Trading My Ex for His Uncle

Nyla pressed her lips together and called him. "I'm still out. There's no need to bring me anything next time."

After a few seconds of silence on the other end, Gabriel's gentle voice came through. "Alright. It's already past 10:00 p.m. Do you need me to pick you up?"

Because of what Wren had said, Nyla wasn't eager to have too much contact with Gabriel. She declined, "No, my friend is giving me a ride. If there's nothing else, that's it." She hung up, and Valarie looked at her with curiosity. "Who were you talking to?"

"My stepbrother," Nyla answered.

Valarie's eyes widened in surprise. "He's back? When did that happen?"

Since Valarie used to visit Nyla's home often, she had met Gabriel several times.

"Just a few days ago," Nyla replied.

"Oh, he seems to be quite concerned about you now. I remember when I used to visit you. He was pretty aloof," Valarie remarked.

"Yeah. By the way... I said I'd cover the bill tonight, but you ended up doing it. Send me the bill, and I'll reimburse you," Nyla said.

Valarie glared at her. "Keeping tabs like that? Just cover it next time. By the way, how did you end up at the hospital with Damon tonight? Were you injured?"

Nyla briefly explained what had happened in the restroom, and by the end of it, Valarie was fuming.

"I knew she was a scheming little bitch! Are you just going to let this go?" Valarie demanded.

The thought of Nathaniel making Nyla apologize to Rebecca made Valarie want to confront him.

"There were no cameras in the restroom, and only Nathaniel saw what happened. He won't back me up," Nyla said.

"Nathaniel is completely under Rebecca's spell, so he'll definitely side with her." The more Valarie spoke, the angrier she became.

It felt like having a fly stuck in her throat-nauseating to swallow but impossible to spit out.

It was no wonder Rebecca had managed to make Damon and Nyla break up as soon as she returned to the country. Most people wouldn't have the heart to harm themselves to get what they wanted. "Consider today a lesson learned. I'll keep my distance from her in the future," Nyla said.

Valarie snorted. "I'm just worried that you might want to keep your distance, but she won't let you."

Nyla frowned, her expression growing cold. "I won't give her a chance to scheme against me a second time."

"I see Damon seems quite

concerned about you. If you really

wanted

compete with Rebecca,

you might not necessarily lose,"

Valarie remarked.

Nyla smiled wryly. "If a relationship

requires constant scheming and et

with another en

fig off without it." (

She might like Damon but wouldn't sacrifice her dignity for him.

"True, there are plenty of men out there. If this one doesn't work out, just move on to the next," Valarie remarked.

Nyla was a bit surprised. "You didn't use to think that way."

"It just means I was too naive before. If men can fall for someone new so easily, why can't I?" Valarie countered. Nyla was somewhat speechless. "Alright..."

There might be some truth to that.

Anyway, she wasn't interested in relationships right now. She just wanted to focus on work and earn more money. Valarie dropped Nyla off downstairs and then left.

As Nyla took the elevator to her floor and stepped out, she saw Gabriel standing at her door.

When he saw her, he quickly approached and handed her a bag. "I thought you wouldn't be back so soon."ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The bag contained some packed meals.

Nyla didn't take it.

"I made this myself. I noticed you've

been ordering takeout every night

and it's not good for your health," Gabriel explained.