Chapter 147 - The Fake Engagement (1/2)
Now, the room even gets crazier with what Gabriel just said; if the questions were rain, Gabriel would be drenched.
But Gabriel keeps an expressionless face; he says nothing, waiting for the room's excitement to die down.
”Please stay in your seats. Let Gabriel address your questions clearly. We can't work like this if you don't follow the agreed protocol,” Catherine says, standing, her gestures extra-animated. She's telling he crowd to keep still, yet she's obviously agitated, too—she didn't expect what Gabriel just said. She had known how much Michelle Alcantara had hated the girl, Claire, but she had dismissed it as nothing but the hatred of an ex, of a woman scorned. Now it seems Michelle's resentment has a basis.
”It is true,” Gabriel continues in a steady, clear voice, looking at those before him. ”I first met Claire as a job applicant less than a month ago. Right at a time when I was deeply hurting from what happened to my personal relationship. I'm sure you are aware of what happened between me and my previous fiancée, Michelle. It's all a matter of public record, no matter how much I wanted to keep my personal life private.” He sighs. ”When I first met Claire, and she doesn't know this even now, I was struck by how she'd gaze into your eyes. Like you could drown in those eyes and not even care about getting back. That's how deeply I was impressed by her. And the funny thing was, she wasn't even trying. She was just answering all the standard questions I threw at her. But something clicked inside me. I thought of something crazy, which now, in hindsight, was indeed absolutely absurd. Instead of hiring her for an open job position, I made up a job on the spot: I asked her to pretend to be my new fiancée.”
For some weird reason, the crowd stays quiet and still this time, as though giving Gabriel space to frame his thoughts.
”I knew that right from the start!” Gary Smulder exclaims, still watching the event unfold in the Muckraker office. ”I knew something was wrong. I was at that pool party, Pat—”he turns to Patrick, who's also still watching the TV—”and they kicked me out. I spoke to that girl, Claire. I didn't even realize it was her until they kicked me out and saw all the—”
”If you knew all of that, then where the hell is the juicy write-up you could have written?” Patrick's voice by now has turned cold, as though he has already accepted defeat; that this ship has sailed, leaving them marooned in the island of obscurity.
”Well…” is all Gary manages to say.
”And yes, I admit, it was childish. But with everything that was going on at the time, I thought pretend-hiring her would be the surest way to keep her around and get to know her, instead of going the usual route. I could have chosen another way. I could have been a better man. But it was what it was. And I guess, in the end, I just got lucky.”
”So you hired her, like a 'special employee' answerable only to you. Does that mean her home at one of your boutique hotels is provided by your company, too?” One of the reporters asks.
”No, all the expenses are coming from my own personal funds,” Gabriel says. ”This is not publicly known, but The Residence is not part of any of my existing holding companies.”