Chapter 191
Chapter 191
In reality, the diamond snow had never made its appearance and they eventually separated. Over the past two years, every time the snow fluttered, Yasmine Taylor couldn't help but ponder how different things would have turned out if she and Sebastian had seen the diamond dust...
In the end, Yasmine caught a cold. She was soaked wet in the rain and the cold breeze blew unto her during the night. She began to feel feverish at dawn and Gabriel had to postpone their partners' meetings till the next day.
It was afternoon when Yasmine returned from the hospital. After being on the drip the entire morning, Yasmine felt that she was about to collapse. Gabriel chided her out of concern for not taking care of herself. He asked, "What do you want to eat? I'll have someone to send the food over from the cafeteria."
Yasmine shook her head and declined, "I only feel like sleeping for now."
"You have not eaten anything since morning. Do you want to die here?"
"But I really don't have the appetite."
Gabriel Smith frowned and said, "Wait for me here."
He turned around and walked towards the restaurant. After a while, he returned with a piece of cake. It was beautiful and delicate. "I had specifically called them and instructed them to prepare this for you when we were still at the hospital. It's okay if you don't feel like eating, but try to finish this."
Yasmine received the cake from Gabriel. She could already smell the faint aroma of roses before it entered her mouth. She smiled and said, "This is truly the best food for the sick, I feel like munching on this even if I have no appetite."
The duo took the lift up. By the time they reached the room, Yasmine had finished her cake. Gabriel covered her with a quilt as she lay down on her bed. He asked delightfully, "Do you feel much better now?"
"Yes, I feel a little bit better now."
Yasmine nodded and asked further, "What did you give me?"
"A cake laced with aphrodisiacs."
"Ah!" She sat up in surprise and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Heh, I'm just kidding, silly. Although it was just a small cake, I made sure it's very nutritious."
Gabriel saw the panic on her face and explained mischievously.
"Don't scare me like that."
Yasmine glared at him and said, "You're so annoying. Go away, I'm going to sleep."
"Okay, I'll be in the next room. Call me if you need anything."
When she heard the door closing, Yasmine sighed helplessly. It was uncommon to meet a nice man like Gabriel, but she...
Yasmine slept for four hours straight. When she woke up, it was already approaching dusk. After refilling her drip and resting the entire afternoon, Yasmine felt much more energetic. She got out of bed and poured herself a glass of water. She was drinking halfway when Gabriel knocked on her door and entered the room.
"How do you feel? Do you feel better?"
"Yes, I feel much better now."
"Then it shouldn't be a problem if we head out for dinner, right?"
"Where are we heading to?"
"The president of Yaslor Corporation heard that we have arrived in B City, so he specially booked a private room in Venus Hotel to welcome us."
"You should go ahead. I don't really feel like going."
"I won't go if you don't. How could I leave a sick person here while I'm out having fun?"
Yasmine had no choice but to give in, "Fine, let's go together then."
Yasmine was a dedicated assistant to Gabriel, so she understood the importance of mutual cooperation between different corporations. If Gabriel had declined the request because of her, the president of Yaslor Corporation would surely be unhappy. This would only be detrimental to Gabriel's career.
"I'll change first, wait for me downstairs."
"Okay." Yasmine wore an elegant set of outfits and put on a light and delicate makeup. Then, she met Gabriel downstairs before they both embarked for Venus Hotel. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
When they arrived at the hotel's private room, there was already a decent crowd. Yasmine stayed behind Gabriel as she saw him shaking hands with a man who was of almost the same height as Gabriel. Gabriel greeted enthusiastically, "Nice to meet you, President Sebastian."
Yasmine's heart skipped a beat as she heard the familiar name. She took a step forward and finally saw the man whose face was initially blocked by Gabriel.
At that moment, Yasmine's eyes made contact with Sebastian's and they both were stunned. However, neither of them uttered a single word.
"President Sebastian, let me introduce you to my special assistant, Miss Madeline Lorris."
"Madeline, this is Mr. Sebastian Simons, the president of Yaslor Corporation."
Yasmine stared at Sebastian, and her heart ached so much that she struggled to breathe. Dumbfoundedly, she extended her hand and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Simons."
Yasmine pretended not to recognize him, and Sebastian did the same as well. "Hello."
After exchanging their greetings, Gabriel suddenly wrapped his arm around Yasmine's shoulder and joked, "She is likely going to be my future wife."
Sebastian's eyes reflected a trace of sadness, but it was fleeting. "Congratulations!" Sebastian said. There was no longer any glimmer of expression on his face.
"Excuse me, I need to use the washroom."
Yasmine could no longer suppress her heartache. She ran into the washroom and immediately burst into tears. She did not expect to meet Sebastian under such circumstances, nor did she expect that they would behave like strangers around each other after reuniting.
After crying for a good moment, Yasmine rinsed her face in cold water and fixed her makeup. Before she returned to the room, Yasmine took a deep breath.
Her heart still ached. Fortunately, she made sure to conceal her emotions and remain poker-faced, so that no one could see what she felt.
Sebastian and Gabriel were having a good conversation when Yasmine returned and took her seat next to Gabriel. She looked ahead in bewilderment and sadly realized that Sebastian's sight never once landed on her.
It was either Yasmine had totally transformed her appearance, or Sebastian had suffered from amnesia. How was it possible that someone who had sworn undying love to one another could sit across each other now like total strangers?
The waiter had finished serving all the dishes. Gabriel took turns to drink with the guests when one of the men stood up and said, "Miss Lorris has been silent all these while. Not to worry, we've not neglected you! Come on, let's cheers!"
Before Yasmine could react, Gabriel had already stood up and said, "Let me drink for her." Instantly, he tilted his head and gulped down a shot of whiskey.
"Aww, Director Smith, you're too protective over your companion. I hadn't even agreed that you could drink on her behalf. Why did you drink it? No, no, that doesn't count at all."
Gabriel grinned and said, "My assistant had just recovered from a high fever last night, and she was on the drip since this morning. Please do have mercy on her."
"Oh, no wonder Miss Lorris looked a little unwell. I'm sorry, in that case, I won't force you."
The man sat down while another guest started asking coyly, "So, Director Smith, do you have any plans to get married to Miss Lorris?"
Gabriel glanced at Yasmine, who was beside him, and answered cheekily, "Maybe I still need to work harder. It has never been easy to bring a beauty home."
The room burst into laughter. Yasmine looked up and peeked at Sebastian. He was drinking. Fortunately, he did not join the crowd to laugh with them. Otherwise, Yasmine would have felt the
impulse to confront him openly.
The dinner ended at last but two of the participants didn't feel that it was a relaxed occasion. After leaving the hotel, Yasmine gloomily entered the car without bidding goodbye to Sebastian nor the other guests.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"
After exchanging pleasantries with the guests, Gabriel went to the car and asked Yasmine worriedly.
"Yes, a little."
As the car started to move, Yasmine could see Sebastian fixing his gaze unto the moving vehicle she was in from the rearview mirror. However, it was only for a brief moment before he turned away, exposing his stiff and hard back to Yasmine's view.
"Do you personally know the president of the Yaslor Corporation?"
Gabriel suddenly asked.
"No, I don't. How would I?"
Yasmine answered diffidently.
"Did you fall in love with him at first sight?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I saw the way you looked at him, it was just like how I always looked at you. Admit it, did you fall for his tough and masculine personality?"
She rolled her eyes and said, "If a seductive, handsome man like you couldn't even stand a chance, what makes you think that a boring piece of rock would? My taste does not lean towards that side."
Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief. You were completely unmoved even despite all my efforts over the past two years. If you fell for another person within the first night of meeting him, I would be so embarrassed and envious."
Yasmine smiled bitterly and said, "Don't worry, there won't be such a thing."
She pretended to ask casually, "Are you close to Sebastian?"
"Somewhat. We first met each other at a large business party two years ago. I considered him someone I could comfortably talk to."
"How is he? Will he be a reliable business partner?"
"I heard he was a playboy who always surrounded himself with different women. He had a quiet and merciless reputation, but he was very responsible when it comes to work-related matters. It was a huge contrast compared to his attitude towards his relationships!"
Yasmine's felt her heart tinge. She probed further, "He looks like he is in his 30s, has he been married before?"
"Didn't you say you have no interest in him? What are you asking so much for?"
"No, I'm just curious. I thought that if he had a wife, she would surely stop him from fooling around, right?"
"I did ask around about it when we first met at the banquet. Apparently, he is married."
Yasmine's heart stung once again. No matter how long her wounds had healed, it would still tear apart every time she confronted her fate.
Although she had expected that Abigail and Sebastian would get married, it was always just a prediction. Now that she had heard it herself, she realized that she still cared a lot.
Seeing that Yasmine no longer had further questions, Gabriel immediately shifted the topic onto himself. "Do you know that I'm one of the very few men who are willing to surrender all control to their wives? You'd better seize the opportunity, otherwise it might be too late for you."
Yasmine forced a smile, but her sadness was still palpable. She did not respond to Gabriel's attempt to woo her over.
Inside a neon-light drinking bar, Sebastian, a forlorn man, was seen pouring himself a glass of wine. However, he could not get drunk no matter how much alcohol he had.
He had drunk an entire bottle away on top of the decent amount of liquor he had during dinner. However, Sebastian did not feel that he had overindulged at all. He could no longer feel the difference between drinking liquor and water.