Chapter 3 The Mighty CEO Scoffed by Danielle

As Gabriel regained consciousness, he suspected his brain, dizzy from blood loss, had conjured a hallucination. After a long stare, he accepted that the little girl indeed in front of him.

He silently looked at the pretty little thing. His voice was hoarse as he finally spoke after sleeping so long: "Where are the adults in your house?"

"Mommy went to the supermarket to buy me chocolate! Do you want some? But Mommy said you shouldn't eat chocolate when you're sick." Danielle said while staring at the handsome man's face.

Gabriel's pale and stern face twitched slightly.

Danielle sat next to him, her little face alive with excitement as if saving another little bunny. She chattered away, "Does it hurt? Oh, right. Mommy said you need some water!"

Danielle suddenly hopped off the bed and sprinted towards the bedroom door while shouting, "You better not move. Just wait a sec!"

Gabriel glanced sideways at her darting out of the room and heard a flurry of sounds from outside: drawers opening and closing, objects being moved around, and water pouring. In just a few minutes, Danielle came back, carefully holding a glass of water, her small hands unsteady.

She tiptoed to the bedside, trying to offer him water. Remembering that her mommy had been using a spoon to feed him water these past few days but unsure how to do it herself, she quickly had a bright idea and ran to get a straw. Finally, she slipped the straw into the glass and tiptoed again to bring it to his lips.

"Mommy says you have a fever and need to drink lots of water!"

Seeing the little one struggle on her tiptoes, Gabriel gently lifted his unbandaged arm to take the glass and sipped some water through the straw, soothing the rough dryness in his throat.

He looked again at Danielle standing by the bed, her head tilted and eyes wide with concern, "Was it your mom who saved me?"

"Yeah!" She bounced back onto the bed and secretly produced a pink Peppa Pig sticker from her pocket. She peeled off one with a crown on it and carefully placed it on the back of his hand, saying seriously, "When I get shots and stay still and good, Mommy rewards me with this! You have to be good and stay put while I stick it on!"

With his left arm temporarily immobile, Gabriel watched a pink sticker suddenly appear beside the medical tape, a slight twitch betraying his usually stoic expression. Then he saw the little girl's eyes, filled with hopeful expectation for praise.

"Pretty, isn't it? It's my favorite Peppa Pig! Do you like it?"

"I like it."

Gabriel set the water glass aside and started to sit up, using one hand. The movement made the covers slip, and for the first time, he noticed he was shirtless and wearing just a pair of new, loose-fitting, dark grey shorts. His various wounds were neatly dressed with bandages, clearly disinfected and treated.

"Did other adults in your home take care of my wounds?" he asked, turning to the little figure still perched on the bed.

"There's only Mommy. She said no peeking because you're a guy, and she blushed so much after changing your clothes!"

Silence fell for a moment before Gabriel continued, "She's not worried about having a stranger in the house and leaving you alone?"

Danielle's eyes went wide as she replied emphatically, "Yes!"

The man's sharp eyebrows raised slightly in question.

Danielle looked serious: "Mommy said you were really hurt, that you couldn't beat me or run away from me, so don't worry!"

The CEO of Pegasus Global Holdings, who had stood at the pinnacle of life for twenty-six years, found himself, for once, at a rare disadvantage and scorned by a child.