Ding-dong... .
Gabriel smiled faintly.
"Looks like she's here."
Adrian furrowed his brow. His gaze shifted toward the entrance to the dining room. He had no idea who his father was waiting for, but his instincts told him that person would be the cause of all the strange things happening this morning.
A short while later, a servant opened the front door. The sound of footsteps grew closer.
"Mom?"
The young woman's voice was soft. Mariana turned around instinctively.
"Liliana."
Liliana Hayes walked into the dining room with a canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Her face was slightly sweaty, as if she had just walked quite a distance.
"I'm sorry, Mom. The bus was late."
She stopped speaking when she realized what was going on in the dining room.
Her gaze moved from Gabriel to Adrian, then came to rest on her mother, who was sitting at the dining table.
"Mom... ?" she murmured in confusion.
Mariana smiled awkwardly.
"I don't even know how to explain this."
Gabriel rose from his chair. "Liliana."
The girl immediately lowered her head. "Good morning, Mr. Gabriel."
"Good morning."
Gabriel pointed to the empty chair beside Mariana. "Come here."
Liliana looked hesitant. "I only came to pick up my mother, sir."
"I know."
"In that case, we'll be taking our leave."
"Not now." Gabriel repeated himself in the same calm tone. "Sit down."
Liliana immediately shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not worthy of sitting at this table."
Before Gabriel could respond, Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"Dad." His gaze was cold. "Don't tell me this person is a guest too."
Gabriel turned to him. "Today, she is."
Adrian let out a quiet laugh. It wasn't because anything was funny, but a laugh filled with sarcasm.
"Interesting."
Liliana lowered her head, trying to ignore the man's sharp stare.
"I don't want to repeat my order twice," Gabriel said.
Nervously, Liliana finally stepped closer. She pulled out the chair beside Mariana, then slowly sat down. Now all four of them were seated at the same table. Not one of them said a word. Adrian stared at his father without blinking.
"Can Dad start explaining now?"
Gabriel let out a quiet sigh. "Yes."
He looked at Mariana for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Liliana.
"In one week..." His sentence hung in the air for several seconds.
"I'm going to marry Mariana."
Time seemed to stop. Liliana's eyes widened.
"What...?"
Mariana looked just as shocked, even though she already knew about the plan. Hearing Gabriel announce it directly in front of everyone made her heart beat faster.
Meanwhile, Adrian remained silent. He stared at his father expressionlessly. Then, slowly... His hands curled into fists on the table.
BANG!
The dining table shook from the force of his blow. "Impossible."
Adrian's voice was low, but filled with anger. His gaze shifted between Gabriel and Mariana. His jaw tightened.
"Are you joking, Dad?"
Gabriel remained calm. "No."
"Dad wants to marry... her?" Adrian pointed at Mariana without making the slightest effort to hide his dislike.
Mariana immediately lowered her head. Her fingers intertwined tightly beneath the table.
"Adrian," Gabriel warned.
But the man didn't look away at all.
"Since when is a housekeeper allowed to sit at the same table as the Giordano family?"
The room fell silent again. Liliana, who had remained quiet until then, began clenching both her hands. Although she knew her mother had done nothing wrong, she was also aware that she was a nobody in a house this grand.
"Dad," Adrian continued, "I've told you countless times not to trust strangers so easily."
Gabriel let out a quiet sigh. "Mariana isn't a stranger."
"Maybe not to you." Adrian rose from his chair. "But to me, she's still a woman who only started working in this house two weeks ago." His sharp gaze shifted to Mariana. "And now, all of a sudden, she's going to become Mrs. Giordano." Every word that came from Adrian's mouth felt like a knife.
Mariana bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Mr. Adrian. I never asked for any of this."
Adrian smiled mockingly. "Of course you didn't."
"I was even planning to resign."
"Then do it."
"Adrian!" Gabriel's voice was much firmer this time. "I never taught you to be rude to a woman."
Adrian let out a quiet laugh.
"Rude?" He stared intently at his father. "How long have you even known her, Dad? Two weeks? Three weeks? Or maybe it hasn't even been a month?"
Gabriel didn't answer.
"That's long enough for me."
"Long enough to marry her?"
Gabriel nodded firmly. "Yes."
That brief answer only made Adrian angrier. He slowly shook his head, then let out a hollow laugh.
"Incredible." His gaze shifted to Liliana, who had kept her head lowered the entire time.
"So... you must be her daughter." Liliana slowly raised her face.
"Yes, sir."
"I hope you haven't started imagining a luxurious life after your mother marries my father."
Liliana's face immediately paled. "I've never thought that way."
"Really?"
Adrian's stare was so sharp that it made the atmosphere in the dining room turn menacing. ***