charges, she would've been looking at jail time."
"I considered it, but she's so young. A criminal record would ruin her entire life. Who knows—she might become even more twisted and vengeful later. Sometimes it's better to let things go."
Arabella had genuinely wrestled with the decision.
Better to show mercy where possible than create a dangerous enemy.
"You're too kind-hearted. Someone that vindictive deserved to have her life destroyed."
Arabella simply smiled it off.
After a pause, Sophia brought up another matter, "I found another apartment that might work for you. When do you have time to check it out in person?"
Arabella gripped her phone tighter, nervous that Gabriel might overhear and lose his temper again.
"Okay, got it. We'll talk later." She kept her response brief before saying goodbye and hanging up.
Sure enough, her worst fears materialized.
The moment she set down her phone, Gabriel shot her a sideways glance. "Already apartment hunting? When exactly are you planning to move out?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm, but Arabella met it head-on. "As soon as possible. Once the kids recover, I'm leaving."
She didn't have much to pack anyway. The clothes and luxury items in the house had all been purchased by Gabriel's household staff—designer brands she'd never need in her new life as an ordinary citizen.
Since she was returning to a normal existence, those expensive things would be useless anyway. Moving out would actually be quite simple.
Gabriel let out a cold laugh. "I don't understand what you're trying to prove. Is your pride really that important? You'll be out there struggling to make ends meet, separated from your children—what's the point?"
Without turning to look at him, Arabella replied with quiet conviction, "People live for their dignity. You ask if pride matters? I want to breathe free air and live an independent life."
His mockery only intensified.
Though Arabella spoke with finality, Gabriel didn't believe she'd actually go through with it.
She was about to lose her job, leaving her without income. How would she afford rent? How would she survive?
Perhaps once she experienced some real hardship, she'd understand how cruel the world could be and come crawling back with regret.
At that thought, Gabriel stopped trying to dissuade her. In fact, he found himself looking forward to watching her crash and burn, then return home humbled and broken.
When that moment came, he'd graciously take her back—and hopefully, her stubborn pride would be thoroughly crushed.
When they arrived home, Arabella immediately rushed to the children, leaving Gabriel forgotten in her wake.
This mansion no longer felt like home to her—it had become a prison.
She could only hope the kids would recover quickly so she could implement her independence plan.
Knowing she'd soon be separated from them made every moment precious, so she even joined them for their afternoon nap, unwilling to leave their side for even a moment.
After returning home, Gabriel's phone rang twice more.
One call was from Dominic again.
The other was from Billy.
"Gabriel, I know this request is unreasonable and inappropriate, but please, for the sake of your years of friendship with Emily—just visit her as an old friend. That should be acceptable, right? She's weak after the surgery and needs rest, but she won't stop causing scenes. Dominic can't handle her, and neither can her mother..."
Billy obviously knew their spoiling had created this monster, and he understood how inappropriate his request was. But Emily was their only child, and despite their anger, they still wanted what was best for her. They just needed to get through the next few days. Desperate, he'd resorted to calling Gabriel personally.
Gabriel gripped the phone, his expression grave. "Mr. Davis, if I visit her again today, she'll think I still have feelings for her, making it even harder to cut ties later. The rumors about us are already damaging enough. She's Dominic's wife—I can't humiliate him further."
"I understand your concerns. We've tried everything—scolding, even... other measures. She just won't listen. Please, just humor her enough to calm her down. Once she recovers, her mother will take her abroad for a while. I promise she won't bother you again."
Billy had indeed lost his temper and slapped Emily hard during one of her tantrums today. The incident had sparked a huge fight between him and his wife, thankfully mediated by Dominic.
Despite Billy's pleading, Gabriel remained unmoved. "Mr. Davis, I'm sorry, but my twins have been sick these past few days, and I can't leave them. If you're truly desperate, have the doctor administer a sedative."
Angered by this cold response, Billy hung up abruptly.
Gabriel set down his phone and exhaled slowly, mystified by Emily's increasingly erratic behavior.
How had she suddenly become so desperately in love with him?
Or was this all an act to torment Dominic and force him to agree to a divorce?
Unable to figure it out, Gabriel dismissed the matter. His own marriage was hanging by a thread—he had no energy to spare for other people's drama.
He thought that would be the end of it, but soon his office intercom buzzed.
"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Joanna Sterling is here. She's asking you to come downstairs."
Gabriel assumed his mother was here to target Arabella again. His brow furrowed with displeasure as he headed downstairs.
"Mother, what are you doing here now?" His mother's visits never brought good news, making Gabriel's tone rather impatient.
Joanna was dressed elegantly, her hair styled in an immaculate chignon. Seeing her son's attitude, her face immediately hardened. "What? I'm not allowed to visit my own son?"
Gabriel's expression remained impassive. "That's not what I meant. It's just that the children are napping right now."
Implying her timing was poor for seeing the grandchildren.
Joanna said curtly, "I'm not here for the children. This is about the Davis family..."
Gabriel looked up at her. "They called you too?"