Page 51 of One Night with Cinderella

“No woman did,” he said, his voice hardened in defense of her. “It’s funny that Monica was someone we all trusted in our home and in our lives for the last five years, but now that she is involved with me—”

Nicolette scoffed audibly. “Trust. More like tolerated out of necessity,” she said in French.

“Penser plus haut, mère.”He admonished her in French to think higher.

Her face flushed in anger as she eyed him. He was used to seeing her gaze filled with adoration, not brimming with annoyance. “Prends tes propres conseils, fiston,” she said, her voice soft.

Gabe swallowed her words of taking his own advice down with his drink. He turned his back on her and the revelation of her classist beliefs. He’d never realized they ran so deep. That was deeply disappointing.

“Family should be together,” she said from behind him in French.

“And not at war,” he countered, giving voice to his frustration with his father’s controlling hand in his life.

Silence.

He turned, ignoring his brothers, to look at her.

“Your father has his reasons” was all that she said.

“And he also has sons who are grown men and deserve his respect,” he said, unable to keep the edge from his tone. “Not be treated as pawns on a chessboard.”

Nicolette rose and smoothed her hands over the turquoise-and-silver silk caftan she wore. She moved about the room and stroked the cheek of each of her sons.

“Nous vous adorons tous. Plus qu’on ne le sait. Plus que ce qu’on montre. S’il te plaît, n’oublie jamais ça. S’il vous plaît,”she said, coming to Gabriel and patting under his chin.

“We adore you all. More than we know. More than we show. Please never forget that. Please.”

And like always, his mother took her leave to be by his father’s side—be he right or wrong. One thing he couldn’t deny was their loyalty to each other. Even when it pitted her against her sons.

“You’re a fool,” Phillip Jr. said with a shake of his head as he rose to his feet and buttoned the jacket of his custom-made suit before striding to the door. “Did you really believe he would finance a solo restaurant after you stepped down from Cress, INC.?”

“And you’re a bigger fool if you think I haven’t already secured investors,” Gabe said, his voice hard and unrelenting. “I just hoped my family would support me in this. Same way I would support any of you in following your dreams...bro.”

One by one his brothers took their leave, most likely to seek out their parents and ensure they understood they were not in agreement with their brother. All except Cole.

“Aren’t you going to kiss the ring, too?” Gabe asked, never before feeling so divided from his own family and never more determined to make his solo restaurant a success.

“There’s a better chance of me kissing his butt and you know it,” Cole drawled, rising from the low-slung sofa.

Gabe noticed a slow half smile on his brother’s face and followed his line of vision across the wide space to land on Chef Jillian leaving the pantry to enter the kitchen.

“Now that’s a behind I love kissing,” Cole said.

Gabe’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Chef Jillian?” he asked.

Cole stopped in his tracks with his face incredulous. “Monica the Maid?” he shot back.

Gabe smiled. “Checkmate,” he said.

He was with the maid and his brother had an ongoing dalliance with the chef. Their mother would have a conniption. Their father’s head might literally explode.

“How is that going?” his brother asked, standing in the open doorway with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his denims.

Gabe thought of Monica. The way her emotions were mirrored in her doe-shaped eyes. Be it happiness, anger, annoyance or passion. And her scent. He could close his eyes and find her in the crowd just using his nose. Or her intelligence, which he admitted surprised him when she offered such insight and unique perspective on things he took for granted. And the sex. Best ever. Period. Never had he felt so out of control in bed. And he liked it.

“Going good” was all that he confessed.

Cole nodded.

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