Chapter 72 At Least A Little More Initiative
The meal ended in an awkward atmosphere.
As they were leaving, Sophia kept apologizing profusely.
Arabella comforted her that it was fine, spending quite a while reassuring her before finally getting in the car to leave.
Watching the Bentley luxury car gradually drive away, Zachary turned to look at his wife and daughter, his smile immediately dropping, "Look what you've been saying in front of Lily all this time—she's learned it all! I was having such a good conversation with Mr. Sterling, and he even agreed to have one of his subsidiary companies work with our law firm. Now with your interference..."
Knowing she was in the wrong, Sophia didn't dare say much, only uncertainly offered, "It shouldn't be that bad, right... A big shot like Mr. Sterling wouldn't be that petty, would he?"
"Hmph! The more powerful someone is, the less they can stand hearing anything negative. Think about their lives—everyone around them smiles and flatters them constantly!" After scolding Sophia, Zachary turned and walked away.
Sophia felt even more frustrated, only able to carry Lily and follow Zachary's pace. "I'll be more careful in the future, don't be angry. At least Mr. Sterling isn't targeting you personally—with your own abilities, the firm will definitely pull through."
Meanwhile, during the drive home, Arabella also kept glancing at the silent man, feeling equally uneasy.
Sophia kept messaging her on Facebook, asking her to explain to Gabriel and expressing how sorry she was.
Arabella kept reassuring Sophia while stealing glances at Gabriel's cold, stern face.
"Come on, you're not seriously sulking because of what a two-year-old said, are you?"
Gabriel shot her a sideways glance, not bothering to respond.
He was indeed in a foul mood, but it had nothing to do with Lily.
Just thinking about the woman beside him going out to work made his chest tight.
"Do you really have to get a job? Didn't I give you a supplementary credit card? That card has no spending limit."
Knowing her personality—that she wasn't the type of trophy wife who loved luxury goods—he'd confidently set no spending restrictions.
She shouldn't be short on money.
Arabella explained, "I want to work not entirely for the money."
"Then what else could it be for? Don't give me some boring excuse about life purpose and personal fulfillment."
Hearing his dismissive tone, Arabella got angry, too. "Yes, I know you're a big CEO of a public company who looks down on ordinary people like us, but this society is made up of ordinary people. The wealthy are still a minority. Each of our individual contributions might seem insignificant, but like streams flowing into an ocean, countless small contributions come together to keep society functioning normally."
Gabriel hadn't expected her to suddenly get philosophical with him about life, purpose, and society. His expression showed surprise, and perhaps a hint of amusement at her earnestness.
Arabella didn't care if he was internally mocking her and continued, "I believe everyone has value when they're alive. I can't waste my potential—that's the whole point of why my grandparents insisted on my education, no matter what."
She still remembered Robert's words about how poor children only had education as their path to a better life.
She couldn't forget that original purpose just because her family was gone, just because she temporarily had wealth and luxury—she couldn't forget why she'd studied, forget that she should be self-sufficient.
Gabriel continued staring at her steadily. After a few seconds, perhaps convinced by her words, he said flatly, "Do whatever you want."
He'd offered his good intentions anyway. If she wouldn't listen, so be it. If she wanted to exhaust herself, let her.
Seeing him finally compromise, Arabella smiled slightly and said gratefully, "Thank you. I hope you can respect my insignificant little job and help keep our relationship under wraps for now."
Gabriel remained silent, which probably meant he agreed.
That evening, he'd gone to bed early.
When Arabella finished taking care of the babies and returned to the master bedroom, the room was already quiet.
She climbed into bed carefully, moving gingerly to avoid waking him.
But as soon as she lay down, Gabriel turned and pulled her into his arms.
Arabella jumped, her startled gasp quickly muffled by Gabriel, and then her clothes began disappearing as well.
What he wanted to do was obvious.
In the past, she would have squirmed and resisted for a while.
But tonight, for some reason, perhaps because she was grateful he'd agreed to have dinner with Sophia's family, or grateful he'd agreed to let her work, she was unusually cooperative, and they both thoroughly enjoyed their lovemaking.
Afterward, Gabriel's mood finally improved somewhat. As he released Arabella, he couldn't resist teasing, "Looks like letting you work isn't entirely bad—at least you're more proactive in bed now."
Mortified that he'd seen right through her, Arabella bit her lip and said nothing, silently pulling the covers up to hide herself.
————
Monday morning, Arabella got up extra early.
Finally going to work, she was like a little bird about to fly from its cage, humming as she ate breakfast.
After finishing her meal, she cheerfully said goodbye to Isabella and Henny, "Mommy's going to work! Be good babies at home, and Mommy will come back early to spend time with you."
She was planning to call a taxi herself, but Gabriel stopped her, "I'll drive you."
Arabella turned to look at him.
In the morning light, her fair, delicate skin seemed to reflect the sunshine, as if every pore was luminous and radiant.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she said softly, "Didn't we agree the other day? Our relationship..."
"Don't worry, it's not on my way. I'll just drop you off at the subway station." Otherwise, she'd walk out of this gated community, and her heels would give her blisters.
Hearing this, Arabella was tempted—it would save her quite a walk.
Gabriel said impatiently, "Are you getting in or not? I have a Monday morning meeting—I'm in a hurry!"
"Alright then, thank you." She quickly made up her mind, never one to make things difficult for herself, and got into Gabriel's luxury car.
Gabriel sat beside her in the back, with them properly maintaining the middle seat between them.
Neither spoke during the entire ride.
Surrounded by this low-pressure atmosphere, Arabella gradually regretted getting in the car. She could only stare outside the whole time, and as soon as she saw the subway station, she quickly spoke up, "You can stop here. I'll take the subway—it'll be quick."
The driver looked in the rearview mirror, and seeing Gabriel hadn't spoken, hesitated about whether to listen.
Gabriel said coldly, "Stop the car."
The car pulled over, and as Arabella turned to get out, Gabriel also looked at her, "You're just leaving like that?"
"What else?" She pushed open the door with one hand, looking back at Gabriel in confusion.
Gabriel was the type who wanted something more the less he said about it.
Fortunately, Arabella understood him somewhat by now and suddenly realized what he was being stubborn about. She leaned over and quickly kissed the corner of his mouth, "Thank you, Mr. Sterling."
Before the man could react, she quickly got out and ran off.
Gabriel watched her figure disappear into the subway entrance, unable to name the emotion in his heart.
They clearly weren't divorced, so why did seeing her go to work give him the illusion that she was about to leave him?