Rebirth of Billionaire's Wife - Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Love at first sight

“Who knew that your parents were planning to marry you two already? That is probably the reason my father did not make me court Eve. You understand how incredibly fond he is of her,” Stefan chuckled as he lay in bed.

Luckily, Eveline already saw him as her brother, and in reality, he had no affections for her despite not realizing how possessive Gabriel was of her.

“Happy she did, or else I would have pummeled you for even looking at my girl,” Gabriel forewarned Stefan, eliciting a chuckle from him.

“In your dreams. You could not even acknowledge your affection for her.” Stefan said, “You ought to be appreciative of my role as an intermediary between the two of you, since otherwise she would have severed all contact with you by now.”

Had it not been for him, Gabriel would never have had the opportunity to pursue Eveline after accusing her of something she never did.

Gabriel remained silent, fully aware that Stefan was correct in everything he had said. But now was not the moment for him to dwell on the past. They had far more important matters to attend to.

“Well, let us just talk about yours for the time being and not mine. How far along is your investigation now?” he asked.

“Do not worry, Ella consented to assist with Ms. Volkov, and we will locate the evidence shortly.”

“What is going on with you two?” Gabriel inquired, arched his brow, and leaned leaning on the couch with one leg resting on the other.” I mean, why would you ask your father’s assistant to assist you?”

Gabriel knew that Ella and Stefan had teamed up on Marcus’s ideal project. Stefan seized the chance to demonstrate his qualifications as the potential CEO of Hayes International, but little did he know that his friend would be unexpectedly intrigued by his father’s assistant.

“I want so much more to happen between us, but she is pulling a line,” Stefan muttered, grinning at Gabriel’s inquisitiveness.

“You do know what you are saying, don’t you? She is your father’s assistant, for heaven’s sake,” Gabriel jokingly cautioned.

“And what led you to believe that I was playing around? She would be at my mercy by now if I were in her position, but as you can see, I am being patient with her, and that is my boundary.”

Gabriel remained silent for a brief moment as he processed the gravity of Stefan’s remarks. He was not the one he was familiar with. Something had indeed changed.

“All right, if you say so, but watch out that we do not get her into any problems. You are aware that Alex is not someone to spare for anyone who gets in his way. He dared to kill me, and I do not want to cause trouble for anyone else.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t even touch the strand of her hair, or else I will be the one to kill him first.” Although Stefan’s voice was emotionless, everything he said impressed Gabriel.

“Are you certain that nothing has changed about you? You seem to be talking seriously, especially when it comes to a girl whom you have hardly known for a few days,” Gabriel said with amazement in his tone. However, he was glad Stefan was finally showing some significant change and taking his life seriously, which indeed was the biggest sign and a break of relief for his parents.

“Who said that I had known her for a few days? I know her better than that,” he said, perplexing Gabriel, but before he could ask, Stefan hung up the phone and claimed he had to go somewhere.

Gabriel gave the blank screen a puzzled glance, but he did not let it bother him for too long and carried on with his work.

****

After hanging up the phone, Stefan laughed to himself back in his room before turning to face the mirror.

Stefan was preparing to leave Ella’s house. Presuming to be her pretend boyfriend, he was meant to meet her mother as scheduled, but Stefan was excited to get to know the woman who raised such a girl with a pure heart.

Despite all the challenges, Ella’s mother raised her beautifully, and now he wanted to give her the world—that is, if she happened to open her heart to him.

After giving himself one last glance, Stefan walked out of his room and out of the house.

In order to leave a positive impression on her mother, he dressed nicely and drove her home.

***

[Ella’s apartment]

“A bouquet for the lovely lady, please. I hope you like it,” Stefan said, greeting Ella’s mother, Michelle, with a beautiful flower bouquet.

Stefan’s considerate gesture made Ella smile, and she motioned for him to take a seat.

After a difficult breakup with Max, Michelle was excited to meet the guy her daughter was seeing, and she had to admit, he was quite attractive.

He resembled those magazine models in every way. His flawless features and attractive appearance made him seem amazing.

“I hope I did not cause you any inconvenience. But as you are aware, when I learned that my daughter was dating someone, I became extremely worried for her. I felt compelled to ask her to come see you.”

Michelle was a sweet woman who spoke to everyone with grace and never raised her voice.

She even asked Ella if she was okay as soon as she found out about their breakup.

Michelle was aware of Ella’s sensitivity despite her outwardly tough exterior, so she anticipated Ella’s disappointment with their relationship’s conclusion.

“So Stefan, how did you meet Ella?” Michelle started a conversation.

She was curious as to whether Stefan would be reliable and would not do Ella any harm.

Even though she was blind to Max’s true nature, she was more interested in getting to know the boy seated in front of her.

Ella informed her that Stefan was presently in his final year and two years younger than her. But she felt no difference at all when she looked at him.

Their ages appear to be the same.

Stefan looked at Ella, who gave him a wary look before saying, “We met in the pub.”

Ella looked at her mother’s expressionless face, then closed her eyes in dismay.

Stefan was supposed to conjure up a tale, but instead, he was disclosing the details of their first meeting.

Stefan saw the fear covering Ella’s face, but he chose to ignore it and said, “That is when I met her. She was heartbroken and was drowning herself in her despair.”

“Trust me, I have never felt like this before, and it was love at first sight,” Stefan said, glancing at Michelle.

Ella cast a stunned glance at Stefan. She had no idea that he would shape her mother’s beliefs into his lies with such persuasive language.

Ella looked at her mother and said, clumsily, “Yeah, it was love at first sight for him.”

“But Ella, is not it too soon for you to fall in love? You recently got cheated on, and the next thing you knew, you were falling for someone else.” Mischelle asked, her gaze keenly examining her daughter’s actions.

Even though she thought Stefan’s remarks were real, she thinks Ella was not being sincere. As far as she knew, Ella loved Max with all her heart, so it was quite difficult for her to move on from him.

Ella’s smile wavered as she looked at Stefan, who appeared to be taking pleasure in her awkwardness.

“Mom, it was a gradual love; it was not sudden. I gave in to him gradually,” Ella remarked.

Though she did not think it was sincere, Mischelle nodded in response. She turned to face Stefan at that point and questioned, saying, “I know it is still new for you two, but I want an assurance from you Stefan.”

Stefan sat up straight in his chair and gave a courteous nod.

“Ella will never talk about what is on her mind; she will keep it to herself, but I want you to know, to be understanding, and to not belittle her. Being raised by a single mother, I am aware of the extent to which she gave up her wants and dreams in order to satisfy the needs of others.

When she told me she had found someone who liked her, I was happy for her, but that man broke her heart and treated her like a less than human. I am hoping you will not think that. If you do, you should hold off on taking things too far since I am sure Ella will not be able to handle it this time.”

Ella still, her eyes welling with tears as she watched Mischelle look at her.

“All I want is for my daughter to be happy, and I know that happiness can only come from you because I can see the love you have for her in your eyes.”

Stefan’s chest puffed with pride and satisfaction as he was shocked by her remarks. At last, there was an individual who genuinely recognized his genuineness.

“Aunty, do not worry. I will not let you down. I promise to give your daughter everything and to love her unconditionally.”