Chapter 296 This Time, I Personally Went to Choose It

Chapter 296 This Time, I Personally Went to Choose It

Walking to the door, Arabella asked cautiously who it was. The person replied that Gabriel had sent them to deliver lunch.

Arabella carefully opened the door—it was indeed one of Gabriel's bodyguards.

"Mrs. Sterling, here's your lunch. Mr. Sterling said you should stay here for now, and he'll come pick you up personally when he's finished with work." The young man respectfully relayed his boss's instructions, handing over an upscale restaurant meal.

"Okay, thank you." Arabella smiled as she took it and closed the door.

She was genuinely hungry and didn't punish herself—she went inside to sit down and eat.

Gabriel called again. She didn't answer.

Three times in a row, she rejected each one.

A Facebook notification chimed—Mr. Sterling had sent a voice message: "What now? Why are you hanging up on me?"

Arabella listened but didn't reply.

Back at his office, Gabriel stared at the unanswered message, completely baffled.

She'd clearly moved in, accepted the lunch—so why was she ignoring him?

After thinking it over, he suddenly remembered the telescope on the balcony. It dawned on him!

Damn it—she must think he's some kind of voyeur or pervert!

His focus on work evaporated, but several new projects had just launched and he was swamped. He could only speed through his tasks, eager to finish and leave.

At four in the afternoon, he grabbed his car keys and left the office.

On the drive, he kept rehearsing how to explain, how to coax her into a better mood.

Dominic called, also asking about Arabella's situation—wondering if she'd acknowledge her biological mother.

Apparently gossip knows no gender.

Gabriel didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked for advice: "How do you usually smooth things over when you've upset a woman?"

Dominic was caught off guard. "What do you mean? You're trying to win over Arabella?"

"Well, who else? You? You're not a woman."

Dominic felt a pang of jealousy.

The more romantic his best friend's love life became, the more it highlighted his own lonely existence.

"Buy her a handbag. Doesn't everyone say handbags cure everything?" Dominic offered smoothly.

Gabriel drove, his expression skeptical. "Is that how you used to win Emily back?"

"Yeah, she had enough bags at home to rival a flagship store."

Gabriel thought this might work, so he called Evelyn.

He knew next to nothing about luxury handbags.

But what he thought would be simple got immediately complicated.

"Mr. Sterling, truly prestigious luxury bags require advance ordering and purchase prerequisites to obtain. I really can't produce a limited-edition designer bag on such short notice." Evelyn spoke honestly.

Gabriel frowned. "Not even for double the price?"

"It's not about money—there's no inventory available."

Seeing her boss had gone quiet, Evelyn ventured carefully, "Is Mr. Sterling buying this bag for Mrs. Sterling?"

"Mm." For once, the man didn't snap back. He sounded dejected. "I think I upset her again. She won't talk to me."

Evelyn smiled knowingly. "Mrs. Sterling is soft-hearted—she's easy to win over. I'll order the bag right away, and you can give it to her when it arrives. As for today... why don't you send Mrs. Sterling a bouquet of flowers first, along with some sweet words?"

Sweet words...

Gabriel got goosebumps. He remembered that before their divorce, he'd once taken Evelyn's advice and sent Arabella a bouquet of tulips—which she'd completely ignored.

Send flowers again today?

Gabriel cringed at the thought of presenting flowers to someone. It felt so affected.

"Got it. Get on that order, and bring me the bag the moment it arrives."

"Will do."

After hanging up, Gabriel sighed helplessly.

Who would've thought—thirty years of being courted and flattered by everyone else.

Now at his age, he had to learn how young people win over women, and even buy flowers himself!

Worse, he hadn't brought a driver today, so he'd have to go to the florist personally...

————

Arabella had been staring at her computer too long. Her eyes felt dry and uncomfortable, and having skipped a midday rest, she felt drowsy. She lay down on the sofa to relax and accidentally fell asleep.

When Gabriel returned with a large bouquet of champagne roses, the first thing he saw was the woman asleep on the couch.

His heart instantly softened.

He tiptoed to the sofa and set the bouquet on the coffee table before crouching down beside her.

The sleeping woman's features were gentle, serene, and beautiful—like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale.

The princess was awakened by a kiss.

So after staring at her for a while, he couldn't resist leaning in for a kiss.

But just as his lips were about to touch that soft target, she suddenly woke. Her eyes flew open like laser beams—instantly alert. She sat up and unceremoniously shoved her hand against his face, pushing him away.

"What are you doing!" Arabella immediately retreated, looking at him warily.

The next second, her gaze fell on the bouquet on the coffee table behind him. She was even more surprised.

Flowers?

For her?

Arabella recalled that back at Parkside Estate, Gabriel had once sent her a bouquet of tulips, which she'd ignored.

Now roses...

After over two years of marriage, this man had never given her so much as a thread—yet the only two times he'd given gifts, both were flowers. Arabella thought to herself: so wealthy, with vast fortunes, yet apparently a cheapskate? Or perhaps, in his mind, she was only worth a bouquet of flowers.

Gabriel, caught in his failed attempt at romance, gave an awkward smile and admitted frankly, "I wanted to see if I could wake you with a kiss, but you woke up before I could."

Arabella shot him a look and gestured toward the coffee table with her chin. "What's this about?"

He followed her gaze to the bouquet, his handsome face growing even more embarrassed. He touched his nose and cleared his throat. "That... they're flowers. For you."

He turned and picked up the bouquet, presenting it to her.

"The florist said champagne roses were perfect for you, so I bought them—this time, I picked them out myself."

He wanted to express his sincerity.

Actually, the florist's exact words were that champagne roses were elegant and refined without being vulgar, and their meaning was: Falling in love with you is my greatest happiness in this life, thinking of you is my sweetest pain, being with you is my pride, and without you I'm like a ship that's lost its course.

The message was: I'm devoted only to you.

Gabriel thought whoever first defined flower meanings must have been an extremely sentimental, saccharine, and cloying person.

How did they come up with such sickeningly sweet phrases?

Evelyn had said to send flowers and add some sweet words, and Arabella would definitely forgive him—but he'd rather die than say such things, so he could only let the flowers speak for themselves.

Though judging by her reaction, she clearly didn't know the meaning of champagne roses either.

So as Gabriel held out the bouquet, he added, "You can look up the meaning of champagne roses—they really are perfect for you..."

Arabella sat on the sofa, calmly watching him, utterly surprised to detect a flush and shyness on his usually stern, insufferable face—like a newly married bride meeting her husband, eyes darting away, hesitant to speak.

"I won't look it up. I'm not interested in flowers." Arabella, seeing through his intentions, responded in her straightforward manner.

Gabriel's handsome face stiffened. After a moment's thought, he immediately asked, "Then what are you interested in? I'll get it for you next time."

She looked at him with genuine curiosity. "Why are you suddenly giving me things?"

Gabriel, seeing she wouldn't take the bouquet, simply set it back on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa right next to her.

"No reason... I just thought about how we were married for so long, and I never gave you any gifts. Now I want to make up for it."

Arabella smiled knowingly. "Not because you have a guilty conscience and want to make amends?"