Chapter 67 - The Return of the Big, Hot Mess (2/2)
Claire reddens in the face, yet she puts on the fakest smile. ”Have you met her, then?”
Michelle scoffs. ”It hardly qualifies as a 'meeting'. She hardly qualified as my equal. I don't know. I feel Gabriel is just blinded by anger that he picked up any cheap girl he met in some far-flung area. Nobody knows who that woman is, and Gabriel's selling her as some high-class super-achieving businesswoman. If that's true, I should have heard about her. But nothing.” Michelle shakes her head. ”The lengths Gabriel goes to just to try and piss me off.”
”You mean, you don't believe that Gabriel's engagement with that new girl is genuine?”
”Of course not!”
She knew it, Claire thinks. So that's why Michelle has not been bugging them. She's never felt threatened. She's just laughing off the whole so-called ”engagement” with one Claire Monteverde.
But there's something else. There's something about Michelle's uncanny confidence here. As though she knows something that Gabriel doesn't.
”You know what, Bella,” Michelle says, ”I like you. You don't give off that 'bitchy' vibe. Maybe we can be close here, now that I'm going to be holding office here.”
”What? You're working here, too?”
Michelle laughs. ”Yes, and speaking of work, please check if Gabriel's okay now, please.”
But Claire stands stunned there for a few moments. A lot of questions go through her head, foremost of which is ”Why?” What in hell is happening?
Hesitantly, Claire knocks on the door. She hears Gabriel grunt in ȧssent.
”Why is your face as white as sheet?” Gabriel asks, staring at her weirdly. ”Have you seen a ghost or something?”
”I, uhh,” she stammers. ”There's someone out there. She says you two are supposed to have a meeting.”
”'She'? A woman? That's odd. Who is it?”
Claire sighs. ”It's Michelle.”
”What Michelle? Michelle who?”
”Michelle. Your ex-fiancée. THAT Michelle.”
Waves of emotions flit through Gabriel's face. First is disbelief—surely, Claire is joking. Sometimes, you never know with this girl, with her misplaced sense of humor. But then she's staring at him like she has seen something ghastly. So disbelief melts into curiosity—what in hell is happening? Is this a prank? But when Claire follows it with, ”Michelle Alcantara's here. And she says she's coming back,” the gravity of it sinks in, just as the door opens.
”Hi, Gab,” Michelle says cheerfully, like nothing ugly has happened in the past few weeks. ”It's so nice to see you again. I'm here to discuss our joint management of this company—now that the merger has been finalized.”
Michelle smiles. It's a smile that's so sweet with secret poison. It's a smile that Gabriel only knows too well. He's so shocked that he actually blurts out, ”Holy fuċk.”