Chapter 4 Mrs. Gabriel Goes to war

The elevator ride to the 50th floor was silent.

Not awkward-icy. Clinical.

Harley stood beside her, tall and immovable, as if carved from the same steel as the penthouse walls. Tessy tried not to fidget in the new designer heels his assistant had dropped off that morning part of the "transformation package."

Everything she wore now was expensive. The perfume on her wrist, the silk blouse hugging her figure, the jewelry weighing down her ears. She looked like the kind of woman who belonged beside Harley Gabriel.

She didn't feel like her at all.

The elevator doors slid open to a blinding hallway of polished white tile and chrome. A woman in a power suit stood waiting, tablet in hand and judgment in her eyes.

"Mr. Gabriel. Mrs. Gabriel." She said Tessy's new name like it tasted strange.

Harley didn't even flinch. "Is the board seated?"

"Yes. The media is already set up in the adjacent lounge."

Tessy frowned. "Media?"

He turned to her. "We're announcing our marriage today."

She choked. "Today?"

"You think I paid half a million to keep you in hiding?"

Before she could answer, he was already walking. Tessy had no choice but to follow heels clicking in echo behind his controlled, confident stride.

The conference room was packed. Reporters, cameras, and the carefully curated wolves of the corporate world. Every head turned when Harley walked in. Every eye narrowed when Tessy followed.

There was no warmth in the room. Only scrutiny.

Harley spoke first-calm, smooth, rehearsed.

"Effective last week, I married Tessy Lane, now Mrs. Gabriel. Any inquiries about my private life will be directed through legal. That's all."

Tessy blinked. That's all?

Then, as if remembering she existed, he placed a cool hand at the small of her back and leaned into the mic.

"We're very happy."

The room didn't believe it. Neither did Tessy.

Back in the car, Tessy exploded.

"What the hell was that?! You just... dropped it on me like I'm some PR stunt!"

Harley didn't look at her. "You are a PR stunt."

Her mouth dropped open.

He sighed, finally meeting her glare. "I told you this wouldn't be romantic. You didn't marry me for flowers and good morning texts. You did it for survival. So survive."

"Is that how you treat everyone? Like a chess piece?"

He didn't answer. That was answer enough.

That night, Tessy wandered into the penthouse kitchen, wearing a robe that probably cost more than her rent for the year. She thought she was alone-until she heard the clink of a glass.

Harley stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the city with a tumbler of scotch in his hand, shirt sleeves rolled up, tie undone.

She'd never seen him look... human.

He didn't acknowledge her.

She hesitated. "You don't have to be a jerk all the time, you know."

"I'm not a jerk. I'm a man who tells the truth."

"And hides everything else."

His jaw tightened. "You should get some sleep."

"Right. Wouldn't want your prop looking tired at the next fake party."

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "you handled today better than most women would."

Tessy froze. It wasn't an apology. Not quite. But it wasn't nothing either.

She didn't respond. Just kept walking.

But her heart thudded a little harder than it had earlier.