It was three minutes to ten o''clock when Gabriel stopped his car on the driveway in front of Ben''s and Penny''s mansion.


    Gabriel went out first and opened the door for Ba. "You should go so that Ben does not give you hard time. It''s almost ten."


    "I can stay until eleven o''clock." Ba protested without getting out.


    "Maybe next time. It''s important to get his approval, and we can do that only if we obey the rules he set."


    Ba got out of the car and nodded in agreement while scolding herself for acting like a clingy child. <em>''Gabriel is probablyughing at me…''</em>


    But… is she supposed to leave, just like that? What about the goodnight kiss? Is she getting one?


    Without thinking, she stepped closer to Gabriel and he took a step back, maintaining the distance between them.


    Gabriel saw confusion mixed with embarrassment in Ba''s expression and he exhaled.


    "Any closer and I will break the promise I made to your father."


    Ba was nowpletely confused. "What promise?"


    "Before I asked you on a date, we had a chat and I told him that I will not touch you."


    Ba paused while confirming that they didn''t touch at all. In the car, restaurant, or at the drive-in there was always something restricting their movements, or in-between them. She thought it was idental, is it possible that he was doing it on purpose?


    "Why?"


    Gabriel hoped to avoid talking about this, but it seems that is not an option anymore. "Technically… I am a married man. I promised your father that until I get the divorce finalized, I will not touch you."


    Ba blinked a few times rapidly while processing the information. "Married? Is the hard patch and depression you mentioned earlier, rted to your wife?"


    Gabriel nodded. He does not want to talk about it, but he does not want to lie either. There is no point in lying. It''s not a secret and she will find out sooner orter, and it''s better to get it in the open as soon as possible.


    Ba was not sure what to think, but the knot in her chest was suffocating.


    "I see… Well, goodnight Gabriel. Thank you for a nice evening."


    Her voice was cold and distant, and it sent shivers down Gabriel''s spine. He watched her walk away and panicked.


    Three stepster, Ba found herself enveloped in Gabriel''s embrace from behind.


    "Don''t go, not like this…", Gabriel spoke into her hair.


    "Let go of me.", Ba seethed while struggling to break free. His hold was not tight, but somehow, she was unable to wiggle out and that made her anger re. "This whole evening is a rollercoaster where you treat me nice before you give me a p. I am tired of your games. If I didn''t ask, would you mention that you are married and that this is casual fun for you? Is there something else I should know? Don''t answer because I don''t care. I was so stupid to believe that this actually means something to you."


    Gabriel swiftly moved in front of Ba so that he can see her face. "Ba, it''s not like that. I am getting a divorce from the woman my parents arranged for me when I was in middle school. I was convinced that is how rtionships work to the point of not seeing that there was no love between us. It was out of interest and she used me to climb up the socialdder. If Steve didn''t show up and I agreed to work as his assistant, I would not know that she is with me only for the benefits. I admit that I don''t know how to court you properly and that I speak without thinking, but that does not change the fact that I like you and I never meant to hurt you. Don''t leave in anger. Can we talk about this?"


    "Thank you for the exnation, but no amount of talking will alter the reality that you are married and that our date falls into the category of cheating. I am the mistress. Thank you very much for that."


    Ba used the moment of Gabriel being dazed to move around him and get into the house.


    Ba closed the door and leaned against it. Two secondster, she slid down and sat on the floor.


    She was so out of it, that she didn''t notice that Penny sat next to her. Only when Penny reached to wipe the tears from Ba''s cheeks, Ba be aware of Penny''s presence.


    Ba plunged into Penny''s embrace and started sobbing.


    "What happened?", Penny asked when Ba calmed down a bit.


    "Did you know that he is married?"


    "Yes."


    "Why didn''t you tell me?", Ba asked through sniffles.


    "Because it does not matter."


    "How can you say that it does not matter? It was my first date, and I was ready to give my first kiss away… luckily I found out that he sees me as a mistress before I made any more mistakes."


    "Will you listen to what I have to say?"


    Ba confirmed with a nod.


    "OK. Let''s go to the kitchen. I will make you a cup of hot cocoa and we can talk…"


    …


    Penny and Ba sat at the kitchen ind with one cup of hot cocoa each before Penny started her story.


    "I grew up in a society simr to the one where Gabriel is. Arranged marriages are not umon because people want to grow their wealth and influence."


    Ba was shocked by this information. She does not know much about Penny''s background. "How did you end up with dad?"


    Penny didn''t want to talk about the abuse and the prison in the basement, but there are things she can discuss. "My parents set me up to spend the night with an heir from the White family and I ran away."


    Ba''s mind exploded. "Your parents? White family? With Jeff? Or was it with Aiden?"


    Penny shook her head while thinking about how twisted her story is. "They wanted me to marry Jeff while this one-night hookup was with Jeff''s cousin."


    Penny saw that Ba''s eyes widened in horror and she continued. "Yes, it''s that bad. My own parents were trying to set me up for the marriage with Jeff even after they found out that he is engaged to JoAnna, and at the same time, they sent me to someone else''s bed so that they can reap the benefits. But I don''t want to talk about myself because this is about Gabriel. My story serves the purpose of telling you that I know what I am talking about. From the outside, it all looks wonderful and morous, but on the inside, there is a lot of scheming and children are treated as tokens that can be exchanged. Gabriel is a victim of such society. He was young when his parents matched him with Victoria, and he didn''t have a choice. When you grow up in an environment where everyone is doing it, you take that as normal and you don''t resist. And even if he resisted, he would be severely punished..."


    Penny took in a shaky breath while trying not to think about her time in the basement of her home. She reminded herself to keep on talking.


    "Three years ago, Steve started taking over as the new head of the Long family and Gabriel supported him. Gabriel was ted to be the next heir, and until Steve showed up, Gabriel never questioned that. I will skip the details, but Victoria wanted to be the next Madam and when she found out that Gabriel is stepping down and supporting Steve, she started showing her true colors…"


    ---


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