Chapter 96 Trapped Again!
"Jenny, Arabella and I came back in such a hurry, we didn't bring anything proper. Please take these supplements back home—they're great for making soup and boosting your health." Gabriel bent down to retrieve the gift boxes from the trunk, handing them to Jenny.
Arabella glanced over, her expression... indescribable.
A box of American ginseng and a box of fish oil—both premium, expensive supplements.
She suddenly realized—was this guy secretly competing? Just because Jenny mentioned she and Manuel had brought gifts to dinner last night, did he feel compelled to one-up them with ginseng and fish oil?
Jenny was startled and waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, I couldn't! You keep these for yourselves. We country folk don't know how to use such fancy things."
Though Jenny didn't understand what they were, looking at Gabriel's attire and that expensive luxury car, she could guess these weren't cheap. She quickly refused.
Gabriel insisted, "These aren't that expensive—just use them in soup. They're good for your health. Please take them!"
Jenny was about to refuse again when Arabella stepped forward, "Please take them, don't be polite. I have no family left in my hometown, so meeting someone as kind as you means everything to me. Last night's gifts were Manuel's gesture, and today's are from my husband and me. You must accept them."
Hearing this, Jenny felt touched and finally accepted the gifts. After a moment, she suddenly remembered something and fumbled in her coat pocket for her old phone, "Dear child... could you... could you save your number in my phone? Next time you come back, call me ahead of time. Come eat at my house, and I'll have fresh bedding aired out for you!"
"Of course!" Arabella didn't refuse, taking the elderly woman's phone and entering her number.
Jenny gratefully took back her phone. "Good, good... come back more often when you can. Don't worry about your old house—I'll keep an eye on it for you."
"Thank you, Jenny."
After watching Jenny leave with frequent backward glances, the smile gradually faded from Arabella's face.
Gabriel looked at her, his expression also becoming more restrained, though warmth still lingered in his eyes.
"Let's go visit the cemetery," he said, turning to Arabella. He still remembered this matter and insisted on "meeting the family."
But Arabella firmly refused, "No need. I have to leave."
She went back to the front courtyard to gather her things, then came out and locked the weathered gate.
Gabriel opened the passenger door, waiting for her.
But after locking the door, she turned and walked away, completely ignoring him.
Seeing her stubbornness, Gabriel's expression darkened. He called out loudly, "Jenny's thoughtful gifts are still in the car. Are you sure you don't want them?"
Arabella ignored him.
"Fine, since you don't want them, I'll just take them out and dump them on the roadside."
Gabriel meant what he said, slamming the passenger door and walking toward the trunk.
Arabella was so angry she nearly choked on her rage!
Only now did she understand why Gabriel had so enthusiastically accepted things he clearly looked down upon—he'd been setting this trap all along!
If she didn't get in the car, he really would take those local specialties and throw them by the roadside. Forget about the waste—just thinking about how Jenny would feel seeing her gifts discarded...
How could she ever come back to her hometown again?
Her teeth nearly grinding to powder, she pressed her lips together, her face flushed with anger as she turned around, yanked open the passenger door, and got in.
Gabriel had already opened the trunk. Seeing this, his face lit up with joy, his lips curving slightly as victory gleamed in his eyes.
He slammed the trunk shut and walked to the driver's side, getting in.
Arabella had already buckled her seatbelt and closed her eyes, facing the window—clearly pretending to sleep and having no intention of talking to him.
Gabriel didn't care.
As long as she was in the car, that was enough.
No matter how she twisted herself in knots, she couldn't escape his grasp.
"It's Sunday today, so there's some traffic. GPS shows we won't get home until after three this afternoon."
Starting the car and pulling onto the road, Gabriel chatted casually as if nothing had happened, then glanced back, "Should we stop in town to buy some snacks? Five hours is pretty boring."
Arabella crossed her arms, eyes closed, facing the window with no reaction.
Gabriel pressed his lips together, restraining himself, and continued searching for topics, "Isn't it uncomfortable sitting like that with your arms crossed?"
Her figure was full-chested, and with her arms crossed, the pressure from both sides made her curves even more pronounced.
The comment carried suggestive undertones, clearly meant to provoke her.
But Arabella remained deaf to his words.
Gabriel realized she was truly angry this time—they'd never had such a thorough cold war before.
Since Arabella was being so unresponsive, he couldn't keep trying to tease her and had to focus seriously on driving.
That stretch of road was in poor condition, constantly bumpy and jolting, but Arabella never opened her eyes or made a sound.
Though she sat in the car, she was completely silent, like a lifeless doll.
After some unknown amount of time, Arabella's phone rang.
Only then did she react, moving to pull out her phone and seeing it was Sophia calling.
"Hello, Sophia..."
"Arabella, it's the weekend! What are your plans?" Sophia was now a stay-at-home mom who had just moved to Luminara. With no friends, she could only call Arabella on weekends.
Arabella explained, "I went back to Whispering Pines yesterday. I'm on the drive back now—probably won't be home until after three this afternoon."
"Oh... you went back to Whispering Pines? By yourself? Or with your husband?"
She didn't want to answer that question, so she pretended not to hear and asked instead, "Did you need something?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to meet up and chat. Since you're not around, forget it."
"If you're free tonight, we could have dinner together." Arabella didn't want to go home and face Gabriel, so she proactively suggested meeting Sophia in the evening.
Sophia immediately responded, "Free! I'm free every day! Zachary's swamped with work—even works weekends. I spend all seven days a week taking care of the kids."
"Great, see you tonight then."
After hanging up, Arabella checked Facebook and saw a message from Ella asking about her progress on the project revisions.
She was startled, suddenly remembering she had work to do over the holiday!
Her phone had been low on battery last night and was now showing a yellow warning light. With four or five hours on the road, she could easily use her phone to handle work—but first, she needed to figure out how to charge it.
"Do you have a charging cable?" Finally, she spoke her first words, coldly.
Gabriel glanced at her, "I thought you'd gone mute."
She was too lazy to respond, turning back toward the window.
Gabriel didn't argue with her either, saying, "There should be one in the glove compartment."
She opened the glove compartment and rummaged through it, finding one.
With her phone plugged in, she immediately started working. Though the screen was small, responses were slow, and efficiency was low, having something to do made the time pass more bearably.
At noon, Gabriel said he wanted to exit the highway to eat in the city, but Arabella insisted on just eating at the rest stop.
They both got out, walking around the rest area while Gabriel's brow furrowed deeply.
He hadn't eaten well at breakfast—his stomach was still upset from the spicy food—and now lunch would be more cheap cafeteria fare. It was truly unbearable.
Arabella bought a salad and found a table to sit and eat.
Gabriel walked around the entire area and came back empty-handed.
"The rest stop only has this kind of food. Look, everyone else is eating it—you're the only one being picky." Arabella rolled her eyes at him, learning from his own playbook and opening with cold sarcasm.