The Vanished Fiancé Has Returned - Chapter 5

She blinked, not understanding what had just happened, when a low voice rang in her ear.

“You should be more careful.”

“Ah…”

Realizing the situation a moment too late, Gabrielle gave a belated thank-you.

“Thank you for saving me. That could’ve been bad.”

Instead of answering, the man picked up the trunk that had nearly tumbled down with her. Thinking he was about to hand it over, Gabrielle reached out.

“You even managed to catch the bag. Thank you.”

Black hair and black eyes. His features were plain, but he was tall and broad-shouldered. He seemed to be another tenant of the building. Relieved to encounter a kind neighbor, Gabrielle placed a hand over her chest—but as the silence dragged on, she grew uneasy. The man wasn’t giving her the trunk back.

“Um… excuse me?”

Could he be planning to run off with it? The thought flashed through her mind just as the man spoke again.

“What floor?”

“Pardon?”

“What floor are you on?” the man asked again, calmly.

Gabrielle blinked and replied, feeling sheepish, “Ah… the top floor. But you really don’t have to carry it—excuse me?”

Before she could finish her sentence, the man brushed past her and began climbing the stairs. Caught off guard, Gabrielle quickly followed. Only after reaching the top step did he set the trunk down.

“Excuse me.”

Startled by the man’s quiet departure without a word, Gabrielle quickly called out to him.

“Thank you again. My name is Gabrielle. May I ask yours?”

The man looked up at her wordlessly, his gaze asking why that mattered. He had seemed friendly, but maybe he was suspicious after all.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to. Thanks again.”

“Julian.”

As she turned around, trying to laugh off the awkwardness, a quiet answer stopped her.

“Julian. I live one floor down.”

She had noticed it from the start—his voice had a deep, resonant timbre. It didn’t match his plain appearance; it was unusually pleasant.

Gabrielle gave a belated greeting. “Nice to meet you. I look forward to getting along.”

Julian gave a brief nod and descended the stairs. A man with a kind manner and a nice voice—but somehow suspicious. That was her first impression of the downstairs neighbor.

***

It was a week after their reunion night that she saw her ex-fiancé again. Gabrielle stiffened as she faced him.

He hadn’t changed. Calm and composed, just like before. Compared to how she had writhed in agony alone, she felt like a fool.

Sunlight poured in from the window, tinting his platinum hair. Julian sat with one arm resting on the sofa’s backrest, legs crossed, and asked slowly, “Did you make it home okay that night? You twisted your ankle.”

Gabrielle didn’t answer. She only lowered her gaze and stared at her hands. Watching her, Julian gave a bitter smile.

“You must’ve come unwillingly.”

“Let’s keep this brief.”

“Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

“Questions?”

She had them. Plenty. Not even a whole night would be enough.

But she didn’t want to feed his smug satisfaction. Lifting her chin slowly, Gabrielle answered firmly.

“No.”

She hoped he’d feel embarrassed. That he’d get angry or flustered and leave first. But none of that happened.

Instead, his lips curled into a faint smile, and that made her flush with anger.

“Why are you smiling? What’s so amusing?”

“You finally looked me in the eye.”

His expression was that of a boy struck with first love. Lowering his long lashes, Julian traced the edge of the teacup with his graceful fingers.

His features, smooth and elegant, looked like they could enchant anyone with a glance. He was the type of man who could end one relationship and start another as easily as crushing an ant.

Gabrielle bit her lip and snapped coldly, “What is this supposed to be?”

“Gabrielle.”

“Why did you want to see me? Did it feel good to manipulate people under the pretense of investing in Chris’s company?”

“Gabi.”

“Don’t call me that!”

She was the first to lose her temper. At her sharp outburst, people around them began to stare. Flushed under the attention, Gabrielle tamped down her anger.

“Whether your name is Julian or Dominic, I don’t care. Stop manipulating people with threats and calling them out like this. Or else—”

“I can’t.”

He looked apologetic, but his refusal was shameless. A man wrapped in deceit from head to toe. In the end, Gabrielle, unable to contain her fury, grabbed the cup in front of her.

A cold silence fell over the café. She only realized what she had done when she met his gaze as he brushed back his wet hair.

“For the record, my real name is Julian Rogers. Dominic Moore was an alias.”

Despite having tea poured on him in the middle of a crowd, Julian’s face remained calm. While Gabrielle hesitated, stunned, he made an almost pleading suggestion.

“Ten times.”

“What…?”

“Just meet me ten times. Gabrielle.”

“……”

“If after that you never want to see me again, I won’t cling to you. I won’t bother you anymore, even regarding your stepbrother.”

His golden eyes gleamed. He looked desperate, like someone on the edge of a cliff. She had never seen him like this, not even when they were engaged.

“And if I say no?”

“Then I’ll do whatever it takes to make you say yes.”

He replied shamelessly with a look of resignation. It was the face of a man barely holding the leash of a beast. Gabrielle instinctively stepped back, sensing that if she ran, he’d let that leash go.

“…Really?”

“I promise.”

Color quickly returned to his sulking face. The swift change in attitude was infuriating. Gabrielle drove in a stake.

“Don’t get your hopes up. This is just a waste of time.”

She didn’t actually intend to meet him ten times. If she made herself unlikeable, he would give up on his own. She wasn’t the same naive pushover she had once been.

“How could meeting you be a waste?”

The tenderness in his voice made her scoff. Where was the man who used to say every minute with her was dull? The one who had ended things in the worst possible way?

“You’re going to regret saying that.”

Without another word, Gabrielle stood up and turned her back on him.

The day after that encounter with Julian, Chris barged in late at night, reeking of alcohol, and threw his arms around her.

“Thank you, Gabrielle. My sweet little sister!”

The same man who had always looked at her like a useful object now seemed full of affection.

“What are you doing all of a sudden?”

Creeped out, Gabrielle pushed him off coldly.

“You’re so cold.”

Chris stumbled onto the couch in the living room. Gabrielle crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed.

“What’s going on? Showing up unannounced like this.”

It was the first time Chris had set foot in her place since she’d been pushed to live on her own.

“Thanks to you, the investment deal went through smoothly. They even promised more funding in the future.”

“……”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect it. I was going to use Angela instead.”

Chuckling with satisfaction, Chris basked in his achievement. Meanwhile, Gabrielle walked to the corner, pulled open a drawer, and handed him a pamphlet.

“Send Mom to this rehab center.”

“Rehab?”

Their mother, Sabrina, was already in the advanced stages of alcoholism.

She was drunk day and night, and when completely intoxicated, became dangerously violent. No regular hospital would accept her. But sending her to a nursing home or a psychiatric facility felt wrong.

After much deliberation, Gabrielle had decided on a well-equipped rehabilitation hospital.

“It’s in the countryside, so the air and water are clean. It’s also renowned for alcohol addiction treatment.”

The downside was the high cost. It was an amount she couldn’t manage alone.

“Unexpected.”

Chris sneered as he stared at the pamphlet.

“I thought you’d be happy to take care of her yourself. Finally realizing how the real world works?”

She no longer clung to the motherly love that would never return. Gabrielle met his sarcasm with a firm tone.

“They accept upfront payments. Pay for ten years and have her admitted. If you don’t promise, I won’t see Julian Rogers again.”

“What?” Chris’s eyes widened as if he’d been slapped.

Gabrielle said plainly, “I won’t say it twice. This is a deal.”

“No family loyalty at all, huh. When did you become like this?”

“Family?”

Gabrielle laughed like she’d just heard a ridiculous joke.

“When were we ever family?”

“You…”

Her face didn’t flinch, not even if he’d stabbed her. When had the soft, pliant girl changed like this? Rubbing his eyes, Chris eventually nodded.

“Fine… let’s do that.”

***

The chaos of moving didn’t last long. People really do adapt. Gabrielle quickly got used to her new environment and settled in. Even her superior, Dominic, felt a bit more approachable now. The overwhelming workload also began to ease.

Even rare business trips with just the two of them no longer felt awkward. As soon as she got into the passenger seat, Gabrielle spoke first.

“Deputy Director, I’ve typed up the meeting notes properly, but just in case, I’ll proofread and send the final copy by tomorrow morning.”

“Alright. If the workload is too much, it’s fine to send it by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes. Thank you for being considerate.”

“Just call me Dominic.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s been over a month since we started working together. It’s about time we dropped the formal titles.”