He Only Married Me To Show Her That He Already Moved On

Gabriel's POV:

"Madi.. can I borrow your boyfriend for a few minutes?"

Madi and I both chuckled with her Mom's question. We're currently in the kitchen and her and her were preparing some food for dinner. Although they have maids but they choose to cook their meals. 

"Mom.. what kind of question is that? Can't you just simply say.. you're gonna talk to him?" Madi said while chopping the vegetables. 

"Shh! You just make it more formal, but it's just the same!"

"Okay, fine!" she said rolling her eyes. I can't help not to laugh on their way of conversation. They were like bestfriends rather than a mother and a daughter. 

"Let's go, Gabriel." her mother grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the kitchen, but we heard Madi ask her again. 

"Where are you going to take him, Mom?"

She put her forefinger in her lips which signing me to keep quiet. "I just want to talk to him, that's all. Don't worry she's all yours."

And this time, I really laughed hard. We heard her complaining in the kitchen but she ignored it and pulled me upstairs. At first, I was confused on why she's pulling me and where we are going, but she already answered my silent questions. 

"I'm going to show you something. But don't tell my stubborn daughter about this. It's just our secrets..okay?"

I smiled and nodded. We continued to walk upstairs.. to the hallway and when we reached the end, she opened a door and the switch of the lights inside. And my eyes widened with what I saw.. trophies, certificates in frames which half were hanging on the wall and half were inside of the glass cabinets. There were also some pictures.. pictures of Madi in a school uniform, with medals, and in the oval ground and some were in front of the school and many more that I couldn't point where. 

"These were all her achievements in schools, it works and in business."

I crunched my eyebrows with the word business, but I remained quiet. I just let her continue what she's saying. 

"Here.. let's start with this one."

She opened the door of the glass cabinet and pointed Madi's picture in a sports uniform... that I don't know which sports is that...and a track and field oval in her background. 

"This one was taken in her high school days. She's just fourteen years old when she won in a track and field competition."

"S-She won in that sports? She's an athlete before?"

"Yes, she's an athlete, son.. when she's in high school. She always brought a medal, trophy or certificate for that sports."

My mouth hung open with this information. I can't believe she's also in sports. 

"And who knows that she would enrolled in a cooking school in college? I thought, she's going to take something which related to her sports.. but she took up Hotel and Restaurant Management."

And then she chuckled. But the frown in my forehead just got deeper. She took up HRM? She enrolled in a cooking school? But as I remember, she took business in college? 

"W-Wait." I said stopping her for a while. "Madi enrolled in a cooking school in college? But I thought she took a business course?"

She laughed at me. "Yeah, but that's just her second course after finishing her first one." she said grabbing my hand again. "Come here." she pulled me into the second cabinet of trophies and certificates. 

There were pictures of her in front of her school and a very familiar restaurant behind her. She's in a microphone and cutting ribbons, and receiving certificates. And because I don't understand, I turned to Mrs. Davis again. 

"Why is she cutting ribbon in front of this restaurant?" I asked pointing the one which she has scissors and a ribbon in her other hand. 

"That one was taken in the grand opening of her first restaurant----"

"She has a restaurant?" I asked cutting her off. Madi has a restaurant? 

"Ohh.. you don't know about that?" she asked me back, chuckling. "For sure my daughter has a lot of things to discuss to you later. Okay.. I'm gonna tell you half of her secrets and I let her tell you the other half. Is it okay with you?"

"Y-Yeah.. that's fine with me, Mrs. Davis." I answered nodding. But I noticed that she suddenly became serious. 

"That's one of the half that I need to tell you. Madi is the only Davis in this house."

"Huh? What do you mean she's the only Davis in your house?"

"Because her father and I were not married, so I'm still Petterson until now." she's now smiling again. 

"Ohh..." I don't know how to form words right at this moment, but I remember one thing that Madi has told me. "But she said, she has a brother and sister? Where are they."

"I'm sorry, son. But I think it's better to ask her that thing instead of me. If she's willing to open to you her past life... it's good. But if she's still not okay, just wait patiently 'till she become ready."

"It's okay, I'll just try to ask her whenever she's ready about this matter."

"Thank you, son. let's go back to our topic earlier. As I was saying with this picture.. that was when she opened her first restaurant. Are you familiar with the name 'Maiden'?"

My eyebrows furrowed again. That name sounds familiar to me. And my eyes widened in realization. 

"She owned that restaurant? The fine-dining restaurant?"

"Yes.. she has now three branches of it in your City, and as what I've heard, she's expanding again into four branches."

I was left totally speechless with that. Now I know why she didn't accept the money that I offered her from our deal. But what still a mystery to me, was her reason for keeping all of these informations in her life. She's been secretive and a reserve person. 

"But why did she choose to open her business in Chicago instead of in her homeland?"

She smiled at me and then shook her head. "Because my daughter wants to create her own identity. Her own name and her own business. She doesn't want to help her old mother with our own business here."

"That's why she choose to live in just small apartment?"

"Oh yes. She doesn't want other people to know who the real she is. And she hates having bodyguards. You know what, I'm so proud with her achievements. She did it on her own, although sometimes it makes me sad, that she wants to have her own business rather than be known for being my daughter." she heavily sighed. 

"You also have business, Mom?" but then she smiled widely when she heard me calling her 'Mom'. 

"Just keep on calling me that. I like that. And I'll make sure you two ended up in front of the altar, soon." I gulped with the word 'altar'. "And regarding your question. Yes, I also have my own business.. if you're familiar with the 'Green Ribbon Cakes'?" she said casually. 

"Green Ribbon? As Green Ribbon cakes and pastries?"

"Yes. Actually it's my family's business, but since I am an only child like Madi, I don't have a choice but to managed it. And this will be my biggest problem in the future... why? Because my only daughter chose to cook instead of baking."

I don't what to say at this moment. Their family owned one of the biggest company that makes and sells cakes and pastries in the whole state. And Madi is truly a princess, but she choose to live in a low profile way. 

We moved to the certificates hanging on the wall. 

"But you know what, I'm happy that she now has a boyfriend." she held my hand and gave me a half and sincere smile. "You're her first boyfriend, son. I hope you can make her happy. I can see both from your eyes, how you loved each other. There were sometimes, you're going through a rough and a hard part in your relationship. But I hope you can both stay strong and hold each other tightly. As a mother, there's just two things that I wanted to ask you in favor. Don't hurt my daughter, son.. and last.. love her. Love her the way she deserves. She's tough and strong on the outside, but her heart is too fragile on the inside, Gabriel."

I don't know but I felt like there's cold water.. poured all over my body. 

"I promise." I said, and then her smile widened more. 

"You know what, I think I like you more than Madi's friend and suitor from college. You're more handsome than him."

My head automatically snapped on her and she winked at me. 

"A friend and a suitor?"