Valerie's heart skipped a beat when she saw Gabriel willing to chat with her. "Ms. Jarvis is such a sweetheart. I asked her if you had a girlfriend, and she said, 'At his age? How could he not?' She's got a real sense of humor!"
Gabriel's smile faded slightly. At his age?
"She loves her jokes, that one! Always stirring the pot," Valerie chuckled.
Gabriel offered a polite dismissal, "You should go find your dad. I've got things to do. Excuse me!"
Valerie felt a pang of disappointment, but before she could find another excuse to chat, Gabriel had already turned and walked away.
She couldn't help but wonder, what did the girlfriend of such an outstanding man look like?
*
Meanwhile, Estelle was on a video call with Old Mr. Quintin.
Old Mr. Quintin seemed a bit disgruntled. "I sent him a video call, and he didn't pick up. Has he lost his mind with excitement?"
Estelle laughed, "He's got guests, Grandpa. He's hosting. I'll let him know to call you back when he's free."
"It's nothing urgent. I just wanted to hear him brag a bit," Old Mr. Quintin chuckled.
Evelyn came over to say hi to Estelle.
Estelle mentioned, "We'll head back after the New Year. If you're bored, you could ask Sophia to keep you company."
Evelyn replied, "Sophia already went back to B City. Didn't you know?"
Estelle was surprised; Sophia hadn't mentioned it to her.
Old Mr. Quintin chimed in, "Sophia seemed troubled the day she left. The day after, Jason also went back. What exactly happened?"
Estelle recalled calling Sophia that night and hearing her crying. The next day, she asked Jason, and he mentioned a small spat with Robin.
After Josiah's wedding, Estelle had returned to C City a day later, expecting Sophia to stay until New Year's as usual. She hadn't expected her to leave so soon.
Evelyn frowned, "But what about you, Grandpa?"
Old Mr. Quintin's gaze dimmed, "I'll wait here for your mom. What if she comes back? I can't have her return to an empty house on New Year's."
Touched, Evelyn said, "Then I'll stay too. I'll wait with you for mom."
"It's okay. Go on. If your mom comes back, I'll let you know right away," Old Mr. Quintin reassured her lovingly.
Evelyn hesitated, not saying a word.
......
The Jarvis Family
Mr. Jarvis only entertained guests in the morning. After lunch, he was unwavering in his routine: a nap, some fishing, or a game of chess.
After lunch, Mr. Jarvis went for his nap, and Gabriel finally found some free time.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
May we have updates please. Thank you....
Why can't m Xavier just admit that he loves Norah...
Why can't m Xavier just admit that he loves Norah...
Norah took Estelle to tutor her brother. Both of them are around the same age. So why is Janice and Xavier father feel that there's an age gap for Norah and Xavier. L I know they will be together....
Norah isn't a girl, but a twenty -five year old beautiful woman that loves Xavier Fleming/Gonzalez/Hanson....
Update 3103 hasn't been received and it hold pertinent information. Please fix it for us. Thank you....
This is great! I love the updates....
Now Xavier needs to call in the reinforcement, Gabriel and Jonathan to settle this. Thank you for the updates....
May we please have updates. Thank you...
Xavier will always protect Norah he must admit this to himself and Norah. I believe after they return from this , he'll need to approach Norah 's parents and he'll get support from Jonathan and Ella....