Chapter 835
Kinsey shook his head. “No, Dolores bought it. She said it’s a special comfort pacifier for her child.”
Pacifier? Upon examining its shape, Jessica quickly realized what it was designed to resemble. “Wasn’t Gabriela without a mother? Surely she needed this for comfort!”
“This is mine now!” Jessica pocketed the pacifier and left.
By the time Dolores emerged from the kitchen, Jessica had already left. “She has taken it away. How will Emerson manage tonight?” Dolores asked. Emerson’s old pacifier had broken, and Dolores had just purchased this new one; she hadn’t even unwrapped it yet.
“I used my money to buy it anyway. Let Jessica take it. You can get another one next time,” Kinsey said indifferently before heading upstairs.
Dolores was left without words. She pulled out her phone and texted Eileen, “Tomorrow, Gabriela will receive a special gift.”
Eileen repeatedly asked Dolores what she meant, but Dolores refused to reveal what Gabriela’s special gift was.
The mystery was unraveled the following day when Jessica produced the pacifier, unwrapping it publicly and attempting to give it to Gabriela.
“Wait!” Eileen quickly intervened. “What sort of special gift is this? It’s too weird!”
“What are you doing?” Jessica responded irritably, shrugging Eileen off. “I bought this specifically for Mr. Dawson’s daughter. Who do you think you are to interfere?”
Eileen had seen the pacifier at Dolores’s place and realized it had been taken without permission. However, she didn’t bring that up. Instead, she explained, “Gabriela is over a year old and doesn’t need a pacifier anymore. The one you have is meant for younger babies, not suitable for her.”
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Jessica didn’t know anything about caring for children; she only knew that Eileen was trying to stop her. She frowned and said, “Eileen, you just don’t want me getting close to Mr. Dawson’s child. Are you worried that if I bring her more gifts, she won’t like you anymore?”
Eileen was at a loss for words. Jessica moved to offer the pacifier to Gabriela again. Eileen cautioned, “This is meant for her mouth. You should sterilize it with hot water first to kill any germs. It’s very unclean.”
Gabriela clearly picked up on the word “unclean.” She snatched the pacifier from Jessica and plunged it into the bucket for mops used by the janitors, swishing it around a few times. Then, holding it up triumphantly, she pressed it toward Jessica’s mouth.
“Washed! It’s clean now, here—”
Some tiny water from the bucket remained in the pacifier, and it squirted into Jessica’s mouth as Gabriela pushed it forward. Jessica gagged in revulsion, swatting the pacifier from Gabriela’s hand. The gesture turned Gabriela’s small hand red.
Shocked by the harsh treatment, Gabriela quickly began to cry, turning to Eileen in search of comfort.
“What’s happening here?” Bryan entered the office just after his meeting, immediately tensing up at the sound of Gabriela’s cries.
Eileen carried Gabriela away to the break room to soothe her, while gesturing for Bryan to deal with Jessica.
Eileen knew that her words wouldn’t sway Jessica, but Bryan could handle her.