Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 189

Clairessa's POV

My fingers tapped restlessly against the massive boardroom table. The contract lay in front of me—official, overly formal for something that should’ve been a straightforward meeting.

I couldn’t understand why Gabriel had chosen the boardroom instead of his office.

Everything felt rigid now, like we were strangers negotiating terms—when just weeks ago, we were lovers wrapped in each other’s arms, making love like it meant forever, whispering promises to love each other with every fiber of our being, dreaming aloud about a future we thought was ours.

It was all moving too fast for me to process.

I’d texted him earlier, letting him know I was ready to sign. Nicole’s lawyer—well, her friend who handled legal stuff—had reviewed the terms. She’d called me back sounding half stunned, half impressed.

“This is a solid contract,” she’d said. “Honestly? Almost too good to be true.”

There was only one red flag: no end date. The contract didn’t specify how long I was expected to keep Adrian “in line,” as Gabriel had so bluntly put it.

The original verbal agreement had been thirty days, but that wasn’t reflected here. It simply read: until Gabriel decides.

That made me uneasy. When would that be? A month? A year? Longer? There was no way I could tolerate Adrian for that long.

I hated the ambiguity, but the rest of the terms were in my favor. And really, what mattered most was what I stood to gain—I could handle Gabriel. I’d chosen the lesser evil, and if a fight came later, I’d be ready.

With a sigh, I let the thought go. No point worrying about a battle that hadn’t started yet.

I glanced at the time on my phone—almost 11 a.m. The meeting should’ve started fifteen minutes ago, but Gabriel was late. Nothing new there.

He always had a way of making things run on his time, whether I liked it or not. I’d texted him thirty minutes ago to say I was ready to sign.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Gabriel walked in like he owned the place—because, technically, he did. The entire building was his.

He wore a navy-blue suit that had no business looking as good as it did. The top button of his shirt was undone, like he hadn’t bothered to fix it before coming in. Somehow, that only made it worse—like he was effortlessly hot.

Damn him.

I hated how my heart still skipped a beat when I saw him. I should’ve been over this—over him—but I couldn’t shake the pull. I wanted to hate him, to make him feel every ounce of the hurt he’d caused me. But it was hard. So damn hard.

His gaze met mine as he sat across from me. “Hello, Clairessa… you look well.” His voice was hoarse.

Not this. Not the forced pleasantries. We both knew exactly what this was. He could spare me the act.

Too irritated to speak, I gave him an obviously fake smile.

He smirked, of course. And I hoped he caught the hint.

“Straight to business, then,” he murmured, still smirking. “I hope you had time to review the contract with your lawyer.”

He flipped open the black file in front of him, his voice smooth and laced with that usual authority that always made me want to roll my eyes.

“Yes,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral. “Everything checked out.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, watching me closely. “Any concerns?”

I subtly adjusted in my seat, trying to ignore the way my heart pounded just from being this close to him. “Yeah. There’s no end date. It says ‘until you decide,’ but how long is that supposed to be? Thirty days? Thirty years?” My voice was calm, but the challenge was clear. I wanted answers.

Gabriel didn’t even blink. He leaned back in his chair, that infuriatingly knowing smile tugging at his lips. “That’s correct.”

“That’s not what we agreed on,” I pushed. “You said thirty days.”

“I changed it,” he replied smoothly. “And it could be sooner or later. It all depends on you, Clairessa—how quickly you’re willing to get the job done.”

I let out a sarcastic snort, caught between disbelief and disdain. He had the nerve to call this a job—to ask me to deceive his own son after all that self-righteous talk about honesty. So much for ‘I hate lies’ when he clearly didn’t mind whatever lengths I had to go to just to keep Adrian in line.

He was just another power-drunk billionaire who’d do anything to get his way.

“Whatever,” I muttered.

Gabriel watched me like I was both a puzzle and a provocation. Then he simply nodded and slid the pen toward me. “Since we’re in agreement, it’s time for the signing.”

I took the pen, my fingers trembling slightly as I hovered over the dotted line.

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