Chapter 158
Antonio’s fingers tightened around his phone as he reread Zabelle’s text, the words sinking into his mind.
“Messed up? Failure?” he murmured to himself, his jaw clenching. Those words didn’t belong to her. Not his woman,
“What’s wrong, sie?” Martins asked, his voice cautious as he noticed the shift in his boss‘ expression
Antonio didn’t answer immedutely. Instead, he exhaled sharply, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he turned to Martins. “We’re going to the studio where Zabelle’s shoot is taking place. Now
“Yes, sir,” Martins said without hesitation, signaling the driver.
Antonio’s mind raced as the car sped through the city streets. He knew Zabelle had been nervous about the shoot, but she’d seemed excited, confident evEIL
Whatever had happened to make her feel like a failure, he intended to get to the bottom of it–and fast
She was finally gaining her confidence and the last thing he wanted was to send her spiraling back into the hole she was crawling out from
Minutes later, the car screeched to a halt in front of the studio.
“Do you want me to come with you, sir?”
Antonio waved a dismissive hand as he opened the door. “No, I won’t take long.”
The studio’s glass doors did open, and Antonio was greeted by a young woman carrying a clipboard. She recognized him immediately who wouldn’t
“Mr. Garcia,” she greeted her eyes wide. “Can I help you?”
Tm looking for my wife, he said, his voice sharp but police. “She is supposed to be here for a photoshoot”
The woman blinked, visibly flustered. “Oh, um. Mrs Garcia already left a ladle while ago. I believe she finished early.”
Antonio’s expression darkened, confusion knitting his brows. She didn’t say anything about finishing early. “When exactly did she leave!”
The woman glanced at her clipboard. “About an hour ago, maybe more? I assumed she went straight home.”
Antonio gave her a curt nod and turned on his heel, pulling his phone from his pocket as he strode out of the building.
He dialed Zabelle’s number, and his jaw tightened when the call rang out without an answer.
“Damn it.” He muttered under his breath. He
e tried again, but the result was the same–no answer.
Seeing as he wasn’t going to be able to talk to Zabelle, he immediately called her personal guard.
“Where is she?” he demanded as soon as the man picked up.
“Back at the mansion, sir,” the guard replied, calm and steady. “She’s been home for a while now
Antonio’s shoulders relaxed marginally, but the confusion lingered 1. “And why wasn’t I informed?”
“I apologize, sir. She insisted she wanted some time alone after the shoot, so we didn’t think it was urgent”
Antonio didn’t waste time responding “I’ll be there shortly? He ended the call and got back into the car
“She’s home,” he told Martins shortly. “Drive”
Martins didn’t question him, and within minutes, Antonio was stepping into the mansion
The familiar luxury and warmth of the spare did little to ease his confusion and slight irritation.
Just as he was about to make his way to their room, he stopped at the foot of the stairs when he heard her voice coming from the dinning
His long strides carried him toward there, and he paused at the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight before him.
Zabelle was dressed in one of his sharts and her hair was tied into a messy bun, and she was smiling to herself as she set out plates and arranged. cutlery,
She looked so beautiful and fuck, the sight was something that would never leave his head.
1/4
Chapter 158
Coming home and meeting her in such a beautiful state was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life
Without wasting time, he brought out his phone and took a few pictures of her. They were definitely going to be his wallpaper
“Zabelle,” he said, his voice cutting through the hum of her soft melody.
She spun around, her eyes immediately lighting up when she saw him, and a smile broke across her face.
Before he could say another word, she rushed toward him, her excitement obvious
“You’re back!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.
Antonio instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, his initial confusion giving way to relief at seeing her so cheerful
That meant she was fine
“I was so worried when I couldn’t reach you,” he said, his voice soft as he pulled back slightly to study her face. “You left the studio without telling
me
“Oh!” She pulled away, waving a hand as if brushing off his concem. “I didn’t want to bother you. The shoot ended earlier than expected, and I was a little nervous after. But once I got home, everything felt fine”
“Nervous” Why?” Antonio’s brows furrowed
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she took his hand and led him toward the dining table.
o serious”
“Well you know how these things are. I wasn’t sure if the photos would turn out the way I hoped, and everyone was so
“But then,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she turned to him, “they showed me some of the shots, and oh, Antonio, they looked amazing! I looked so beautiful!TM
“You always look beautiful.” Antonio said. “But tell me everything and don’t leave out anything”
Now he understood why his father was always itching to know about how his mother’s day went. There was just something about it that made him happy.
Zabelle then began to recount the shoot, her hands gesturing as she described how the lighting was perfect, how the photographer had praised her poses, and how she had managed to capture the exact look they were looking for
Antonio watched her with a fond smile, his heart–warming at the sight of her so happy
Her laughter filled the room as she mimicked one of the crew members who had complimented her, and Antonio couldn’t resist pulling her closet his lips brushing against hers in a tender kiss.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured against her lips. “I hope you know that
She smiled as her cheeks tinged pink
Thank you. But you didn’t let me finish my story, and I haven’t even told you the best part, According to the director, if everything goes well, more brands will reach out to me
Antonio’s chest swelled with pride, but then his mind returned to the text she had sent him earlier. His hand slid into his pocket, retrieving his phone.
“Zabelle,” he began, his tone soft but serious, “about the message you sent me earlier…”
“Message?” Her brows furrowed in confusion.
He handed her the phone, and she took it, her eyes scanning the screen. When she saw the message, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh! That was hours ago,” she said, her tone dismissive.
“I sent that when I was nervous before the shoot started. I thought I’d ruined everything and-” She waved her hand again, smiling up at him
“But obviously, I was wrong. I don’t even remember sending it.”
Antonio exhaled a quiet sigh of rebel, the tension easing from his shoulders. “You had me really worried for a moment.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her to one genuinely apologetic. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I was just overthinking,”
He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her check. “I’m just glad you’re okay”
11:06 AM ·
Chapter 158
She leaned into his touch, her smile softening. “I am. But enough about me. How was your day?”
Antonio hesitated for a moment, the memory of his confrontation with Gabriel flashing through his mind.
But looking at Zabelle, so radiant and happy, he decided to keep things light.
“Let’s just say,” he began, his lips curving into a smirk, “it was productive.”
“You had countless meetings?” She probed.
“It was only one, but like I said, it was very productive.“
“That’s good to hear. Now go up and freshen up so we can have dinner.”
Antonio squinted his eyes at the dishes that were on the table, and he gulped when he remembered just how terrible she was at cooking.
“Did you make this?” He asked casually.
“Yes, I did,” Zabelle nodded and Antonio gulped once more as he mentally prepared himself to eat her food as there was no way he was going to reject it.
He broke out of his thoughts when Zabelle burst into laughter “You should have seen your face,” she remarked. “Martha was the one who made dinner. Now go and freshen up!“.
“You sneaky brat,” Antonio said as he lifted Zabelle up and made her straddle him.
Her laughter filled the room again, and Antonio’s heart warmed to see her smiling,
He then vowed to do whatever it took to keep her smiling like this.
