Ch. 3091..3100

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3091

She Stays Then I Stay

Larry was immediately stunned. We’re having such a nice time alone right now. Why bring him over? He looked at the woman in front of him, confused.

“Lucius is growing up. I want to let him get a better education.” Joan lowered her head and spoke in a soft tone. Right then, Larry understood where she was coming from, so he hesitated.

He was worried that Lucius might not be willing to come even if they agreed to bring him over.

The child had been living with Delilah for a long time now. Hence, it would be hard to separate the two. The other option they had would be to bring Delilah over as well. It was doable, but Larry knew full well that Delilah would most certainly not leave the village.

She lived there for the majority of her life, and the garden needed tending to, so there was no way she would stay in the city.

“You should stop thinking too much about this. Ms. Young and Lucius are never going to come,” Larry worded it very bluntly.

In fact, Joan herself knew this as well, but she still wanted to try. It was for the child, after all.

“Coincidentally, the weekend starts tomorrow. Let me go ask them.”

With that, Larry decided to let her be while he yawned and headed for bed.

On the other hand, in a psychiatric ward somewhere, Jessica held a child in her arms and was sitting in front of a young lady with Caspian beside him. A heartwarming sight to behold.

“Here, take a look. It’s your son.” Jessica handed the kid over to the young lady.

“How have you been? Feeling better?” Caspian asked gently.

They were having a great time.

Back at the house, Lucius was throwing a fit. “No! I’m not going! I want to stay with Grandma!”

The roar shocked Joan and gave her the instant realization about the child’s wishes, making her give up on the notion.

Joan knew that Lucius and Delilah’s bond was strong, but she could not stop thinking about Lucius’ future as he had to grow up eventually.

The energy in Joan’s eyes slowly faded, and she was feeling down.

“Lucius, you should go.” Delilah suddenly appeared and spoke monotonously. Truth be told, she was reluctant to see the child go. However, she wanted what was best for him. Delilah knew that being with Joan would allow Lucius to learn a lot more.

“But Grandma! I don’t want to! I want to be with you!” The child dived into Delilah’s embrace.

At that moment, Joan was moved by the scene in front of her.

“Ms. Young, why don’t you come with us as well? We can move all the flowers in the garden over.” Joan gave Delilah a light pat on the shoulder.

Delilah raised her head, relieved to see that Joan could accept the child and her even though she had not recovered all her memories. Delilah felt immeasurably proud.

“Count me out of it. I’m too old for that. It’s too much of a hassle, so just take Lucius,” she said as she was about to leave.

“No! If Grandma stays, then I stay!” The kid shouted and ran away.

Joan was astonished. She had never seen Lucius as angry as he was.

“Ms. Young, just come with us. I know you’re worried about the flowers. We can move them all there! Trust me. Look at Lucius right now. If you don’t come along, there’s no way he’d go. Please? For Lucius?”

Joan was swinging Delilah’s arm while she spoke.

Delilah’s gaze narrowed and shifted towards the window. Flashes of hesitation glinted within her eyes. She obliviously wanted Lucius to have the brightest future possible. Having said that, she lived there for more than just a few decades, so it was hard to say goodbye to it.

“How about this? We can move back after Lucius grows up and becomes independent. The house will still be yours, don’t worry,” Joan proposed.

Alright then. This is all for the child.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3092

Surprised Visit

In the end, Delilah finally straightened up and gave Joan a firm nod.

Larry was surprised to hear that Joan was able to convince Delilah to move. He knew how difficult it was to persuade someone like Delilah, who had firm principles.

Joan must have put in a lot of effort to make this work. Larry stared at the woman before him and smiled.

“What are you laughing about?” Joan lightly pounded Larry’s back.

“You’re not bad! You actually convinced Ms. Young to move! That’s incredible!” Larry replied.

Indeed. To Joan, nothing was impossible for her as long she wanted to do it. Thus, she responded by patting her chest, proud of herself.

Larry gave her a playful knock on her head, looking at her endearingly.

Joan had not changed one bit, still kind and adorable. The only thing different between now and the past was that she lost part of her memories.

Larry sighed softly when he thought about that, and a sense of disappointment flashed before his eyes.

Even though they had encountered countless situations, as well as some unpleasant memories, those were the memories that allowed them to continue holding each other’s hand and not let go.

“What’s wrong?” Joan appeared before him.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Quickly now, pack up!” Larry instantly shifted the topic away.

Nothing? Joan watched as Larry got busy, puzzled.

He looked like he had a lot on his mind a second ago, though. So men lie about their feelings too? Especially men like him for sure. Joan smoothed out her clothes and got to work as well.

Not long after, Delilah and Lucius moved into Larry’s villa, looking like a family once again.

Joan looked at them as her lips unknowingly curled into a grin. She patted Lucius on the shoulder and reminded him that he needed to study diligently from then onward.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t let you down,” Lucius responded confidently.

Bam! The door was suddenly kicked open and silence ensued.

What’s going on? Larry rushed over when he heard the loud bang.

“Joan Watts. What exactly is your problem!” It was Gabriella.

Why is she here all of a sudden? Delilah frowned at the sight of that woman and pulled Joan behind her by force, trying to protect her

“What are you doing here?” Larry asked as soon as he got there, clearly unhappy to see her.

“I’m here for your wife, of course! Joan Watts! Come out right now!” Gabriella roared. She looked furious.

“Don’t go,” Delilah ordered Joan.

“It’s fine, Ms. Young. Don’t worry. I’ll just take a peek and be back right away,” Joan said while she walked away.

Even though Gabriella seemed fierce, Joan knew full well that she was not a bad person. No matter how she was in the past, the current Gabriella was surely not bad.

“What are you going on about? What’s wrong? What happened?” Joan came out and asked as approached Gabriella.

You bi***! How long was it since you last called me! Didn’t we talk about starting an eatery? Where is it?

“What’s your deal right now? Are you… eating?” Gabriella looked at the strawberry in Joan’s hand, asking deliberately.

“Oh. Yeah. Come, Ms. Ward, have some. They’re delicious.” Joan reached out her hand and passed all the remaining strawberries she had to Gabriella.

An instant later, Gabriella was munching away at the strawberries like she had been starving, without stopping. It was like she had forgotten all about the purpose of her visit.

Eventually, she finished everything in her hands. She touched her belly and presented a satisfied expression. Nevertheless, right when she was about to praise the strawberries, Gabriella suddenly recalled something. Thus, she immediately tidied up her appearance and went back into a serious expression.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3093

Fate

“Don’t you assume that a few pieces of strawberries are enough for me to forgive you!” Gabriella exclaimed.

Forgive me? For what? What did I do? Joan looked at Gabriella, puzzled by her statement, looking fairly confused.

“How wonderful! You actually forgot all about it, huh! So this is your true nature, Ms. Watts. How dare you forget the promise we made together! Weren’t you the one that said you wanted to start an eatery? Weren’t you the one that said you’d make amazing food for me?” Gabriella pointed her finger straight at Joan’s nose.

Joan was dumbfounded. Eatery? You’re the one that said you wanted to do it, though. And about making food for you? You were the one that kept pestering me about it! You cheeky woman! You’ll say anything to get what you want, huh?

“I don’t care! You promised to start up an eatery with me, Joan!” Gabriella suddenly went down and sat on the floor, exactly like how a kid would.

Did I owe her something in my past life? Why does she always have to make me suffer? Joan dusted off her palms, turned around, and left the scene.

Now that everyone knew why Gabriella was here, they relaxed and dropped their guard. It was clear to them that Gabriella was in the same situation as Joan. They both lost their memories.

The current situation was better than how Gabriella used to always think about how to set Joan up.

Larry raised his head and looked to the sky as he felt relieved.

“What are you doing?” Gabriella slapped his shoulders forcefully as she exclaimed.

“It’s nothing,” Larry answered calmly.

“Umm… Are you close with Jake Wilson?” She added out of the blue.

What? Jake? Why did she ask something like this out of nowhere? Larry turned towards Gabriella and saw that her cheeks were bright red.

Is she embarrassed? Don’t tell me… She’s in love with Jake? Larry proceeded to inspect the person in front of him curiously, perplexed about her choice in men.

“Gabriella, what’s wrong with you? Do you like Jake?” Larry asked while staring intently at her.

Huh? “What’s wrong with that?” Why are you so surprised? You can love Joan, but I can’t love Jake? How is that fair?

“How could you like… Wait. No… You like Jake, right? If you like him, pursue him! Show him your love!” Larry continued.

Never would he have thought that Gabriella would fall in love with Jake after she lost her memories. Is this considered fate? Larry was unconcerned as long as it was not something twisted.

“Tell me! What would you like to do?” Larry gave her a pat on the back.

“I… I want to ask him out for a meal.” Gabriella lowered her head and spoke in a shy tone.

What’s going on here? Why is she suddenly so shy? This is weird!

“Hey, can you act like you normally do? I’ve never actually seen you this shy before, and it’s creeping me out,” Larry commented.

“Hey! I’m a shy girl, you know!” Gabriella said coquettishly.

Now, that’s a lie. Larry was reminded of the time before he married Joan. Gabriella would always appear at the company and look for him.

He shot a look at her, amused at what was going on.

Truth be told, this was good for Larry. It’d be too late if she ever regains her memories. By then, she wouldn’t bother me anymore.

“Larry, what are you plotting in your head now?” Gabriella tightened her grip on his arm.

“Nothing, of course! What would I be plotting for?” Larry said. “Alright. You should get on with your business.” And he left.

Regarding the eatery, Joan and Gabriella went through a thorough discussion and decided to tone down the scale as Joan still had to take care of the flowers with Delilah.

“Why do you still care about those flowers, though? Isn’t it better to make some more dishes and make more money?” Gabriella mumbled while she did some work.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3094

He Is Here

You’re from a wealthy family! You don’t even need the money. Why are you suddenly so engrossed in making them?

Joan shook her head and let out a sigh.

“Joan, please don’t laugh at me for doing this.” Gabriella’s tone suddenly changed.

Huh? What’s there to laugh about? Her wanting to make money with her own abilities?

“What are you talking about. Why would I ever do that?”

“Actually, I’m doing this so that I can prove to my father that, regardless of me losing my memories or having a bad constitution, I can still be independent, that I can still make a living with my own two hands.”

Gabriella was being really serious about it.

Her statement gave Joan so much clarity as she, slowly but surely, worked towards fulfilling her promise with Gabriella.

Not long after. “Yo! You guys actually started up an eatery!” Jessica said as she approached with a nosy expression.

“Eat whatever you want! Everything’s half price for you!” Gabriella pointed towards the food that Joan made. “Dig in!”

Only half price? Seriously? We’re friends!

“Let’s not talk about money. It’s going to ruin our friendship,” Nancy said, making a satisfied expression as she chewed on the food.

“No way! I’m telling you right now. Take note of how much you eat tonight, everything’s half price. I’m not making it free! Joan made these with her blood, sweat, and tears! You guys have to pay at least something,” Gabriella remarked, her face slightly blushed.

Everyone there instantly burst out in laughter.

The news about Joan starting up an eatery spread rather quickly. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about it, including Jake, who naturally had to come and express some form of congratulation.

“Hey, he’s here.” Gabriella grabbed tightly onto the edge of Joan’s shirt, excited to see him.

Huh? Who’s here? Joan raised her head and saw the man not far away, approaching slowly with a blank expression.

It was Jake.

Joan was baffled that Gabriella would fall for a jerk like him, thinking that he was just an ordinary man and that there were men out there that looked way more attractive than him, Larry being one of them.

Joan shook her head and had no other reactions nor response.

“Joan, congratulations.” Jake went straight towards her and placed the bouquet he had on a table to the side.

Gabriella got down and took a whiff at the flower.

“It smells amazing!” She smiled as she stared at Jake.

However, Jake merely smiled and continued to ignore her. His attention was on Joan. “Um… Are you tired? Maybe you should rest for a bit… ”

“Joan’s not tired. She’s actually quite busy,” Gabriella interrupted. “She’s not free to talk right now. If you want, we can talk instead…” She made her intentions clear as day.

The people there that heard her were all gobsmacked.

Bold move! But isn’t it a little too obvious? Nancy took off her sunglasses and watched tentatively as the situation unfolded before her.

When Jake went to the washroom, Nancy went ahead and patted Gabriella’s shoulder. “Hey, have you fallen for him?”

As soon as she finished her Gabriella’s face was flushed to the brim.

And Nancy understood all she needed to know. Oh! She’s even embarrassed about it! So, she took Gabriella by the hand and walked straight ahead.

“Hey. Our beloved Gabriella is interested in that man called Jake Wilson. Give me some ideas,” Nancy told them intentionally. She was not doing it for Gabriella, though, as it was more for Joan.

Nancy figured that if Jake and Gabriella got together, there would be no more issues between Joan and Larry. Having said that, there was an unknown variable in Jake, as Nancy had no idea what was going on in his head.

Everyone present started looking at each other, feeling helpless as they were not acquainted with Jake, nor did they understand Gabriella enough to help her with matchmaking.

Furthermore, Jake had always been in charge of his own life, so Gabriella was, most likely, not the type of woman he would like.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3095

Innocent Love

“I think it’s better if we let the two of them work things out,” Jessica commented quietly, and everyone agreed.

But it actually made things more difficult for Gabriella.

After all, her interaction with Jake was minimal, so she did not know his likes and dislikes, nor did she understand his personality and temper. She knew nothing about him, so it was relatively hard for her to initiate.

Looking at Gabriella’s awkward expression, a sense of nosiness flashed before Joan’s eyes.

“Alright now! Let’s tell her about Jake Wilson and leave the rest to herself,” Joan chimed in, and the others agreed.

“What are you guys doing?” Jake asked after coming back from the washroom. With that, the gathering immediately dispersed.

“It’s nothing,” Joan replied nonchalantly.

Nothing? You guys were obviously discussing something! So, you’re doing things behind my back?

Having said that, Jake figured that it was normal since he was merely an acquaintance. So, it was difficult to strike up any conversation. He did, however, notice that Gabriella was quite different compared to how she was in the past.

“Jake, here you go.” Gabriella approached and offered him a glass of juice. “Are you okay? You didn’t look so well just now.” She was concerned.

“I’m fine,” Jake answered, acting as if nothing happened.

Truth be told, he was, in fact, not feeling well. He had some problems with his stomach in the past, so if he did not eat anything in the morning, his stomach would start acting up by noon. That was why he was in the washroom for so long, to hide that pitiful side of him.

“Are you sure? Maybe you should get it checked out?”

Jake shook his head and left.

Time flew by, and their carefree day was quickly coming to an end. Everyone had a lot of fun, even though Jake’s appearance made things a bit awkward. Nonetheless, no one showed any displeasure towards him as he was Joan’s savior, after all.

Before they dispersed, Gabriella was still feeling reluctant and disappointed. It was because Jake said nothing to her before he left.

“Oh, stop it. It’s just a goodbye. You don’t have to act like this.” Joan patted Gabriella’s arm, slightly annoyed.

Gabriella had that expression on her for quite a long time, and that made Joan unhappy. You’re not in a teen romance, you know. Why be so melodramatic?

After a brief conversation, Gabriella left.

Delilah watched her leave, still mindful of her.

In her eyes, the current Gabriella was the most innocent she would ever be. She had no ill-intent towards others, nor did she have any sinister plots. All she wanted was pure and innocent love and a moderately sized business.

Compared to how she was before, the changes were rather drastic, which did give Larry some sense of relief.

Truth be told, Larry would be extremely anxious if he saw Gabriella and Joan together back then. But things were different now, so he was no longer concerned.

“Hey. Umm… How do we split the profit?” Gabriella asked on the phone.

Under normal circumstances, Joan would get a larger cut of the profit since she made the food, which meant that she contributed more.

But, Joan was not concerned about money.

“We split it in half?” Joan replied immediately.

Huh? Half? Joan’s answer instantly got Gabriella on cloud nine, but she quickly realized how dishonest it was for her.

“Umm… Aren’t you losing out if we do that?” She asked softly.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3096

Seen Her Somewhere

“Why would I be? Even though I was busy in the kitchen, you were also busy at the front desk.”

It somehow made sense, so Gabriella ran her hand through her hair and smiled. “Thank you, Joan!”

Larry, however, had a dark expression on his face as he listened to what was going on.

He was not so much concerned about the distribution of profit. The thing he hated was to hear that his beloved Joan had to work tirelessly in the kitchen. They could have hired some people to man the kitchen and sat in front like how owners usually do.

“What’s the matter?” Joan came to sit beside him.

“Aren’t you guys going to hire some staffs,” Larry asked.

What staffs? We just started, so it’s only natural that we take things slow.

“Don’t worry. I’ll discuss this with Gabriella when business stabilizes after a while,” Joan answered.

What’s there to discuss? Does it even matter if the business is not making a profit? You guys don’t need the money. Everything was Gabriella’s idea, to begin with.

Nonetheless, Joan knew what this eatery meant to Gabriella, so they were determined to push through.

“Mom!” Lucius ran in before Larry could say anything else. The child showed an ample amount of enthusiasm.

“Mom, the class wants to organize a gathering.” Lucius snugged himself under Joan’s arm.

Joan immediately thought of using the eatery as the location, and the two went on to talk about everything involved, completely forgetting that Larry was still there.

Soon enough, Lucius gathered all his classmates together and headed to Joan’s eatery. The gathering was extremely lively as everyone was having fun, even Joan and Gabriella, up until something happened.

“Lucius, I think I’ve seen your mom before.” A boy came to Lucius and whispered into his ear.

What is he talking about? Lucius was puzzled as there were a lot of opportunities for them to see Joan since she attended most of the family-involved school activities.

“I remember now. I saw her in the newspaper once!” The boy shouted all of a sudden and silenced the whole eatery.

Joan had been the victim of several setups back then, so it was only natural for her to appear in newspapers.

“Your mother was a homewrecker, right?” He went on exclaiming and made the scene extremely awkward.

Even Gabriella, who was on the side, was astonished. When was Joan someone’s mistress? She was suspicious.

Joan would never do something like that! There must’ve been a misunderstanding! With that in mind, Gabriella glared at the kids in front of her. She was upset. These brats! All they know how to do is spew nonsense behind people’s backs!

“That’s not true! My mother is not that sort of person! She was framed!” Lucius quickly explained. He knew full well how Joan got framed but let the culprits off because of her kindness.

“You’re lying! Everyone said that you’re mother’s a homewrecker. How can you deny that?” The boy was unrelenting.

It looks that he’s intentionally saying all those nonsense! Right then, Gabriella clenched her fist and walked towards the kids.

“Hey! I own this place. So, if you’re not going to eat, leave! Stop with the nonsense!” She raised her voice at the boy that was causing the commotion.

All the other kids were dumbfounded when they saw Gabriella’s horrifying expression.

“I’m stating the truth here! Why would she get a divorce with that man called Larry if it wasn’t true?” The kid continued his rampage.

The boy got Gabriella even more agitated. You son of a bi*! What do you know? You’re just talking out of your a!

“Get out!” Gabriella had enough. “Now! I wasn’t going to charge you for Lucius’ sake, but I’m not going let you mess around here!” She pointed at the kids in front of her.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3097

What Would You Like

Free? I never said anything about letting them have free food, though?

Lucius raised his head and looked towards Gabriella. He did not quite get her intentions. Gabriella, on the other hand, merely gestured for him to keep quiet.

“Free? Was this a surprise for us?”

“Yeah, Lucius! That’s awesome!”

A few kids cheered excitedly, and the topic at hand immediately shifted.

At that moment, the only thing Lucius could do was smile, awkward as it may be, and keep quiet. Lo and behold, Joan saw everything that went down from the kitchen and felt really bad.

The free meal was a non-factor as the more important thing was that Lucius’ pride was being stepped on.

When the kids finished the meal, it was already dark outside. So, after sending his classmates off, Lucius immediately ran into the kitchen and locked his gaze onto his mother. He felt extremely uneasy.

“Umm… What happened today, was my fault.” He lowered his head.

What is he talking about? Joan was unconcerned as she had experienced these sorts of things several times by then. Hence, she was only worried about her son at that time.

“Lucius, do you feel indignant?” Joan crouched down and caressed the boy’s head.

Indignant? Why? As long as everyone in the family is safe and happy. I couldn’t care less about all that!

With that in mind, Lucius shook his head.

At the front, Gabriella was busy cleaning up the tables. She had zero intention of telling Joan what just happened. She knew that some things were better left unspoken, even though Joan already found out.

“Gabriella, thank you for helping Lucius out today,” Joan said cautiously.

And Gabriella immediately put down her tools, raised her head, and smiled.

“Treat me to dinner then?”

Hearing that, Joan let out a sigh of relief. She was actually prepared for a nagging, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this sort of reaction.

Treating Gabriella with food was not a problem for Joan.

“What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you,” she said as she got ready.

“No!” Gabriella suddenly shouted, her eyes fixated on Joan.

Huh? What’s wrong? She loved my cooking, right? Joan looked at Gabriella, confused.

“Your son’s friends cost me quite a fortune just now. It’s only fair if you treat me something equally expensive,” Gabriella raised her chin and exclaimed.

You little… Why do you always have these sorts of ideas! Joan reluctantly nodded and grabbed her arm, getting ready to leave.

Nevertheless, Gabriella was not going to go easy on Joan. Hence, she took out her phone and called Nancy, Jessica, and Abelyn.

In an instant, the restaurant had quite a few more guests.

“Yo! I heard it’s someone’s treat!” Nancy said as she ran over.

“Yeah! Joan here heard that everyone has been really exhausted lately, so she wanted to treat us!” Gabriella made it up on the spot.

Joan, on the other hand, shook her head. Alright then. I’ll let you be.

It had, indeed, turned into a women’s night out.

In the meantime, Larry was going through the documents at his desk in the office, seemingly quite busy. Caspian was clumsily trying to comfort the baby in his hands.

Dustin was discussing some matters regarding work with Jory and had no idea where Abelyn was at the moment.

None of the women told the men about their gathering as they chitter chattered away, laughing excitedly in the private room they got until daybreak.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3098

The Perfect Man

Ring! Ring! Phones started ringing, echoing in the room.

“Jessica, what did you do last night? Why did you not come home!”

“Abelyn, where are you now? Are you drunk?”

“Oh Joan, Please come home quickly.”

“This is unfair! Why didn’t you guys tell us something like this was going on?” Caspian was displeased, and the men all started mumbling.

“Alright. Dinner’s on me tonight then!” Larry declared.

The small crowd they have there started going wild all of a sudden.

With that, Gabriella became a part of their lives, and everyone was eager to help her out with her love life.

Nancy never quite understood why Gabriella would be interested in Jake and was actually doubting her taste in men.

“Hey, Gabriella, why would you like someone like Jake?” She asked.

Someone like Jake? What does that mean? Gabriella immediately turned around and looked at Nancy intently, waiting for her to explain.

At that moment, Nancy immediately shut her mouth, wanting to leave as she turned around.

“No, you don’t!” Gabriella grabbed Nancy’s arm. “What did you mean by that? What kind of person is Jake?”

Oh god… So she doesn’t know about all the things that Jake did in the past. Nancy covered her eyes and shook her head, feeling extremely awkward about the situation.

“Hey now, I just did not understand why you would like Jake, that’s all,” she answered as soon as possible.

What is there to not understand? Feelings are feelings. Some might never get to find the one that they love, and some could feel it in their bones the moment they met eyes. I’m one of the latter.

At first, Gabriella was definitely attracted to Jake’s looks. But then, she slowly found out that the man had more than just his looks.

He became a president of a company at a young age and knew his way around the industry. On top of that, he had no negative press. Where can you find a man this perfect?

Back then, Gabriella had thought that Larry was the best example of a perfect man. However, things changed when she met Jake, and she realized that Larry was not the only one.

Gabriella held her head up in her palm. Her eyes glittered with her admiration for Jake.

What’s going on with her? Nancy took a closer look at the person in front of her, feeling suspicious. Don’t tell me… Is she daydreaming about him?

“Hey! Gabriella! Are you alright? Snap out of it!”

“I’m fine!” Gabriella came back to her senses. “Now, let me make this clear. You are not allowed to badmouth Jake from now onward!” She slapped Nancy’s shoulder and exclaimed before she left.

What? I didn’t say anything! Is that even necessary?

Nancy watched as Gabriella went out of sight before turning around with a smirk on her face and left.

In a living on a couch, Joan was leaning against Larry’s chest as she played with her hair, a lovely scene to behold.

“What were you thinking?” Larry asked out of the blue.

What’s he talking about? Joan raised her head. Her lashes fluttered as she blinked, puzzled by Larry’s question.

“Gabriella and Jake. You know Jake still thinks about you. And now Gabriella likes him. If she finds out about it, things might get messy. I know her. Right now, she might look all sweet and cheery, cherishing your friendship with her. But as soon as she finds out about you and Jake, she’s going to lose it,” Larry warned.

Truth be told, Joan agreed with everything he said, but she was constantly avoiding it. Gabriella was someone that would stop at nothing to achieve what she wanted. And the same principle applied to men as well.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3099

We Need To Talk

Perhaps he should be honest with Gabriella. After all, the final choice lay in her hands.

The next day, the eatery was closed to the surprise of Gabriella.

Joan sat by the window and smoothed the front of her dress as she waited for Gabriella to emerge from the washroom. Since Larry had been honest, she should be more accepting of the circumstances.

“What’s the situation? Why aren’t you open today?” Gabriella asked as soon as she emerged as she was bursting with curiosity.

“Gabriella, I think we need to talk,” Joan said sternly.

What’s going on? Gabriella looked up and stared bewilderedly at the woman before her. Joan closed the entire eatery just to talk to me? Looks like this is something huge.

“I have known Jake for a long time. I know he had…”

Joan spoke brusquely, and Gabriella was hurt to hear that.

Why? Why did the man she love fall for Joan? Gabriella clasped her hands as her heart wrenched with sadness.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to marry Larry soon,” Joan hurriedly added.

And then what? Does she think that by marrying Larry, she can cause Jake to give up?

No, that’s definitely not going to happen! Though Gabriella had not liaised with Jake, she knew he was a determined person — regardless of whether he was dealing with people or with work.

“Joan, even if you do marry Larry, Jake won’t give up so easily,” Gabriella said calmly as stirred her coffee.

Everybody knew about Jake’s character. He wasn’t easy to deal with, nor was he a chatty sort.

“The reason why I’m telling you all of this is for you to understand Jake’s past. I only see him as my savior.”

Joan had never forgotten that.

Gabriella understood what Joan had confided in her — the latter was still grieving deep in the corners of her heart.

The two women chatted several more minutes before parting ways.

No matter. The past is now history. The days to come will be spent with Jake! Gabriella looked up as she took a deep inhale to calm herself.

Gabriella could truly understand what she felt at that moment; she had always hoped that Jake would be able to be touched by her sincere love. With the passage of time, Joan would be able to move on with her life.

“How was it? Nothing bad, I hope?” Larry asked urgently as he walked towards her.

“Nothing bad. She’ll understand,” Joan answered gently with a laugh.

Yes, she understood. But that did not mean that she would be able to do it. If Jake showed signs of regret in the future, I’m afraid Gabriella will blame me.

Ever since Joan had confided to Gabriella about everything, the latter had become more reticent. Joan was at a loss on what to do.

Sometimes Joan had begun to question if she did the right thing by confessing.

Joan sighed softly and kept up the task at hand.

“Joan!” came Jake’s voice as he stormed in.

“Jake!” Gabriella cried with excitement. She looked very excited, unlike Joan, who was filled with unease at the back kitchen. What is he doing here again?

Joan pretended not to hear anything as she kept busy.

In the living room, Jake felt perplexed by Gabriella’s obliging demeanor. “Where is Joan?” he asked while trying to catch his breath.

Gabriella’s eyes fell as she pursed her lips in displeasure. Since the man stepped through the door, the only name that had been on his lips was Joan’s.

“She’s busy at the back of the kitchen,” Gabriella said sulkily.

Busy with what? Does she know what time it is? She never complains about being tired… Jake wrung his hands in a panic as that thought surfaced in his mind.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3100

Tell Joan

“Let her rest for a while.” Jake looked up at Gabriella.

That made the woman even angrier. Why is there only one woman in his heart? This is so unfair!

She was losing the battle for Jake’s heart, even after Joan withdrew herself from consideration.

“You tell her that yourself!” Gabriella said in a huff as she turned and disappeared.

What’s wrong with that girl? Why did she lose her temper all of a sudden? Jake shook his head at the departing figure of Gabriella.

Women were prone to change; there’s no telling when they’re in a foul mood.

Jake distilled the root of life’s problems to woman’s fickle nature, then thought no more about it. He stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

Sure enough, Joan was still busy and was sweating profusely.

“You look like you’ve worked really hard. Why don’t you take a break,” Jake said as he strode in. He grabbed some paper towels to mop the sweat off Joan’s brow.

Sh*t! Why is he in here? Where’s Gabriella? Joan glanced toward the living room in a panic.

“Get out! Hurry! Out!” She shoved Jake back outside.

What’s going on? Why is she in such a panic? The man glared at her with displeasure as Gabriella observed the entire turn of events from not far away.

Looks like Jake has not given up on Joan. I have next to no chance. Gabriella sighed and turned toward the window, feeling hurt.

Why is God so unfair? Larry likes Joan, and so does Jake. Why doesn’t anyone like me? Gabriella searched her mind for an answer, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“What’s wrong with you? Did someone dump you?” Suddenly, Jake appeared behind her. As he passed by, he knocked on the back of her head playfully.

Perhaps they were a bit more acquainted with each other, but Jake treated her differently than before.

“What’s wrong with you,” Gabriella muttered as she stroked her hair.

What’s going on with this girl? At her tone, Jake squinted curiously at Gabriella.

“You like Joan, don’t you? Why don’t you go to her? Why are you coming to me?” Gabriella muttered again.

Why can’t I come to her? Besides, Joan is consumed with thoughts of Larry. Where would she find the time to think about me? Since he had been unceremoniously expelled from the kitchen by Joan, he thought he would come to Gabriella for a chat.

“What happened to you? Did someone bully you? Tell me who, and I’ll go kick his ass,” Jake stated with a righteous pat on his chest.

He must be joking! Who would dare to bully me, Gabriella Ward? Gabriella turned away from Jake, afraid that he would be able to see through her thoughts.

“Still ignoring me?” Jake resumed knocking on her head teasingly.

It sounded strange as Jake was usually cold and calculated at work or in life in general. But these days, he was always in a playful mood when he was with Gabriella.

Perhaps he wasn’t even aware himself that he had developed feelings toward the woman.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Joan was silently observing them from the kitchen.

These two are pretty good together! Joan smiled in satisfaction.

“Damn it, Jake, stop messing up my hair!” Gabriella exploded.

“It’s fine; you can straighten yourself up afterward,” Jake said as he continued teasing her.

What’s with him and his fetish for my hair? Gabriella was slowly growing very annoyed.

“Jake, I’m going to get you!” she shouted.