Chapter 59 - The Drive Home

"You look pale," Gabriel says upon seeing her. "Anything wrong?"

Claire sits down as if in a trance. She looks at him. "I just…"

"You just…what?"

Claire tries to gaze at the darkened corner of Maroni's, in that spot where she knows Gary the reporter would be stalking, drinking his ċȯċktail, waiting in ambush.

"Nothing," she says. "I just feel lightheaded."

Karen puts a hand on Claire's forehead. "You don't feel hot, though."

"Would you like us to go?" Gabriel is standing up. He senses that something's up, something that Claire couldn't say out in the open. He turns to the other couple. "Guys, let's reschedule this dinner. But please enjoy the food. No need to cut this short."

"Yeah, but…" Miguel begins to say, but he takes one look at Claire. He nods. "Yeah, let's reschedule. There's plenty of other chances. Will just swing by at the office maybe tomorrow."

"Do that," Gabriel says. He tosses Karen a glance, before turning back to his brother. "We have a lot to talk about, brother. Some life-or-death stuff."

Miguel grins. "I understand. Would love to talk about it."

The waiter was just bringing all their food over as Gabriel and Claire slip out of the restaurant.

Back in the car, Gabriel couldn't help it. "Spill it, Claire. What happened over there?"

"There's something I have to tell you—" Claire begins. "Remember the pool party a few nights ago? That reporter that you threw out?"

"Sure. That scumbag. I know him. He interviewed my staff once."

"He was at the restaurant, stalking us. He said something about digging up dirt on us."

"Really?"

"Yes," Claire says. "I don't like this, Gabriel. This could unravel us."

Gabriel laughs. "Look, Claire. For one thing, why in hell would that reporter tell you about his plan? If he's looking for dirt, why reveal it, especially to you, of all people? If that's really the card he's playing, he shouldn't have shown it, right?"

Claire gazes at him. "You actually make sense."

"I'm good at discerning intentions, Claire." But only when I'm not blinded by love, Gabriel almost says, but keeps it inside. "And another thing, that guy's a loser. He's like Jon Snow in the Game of Thrones TV series."

"Jon Snow?"

"Jon Snow. Because he knows nothing." Gabriel waits for a hint of recognition on Claire's face, which doesn't come. "Aw forget it, that was a joke."

He makes a slow turn toward the main avenue, yet he drives past the TXCI building. Claire notices it, but says nothing.

"Because if he actually knows anything of worth, he won't tell you the reason he's there," he continues. "He was probably fishing for information, that's why he accosted you. He was hoping you'd unwittingly give him something."

Claire says nothing for a while. There are other worries that rage in her heart, and she's weighing them against this little moment with Gabriel.

"I'm worried about Karen," she says.

"What for? There's nothing that woman can say that we should be worried about."

"Karen knows where I'm from. She knows I'm not the person you announced to the world that I was. I'm not rich. I'm not a CEO of any company. I'm just a nobody. She might tell Miguel the truth."

Gabriel is silent, but she could see he's gritting his teeth. "That would only be a cause for concern," he says after a long pause, "If Miguel and I aren't really close. She tells that to Migs, and he'd just laugh. He would get why we're doing this."

"But what if that reporter talks to Karen?"

"Then there's the rub," Gabriel says. "The shit hits the fan."

"Are you really doing all of this just to hurt Michelle?"

"Yes and no," Gabriel says. "Yes, I really want to hurt her. And no, I just don't want to hurt her. I want to destroy her, Claire."

"But she's only a woman."

"What?"

"She's only a woman who made a mistake. Why dedicate all your energies just to destroy a person who, after all, had been with you for many years? Isn't it much easier to just forgive her and forget and move on?"

Gabriel says nothing for a while. Truly, he knows all the right words to say to this. They say when you're working to get revenge, you should dig two graves—one for your target and one for you. Because revenge is never one-sided. It also destroys the one who seeks it. But despite everything, what Gabriel feels in his heart is this bottomless outrage. He's not yet ready. Not now. And he's not explaining himself to Claire Monteverde, the girl he hired to help him tilt the scales of justice.

Claire sighs; he's not justifying his behavior, and maybe it's not really her place to do this. Maybe she should really just shut up. Sometimes you can't stop your freaking mouth, Claire, she thinks. Sometimes you should know when to just zip it.

So zip it, she does.

Gabriel insists in walking her all the way to her penthouse suite at the Residence. "You don't have to," Claire says, and in her mind: Do you do this for all your employees?

As they reach the door to the suite, she stops and faces him. "Well, it has been an interesting night."

"Yeah," he says.

"Tomorrow, I'll go 'work' at your office as 'Bella', right?"

"That's right, as part of your contract."

"Well, goodnight, Gabriel."

"Goodnight, Claire."

"I 'enjoyed' not being able to eat anything," she says.

He makes a small laugh. "Sorry, will have the house chef bring up some food."

"That's okay, I'd just want to hit the bed."

"Alright," he says.

"Alright. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Then as Claire turns to open the door, Gabriel holds her arm.

"Won't you give me a goodnight kiss, just to cap everything off?"

"Give you a what—" Claire begins, but she never finishes as Gabriel kisses her. On the lips. Longer than what's probably intended.

"Sweet dreams," Gabriel says after the kiss.

Claire watches him walk away, wondering if this is part of her work contract, wondering if Gabriel treats all his employees this way.