Chapter 7 You belong to me

They both walked along the carpeted hallway. Gabriel slowed his pace so that Viviane could keep up. She walked slowly, saying not a word.

Impatient, he shoved his hands into the back pockets of his linen trousers. His face remained dark and brooding. They took a few more steps. Viviane glanced at the little table in the hallway and remembered her room. Gabe stopped in front of a door on the left side.

"This is your room, Mrs. Bernardi. I hope you won't get lost again," he said firmly.

"Yes, sir!"

"I took the liberty of sending the schedule with my daughter's activities," he mentioned to the woman, who stood at the door like a statue, listening. "One of the reasons I hired you is because you are an educator. I would like you to take charge of teaching my daughter Portuguese."

Viviane offered a restrained smile and nodded as the tall man spoke about the importance of his daughter learning other languages.

"Does she go to school?"

She immediately regretted the question when she saw Gabriel's impassive expression.

"No!" he said firmly. "Read the spreadsheet with the schedules I sent you." Gabriel took a step, then turned back. "There's one more thing-do not override my mother's instructions," he warned. "Elizabeth is spoiled, and sometimes my mother has trouble dealing with her."

"And what about playtime?"

"Read the spreadsheet I sent you," he said curtly. "Be careful not to overindulge; I don't want my daughter becoming dependent on you during this probation period. I fired the last nanny because she let Liz play alone on the swing."

The explanation seemed so absurd that Viviane smiled.

"Seriously?"

"Elizabeth fell off the swing and got three stitches in her eyebrow," he said, his tone serious.

Viviane smoothed the back of her hand and stared at her feet. The man's gaze was intimidating.

"Go rest!" commanded the cold voice.

Without looking at him, she touched the doorknob. Gabriel took a step, then stopped, staring at the frail woman's back.

"I apologize for my mother's behavior! She's upset with me for letting you give a gift to Liz. Anyway, she shouldn't take her anger out on you."

"No problem!"

"See you tomorrow, Vivian!"

The sound of her nickname in that penetrating voice made her heart race suddenly.

"Good night, sir!"

Viviane opened the door and stepped into her room as he walked away. She just wanted to take a shower and forget the fiasco at dinner.

Even though Katherine was angry with her son, it was clear she wanted to hurt Viviane. Did she do the same to Gabriel's wife? she wondered as she removed her dress. She looked at her slender body and swallowed hard, remembering Kathy's barbed remarks.

Later, Viviane was lying in bed when she grabbed her phone and checked her email. She opened the spreadsheet with Elizabeth's activities. The poor girl would have to get up at seven in the morning.

Around eleven at night, Viviane got out of bed when she heard the engine of a car stop in front of the house. She discreetly opened the curtain, peeking at the tall man. She closed it as soon as Gabriel lifted his head.

Viviane ran back to bed and burrowed under the covers, hoping her boss hadn't seen anything.

After turning off the lamp, she fell asleep quickly. She longed for the day Gabriel would return to Los Angeles. She needed to go to the company to find Pietro.

"Get up!" The commanding voice ordered.

A flash of light forced Viviane to open her eyes and sit up quickly. She panicked, thinking she was late. Alarmed by the invasion of her privacy, she jumped out of bed.

Gabriel studied the curves visible beneath her thin white nightgown. Without a word, he grabbed her arm firmly.

Fear gripped Viviane. She feared this man might be as harsh as her ex-husband and demand tasks beyond her duties as a nanny.

"Are you making a fool of me, Miss Bernardi?"

Her heart seemed about to leap from her chest. Viviane couldn't understand the reason for the interrogation.

"Why didn't you tell me Pietro Müller is your ex-husband?"

For a moment, Viviane remembered the car she had seen before going to sleep. Pietro had probably discovered something and told his boss.

"No, I didn't know," she said, her voice trembling.

"Oh! Did you forget you were married to him?" he demanded sarcastically. "Answer me!" His voice rose.

Viviane shrugged in response to the man's aggression.

"I told you on the day of the interview."

"Then I have to fire the HR manager."

"That's not her fault!" Viviane found the courage to retort. She pulled her arm.

"Whose fault is it then? Yours?"

He advanced on her as she stepped back. Gabriel's hair fell over his furrowed forehead. His eyes were full of rage.

Viviane ran to the other side of the bed and opened her wardrobe door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I-I'm leaving!" she stammered.

"Oh, no! You're staying here!"

"But my ex-husband already told you..."

"Told me what?" He interrupted sharply.

"He did it so you would dismiss me."

A rough laugh filled the room. Viviane didn't understand what had been so funny.

"Pietro told you to steal more money."

Confused, Viviane grabbed the suitcase handle.

"Where is he?"

"I haven't seen my ex-husband in years."

"Do you expect me to believe that, Miss Bernardi?"

Gabriel snatched the suitcase from her hand and advanced. He studied the pale face of the woman staring at him in confusion.

"Your husband robbed me, took the most precious thing I had," his voice faltered suddenly. "You're staying here! He took what was mine, and now, you belong to me!"

In a sudden movement, he came closer, his hands sliding gently from her shoulders to her soft neck. Horrified, Viviane closed her eyes, fearing the worst. Gabriel's fingers traced her smooth skin, driven by an uncontrollable desire.

"I quit!" she shouted, trying to free herself.

Gripping her shoulders firmly, he tried to claim her lips, but she turned her head and shut her mouth.

"You will not leave this house until I allow it!"

He pulled her closer, making her feel his hard desire. He claimed her lips in a fierce kiss as Viviane struggled to escape.

"Please, no!" she pleaded in a tearful voice.

Indignant at her resistance, he took a deep breath and released her. Though he wanted revenge on Pietro, he could not hurt an innocent woman.

"Don't even think about leaving this house! There are guards all over the property. You will leave only when your ex-husband shows up with my money," he declared forcefully. "Don't even think about calling the police. Otherwise, I'll tell them you're an accomplice of Pietro."

"That's a lie!" she said, upset.

"Think carefully before taking any action, Vivian!" he warned, turning to leave.

Viviane threw herself onto the bed, crying with anger. She wrapped herself in the plans she had made to find her daughter.

She dragged herself out of bed and saw the guards patrolling the property.

And if Gabriel found Pietro, what would happen to her daughter? It would be better to stay to make sure Mr. Welsch never laid hands on the girl.

---

The next morning, the alarm rang. It was fifteen minutes to six. Overcoming her laziness, she threw back the sheet and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up.

She grabbed a hanger with a black long-sleeve blouse, matching pants, and shoes-probably the uniform she was supposed to wear during work hours.

She tied her hair in a bun and, as soon as she stepped out, met Yolanda, who was leaving the room next door.

"Good morning, Miss Bernardi!"

"You can call me Vivian."

"I'm not sure I should..."

"We're coworkers," Vivian said calmly.

They walked to a spacious gourmet kitchen where a young woman was eating cereal, seated on one of the stools near the white counter.

"This is the heart of the house!" Yolanda said with a smile.

Viviane's eyes scanned the space, taking in a hood over the cooktop, the oven, and a stainless-steel refrigerator.

She lifted her gaze and immediately looked away when she saw the couple through the glass door separating the kitchen from the backyard.

Gabriel was sitting at the table with a beautiful woman whose hair made her look like a Hollywood actress.

"Do you like pancakes?" Yolanda asked kindly.

"Yes!"

"Sit there, I'll make them for you!"

Somewhat awkwardly, Vivian greeted the golden-skinned girl as she sat, but the young woman didn't respond.

"She's wearing headphones!" Yolanda mentioned. "Barbara, don't be rude."

"What's up?"

"Hi!"

The girl forced a smile and returned to watching a video on her phone.

"Don't worry, she always wakes up in a bad mood," Yolanda said.

Glancing toward the door, Vivian noticed Gabriel smiling briefly. He looked more handsome when he revealed his white, perfectly aligned teeth. He didn't even seem like the ogre who had invaded her room in the middle of the night. Perhaps this was his girlfriend, she thought.

"She's Mr. Welsch's cousin!"

Barbara seemed to have read her thoughts.

"She's the lawyer who uncovered Pietro's scams."

Viviane shifted in her chair when the girl mentioned her ex-husband's name.

"He's always yelling at the detective on the phone. Everyone in the house knows about Pietro."

Yolanda served a steaming cup of coffee and placed a plate with the pancakes.

While eating, Viviane kept track of the time. She already had the day's lessons planned.

She glanced sideways and saw Gabe hugging his cousin and kissing her on the cheek. She focused on her breakfast when Gabriel touched the sliding door while speaking on the phone. Her heart raced as she heard his hoarse voice fill the room.

"I don't care about that woman's problems. Dismiss the HR manager. That's all!"

Poor woman! Viviane swallowed hard at the thought of the HR manager.

"Change that outfit!"

Barbara looked at her boss in confusion and stood up quickly.

"Viviane, change that outfit and go to my office," he ordered.

"What about Liz's lessons?"

"I'll give you fifteen minutes!"

With heavy steps, Gabriel headed toward the exit. If Pietro didn't have the courage to show up, he wouldn't spare any effort to take everything that was his.