Chapter 370
“Huh?” Gabriela frowned, confused. “But I thought soldiers were ‘brothers in arms’ forever. You went through life-and-death situations together, right? Doesn't that create an eternal bond?”
“You're right. The bond exists.” Dinho smiled as he remembered the reunion at the company. “However, when I retired, I lost contact.” We naturally drifted apart and only met again when he came to visit Lilian.
Although communication had ceased, Dinho was grateful to know that Daniel still had his number and treated him with respect, like an old comrade.
Seeing the look of deep disappointment on Gabriela's face, Dinho's soft heart gave way. He felt sorry for his boss, who was in love.
“Gabriela...” he sighed. “I'm sorry, but I can't promise that he'll agree to meet with me, much less a ‘surprise meeting.’ But... I'll try. I'll call him and see what I can do for you. I'll do my best.”
A radiant smile, worthy of spring, instantly lit up Gabriela's face.
“Thank you, Dinho! You're the best!”
“Don't thank me yet. I haven't done anything,” he said, scratching his head, already feeling the weight of concern about how he would make that call. “Oh, right. When are you going back to New York?”
“In two days!” she exclaimed, urgency taking over her voice. “Then I hope you can arrange that meeting before I board. I need to see him!”
Gabriela felt her face warm just imagining the reunion.
“Okay. I'll call Daniel before then. No problem,” Dinho promised, forcing a confident smile.
However, the smile froze on his lips when a cold, familiar voice echoed behind them.
“Gabriela, why do you want to meet Daniel Spector?”
Silence fell over the room like an anvil.
Everyone, including Benjamin, turned abruptly. Lilian stood at the door, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.
“Oh, damn! Did she hear everything?”
Gabriela panicked internally. If Lilian knew about her obsessive crush, she would never hear the end of it. It would be humiliating.
“Hi, Lilian!” Gabriela jumped up with a nervous, exaggerated smile. “Shall we go? We're late, aren't we? Let's go!”
She tried to sweep the issue under the rug, but Lilian didn't move. Her eyes narrowed, fixed on her friend.
“Are you guys planning a lunch with Daniel behind my back?” Lilian asked suspiciously. “Wait...”
Lilian stopped, remembering the conversation she had just overheard. She looked away at the security guard.
“Dinho... how do you know Daniel Spector?”
Before Dinho could answer, Gabriela's shrill, forced laughter interrupted the interrogation.
“No! No, of course not!” Gabriela waved her hands frantically. “We're not close enough to Daniel to invite him to lunch, are we, Dinho?”
She looked at Dinho with wide eyes, begging for cover.
But Dinho felt Lilian's laser gaze focused on him. Lying to his boss was not an option. He swallowed hard.
“Tell me, Dinho. The truth,” Lilian demanded calmly, ignoring Gabriela's theatrics.
Dinho sighed and stood up, assuming a military posture.
“Daniel Spector was in the same special forces unit as me when I was on active duty. We served together.”
“What?” Gabriela blurted out, genuinely surprised, forgetting her act. “My God! How could he betray me like that?” she thought.
Lilian was stunned. She had never imagined that their worlds would intersect in this way.
“So... you want to have lunch with him?” Lilian asked, her voice softening.
“Yes. I was going to try to contact him, and Gabriela... well, she wanted to join. So why not?” Dinho explained, trying to downplay the situation.
“I see.” Lilian smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Inside, she felt a pang of sadness. She knew she couldn't join them. Daniel had made it clear that there were limits, barriers that could not be crossed due to the complicated feelings between them. She needed to respect the distance.
“Boss, would you like to join us?”
Benjamin's question came out of nowhere, cutting through Lilian's melancholy and making Gabriela's heart stop.
“What the hell...?” Gabriela almost shouted, her mask slipping.
She glared at Benjamin. “Traitor!” she screamed mentally. How could he invite Lilian? Didn't he realize that this was her desperate plan to have a date, not a gathering of friends? With Lilian there, Daniel wouldn't even look at her!
Of course, Benjamin, in his infinite naivety, didn't pick up on the deadly irritation in Gabriela's gaze. On the contrary, he closed his laptop enthusiastically, got up, and walked over to Lilian with a smile of someone who thinks he's doing everyone a favor.
“Come on, boss! Join us!” he insisted. “It would be much more fun if you were there. We're the old guard, right?”
Gabriela shook her head silently, defeated, and looked at Lilian with silent despair.
All eyes were on the boss, waiting for her response.
Lilian smiled at Benjamin, maintaining her composure.
“Well, I can't confirm anything right now. My schedule is a mess.” She used the perfect diplomatic excuse. “But I'll consider it if I have time. Oh, by the way... when are you guys going to meet him?”
Lilian needed to know, not to go, but to make sure she avoided the place.
“Tomorrow. Maybe. Yeah, maybe tomorrow,” Dinho replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “As soon as we have a confirmed time, I'll let you know.”
“Sounds great,” Lilian said, ending the conversation. She turned to Matthew. “Okay, team. Let's get moving. We need to resolve the outstanding issues here as quickly as possible.”
Our flight to the capital leaves at noon.
Lilian felt slightly guilty for dragging her elite team into a family dispute in the countryside. Although they assured her it was no problem, she knew she had demanded a lot from them.