Gabriel was oblivious to the tension between the two women. He asked Stella to get into the car, then helped to load her suitcase.
Rayna scooted over to make room for Stella.
Shooting a glance at the elegant Stella, she said, “My apologies for catching a ride back with the two of you.”
Stella smoothed her long hair as she replied with a smile, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind at all. Had I known you were friends with Gab, I could’ve walked out with you just now.”
Gab?
That cheesy nickname was too much for Rayna, and a shudder of disgust ran through her body. Then, she lowered her head and texted Jefferson to let him know she had arrived safely.
Her call had been interrupted when her phone fell to the floor earlier, and she had not gotten a chance to call him again.
Getting the hint that Rayna did not wish to be disturbed, Stella knew better than to continue talking to the former.
After Gabriel got into the driver’s seat, Stella asked in a concerned tone, “I heard it has been raining in Norwal City since last Monday. You didn’t catch a cold, did you?”
“Nope. I’m as fit as a fiddle,” he said while reaching for a thermos flask on the car seat and passing it to her. “Here’s some Earl Grey tea I brewed an hour ago.”
She took the thermos flask. “Why, thank you!”
As soon as she unscrewed the lid, the tea’s sweet fragrance quickly wafted in the air.
Rayna found the smell a little nauseating and shifted further away, but to her dismay, Stella poured a cup of tea and held it out to her. “Would you like to try some, Ms. Garland?”
Concealing her discomfort, Rayna pushed the cup away. “None for me, thanks.”
Stella merely shrugged and did not insist.
As Rayna fiddled with her phone, she heard Gabriel and Stella chatting away. They talked about where they would have dinner that night and their plans for horseback riding at a ranch during the weekend.
The corners of Rayna’s mouth twitched as she listened to their conversation. I don’t know whether to say that Mr. Tylinski is a veritable simp or that Stella is remarkable for having the ability to appease two men at once.
When the car pulled into Rayna’s residential area, she opened the car door immediately and climbed out.
Gabriel also got down to help her with her suitcase.
Feeling a little better after breathing in some fresh air, Rayna pulled Gabriel aside. “Let’s have a quick chat, Mr. Tylinski. Your schoolmate is smart and beautiful. The only thing is that she’s… kind of a fake.”
“What do you mean?” he asked curiously.
After a brief silence, she held her forehead in disbelief and explained softly, “I mean she’s a cunning and manipulative b*tch. She seduces others left, right, and center. Oh, by the way, how is her relationship with… Mr. Faymon?”
I don’t believe what I read in the papers. I’d rather listen to what Gabriel has to say. After all, he has worked for Curtis for a long time.
“Pretty good.” Although he answered with a smile, there was a glum look in his eyes. “You know how Mr. Faymon is. He likes to groom talented people. Otherwise, he wouldn’t continue to retain the Department of Regulators.”
Rayna’s heart sank.
That’s true indeed. Women with exceptional abilities are everywhere, and any one of them could take my place.
Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, she said, “For someone as intelligent as Stella, there’s no way she wouldn’t know how you feel. She won’t date you, yet she doesn’t decline to have dinner with you and still hangs out with you.”
“Nothing is going on between her and Mr. Faymon.”
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