Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 251

Clairessa’s POV

I didn’t expect to walk in on that.

The sight hit me before I could even process it, Angelique leaning in, her lips brushing Gabriel’s.

He jerked back instantly, grabbing her arms and pushing her away with a look of disbelief and fury.

Then they both turned and saw me.

My heart gave a quick, rageful jolt. It wasn’t jealousy, at least, not entirely.

I saw the way he pushed her off, the anger in his eyes, the way his body leaned away from hers like she repulsed him. Still, seeing them in such a compromising position hurt just a little.

But I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of watching me fall apart, even for a moment.

We were in a good place, Gabriel and I.

It had taken us so long to get here, and I wasn’t about to let his ex-wife disrupt what we’d started to rebuild.

Gabriel immediately stepped away from her and walked toward me, his voice low, almost pleading. “Clairessa... I’m sorry about all this. It’s not…”

“I know,” I said softly, cutting him off. I didn’t need to hear more. I believed what I saw.

Then I turned to Angelique.

Her face was flushed and puffy, eyes red, hair a little messy like she’d been crying, probably, begging him to take her back. Pathetic.

Angelique let out a short, bitter laugh, brushing her hair behind her ear with a flick. “Is that how things work around here? You just barge into your CEO's office like you own the place?”

I met her gaze calmly. “Barging in isn’t really my style,” I replied coolly. “That might be more your thing. I work here. Mr. Storm sent for me. Not sure I can say the same for you.”

Angelique’s eyes narrowed. “Right. The assistant-slash-girlfriend gig. Tell me, does Adrian know about this little secret meeting with his dad, even at the office?”

My mouth parted in disbelief. “I don’t have to explain myself to Adrian,” I shot back. “Or anyone.”

I took an intentional step forward, closing the gap between us. “Angelique, I do respect you, first as a woman, and then as Adrian’s mother. But if your goal is to stir up trouble…” My tone dropped into a sarcastic note. “You’ll have to try harder.”

She scoffed, folding her arms. “I’m not stirring trouble. I’m just stating the obvious.” Her eyes roamed between Gabriel and me like she was piecing together a puzzle she already knew the answer to. “I see the way she looks at you. She clearly has a thing for you.”

She raised her hand and pointed—subtly, but with implication. “Go on, deny it.”

How dare she? My chest burned with rage at Angelique’s words. She wanted to rattle me. And for a second, I nearly let her. I was one breath away from giving her a piece of my mind when…

“Angelique, that’s enough,” Gabriel cut in sternly, stepping forward, voice filled with fury. “I won’t stand here and let you disrespect Clairessa. Not for one second.”

He moved beside me and stood in a protective stance. “We don’t owe you a confirmation or a denial.”

Angelique tilted her head, a mocking little smile playing on her lips. “Hmm. Why? Because I’m right?” Her voice dropped to a purr. “You think I haven’t noticed? The way you two disappear on the same days, come home late together. Adrian may be blind, but I’m not.”

She stepped closer to him. “Gabriel, end this madness before it destroys our family.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched. His voice was ice. “Let me make this clear for the last time. We are not a family. We share a son, who is now an adult. Nothing more.”

Pain flashed across her face. But then she pressed on, desperately.

“Maybe I’m not your family, but think of Adrian. Your only child. Think of what this…” she gestured between Gabriel and me, “would do to him. When he finds out you’ve been having a fling with the woman he loves...”

I sucked in a breath, fuming. A fling? She had the nerve to reduce this—everything Gabriel and I had, the passion, the pain, the history—to a fling? If she only knew the kind of love we shared.

Angelique faced me, leaning in until her voice was a biting whisper. “What is this? Revenge? Adrian hurt you, so now you seduce his father?”

But the dramatic scene with Angelique… her words, her tears… and Adrian, God, the guilt I still carried there, none of it had fully faded yet.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not afraid,” I admitted.

Gabriel’s brow creased gently. “Afraid of what?”

I took a breath, willing myself to stay calm. “We haven’t really talked about Angelique being around again. After all these years… what that means. How she makes you feel now.”

Gabriel scoffed under his breath and shook his head. “Nothing. There’s nothing to talk about. I feel nothing for her.”

Then, his expression softened. He cupped my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. “You're the only woman I have eyes for, Clairessa.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, slow and deliberate. Then his lips dragged lower, grazing the corner of my mouth.

His voice was husky as he whispered, “I want to kiss you until you forget she ever existed… touch you like only I know how. No one else.”

His eyes found mine again, blazing with the kind of intensity that made my heart twist.

Gabriel’s lips sent shivers down my spine.

There was something about the way he touched me, warm, consuming, and tender all at once. His love wasn't gentle, it was fierce, devoted, whole. And I loved every bit of it. But still… something held tight in my chest.

“I know you love me,” I whispered. “But… I guess I just worry. Sometimes people say they’re over something, but underneath, there’s still this… resentment. And that’s what I see in you when she’s around. Like maybe you haven’t fully let go.”

His jaw tensed slightly, and for a moment, he was quiet. Then he sighed.

“You’re right,” he said. “I do feel a little resentment. But that’s it. This was the first time we’ve spoken in years, Sweet. That pain, that bitterness, it’s leftover, expected even. But it doesn’t mean anything now. You can trust me.”

He reached up and brushed his knuckles along my cheek again, slower this time, like he didn’t want to let go. “Clairessa Hartwood,” he murmured, “you are the woman I love, with a depth that would rival the deepest ocean. Nothing about Angelique shakes that.”