Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel)

Gabriel's POV

I hadn't even gotten the chance to process the smell of fresh coffee before my

entire world tilted.

There she was.

Clairessa.

In my kitchen. In my home.

For a split second, I thought I was hallucinating-still trapped in a half-dream.

But the second her eyes met mine-wide, horrified—and the coffee cup slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor, I knew I wasn't dreaming.

No. This was a goddamn nightmare.

She stood barefoot in an oversized shirt and shorts, her hair in a messy bun, like she belonged here. Like she lived here.

Like she had every damn right to stand in this house-my house-looking so comfortable, so familiar, in a place that was meant to be off-limits to the world.

What the hell was she doing here?

Before I could even find my voice-before I could demand an answer-Adrian burst into the kitchen.

"Clairessa!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side like I wasn't even there.

He glanced briefly at the shattered cup and then ignored it completely, focusing only on her.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" he asked, taking her hand with an ease that made my insides twist.

"I... I was just startled. The cup slipped," she mumbled, eyes darting from him back to me refusing to meet my gaze.

"Did it burn you?" he asked, already leading her toward the sink.

"A little...," she muttered.

"Let's rinse it off," he murmured gently, turning on the faucet and running cool water over her hand like he'd done it a hundred times before.

"Feel any better?" he asked as their eyes locked. "Doesn't look too bad. I'll get the ointment."

“I'm fine. No need,” she said quickly, pulling her hand from his grasp. “Thank you.”

She smiled.

At him.

And I just stood there-in complete shock.

My son was looking at her with real concern-tenderness, even.

Clairessa.noveldrama

In my house.

With my son.

They knew each other. More than that—he was touching her like he cared. Deeply.

My brain scrambled to keep up, trying to make sense of the madness unfolding in front of me.

What the hell kind of twisted, cosmic joke was this?

Then Adrian looked at me, like it was just another normal morning, and said:

"Dad, you scared her. She dropped the cup when she saw you."

My throat felt tight. "Clairessa?" I rasped, eyes narrowing. "You know her?"

He gave me a confused look. "Yeah. I've told you about her. She's my girlfriend."

His girlfriend.

My entire body went rigid.

The words slammed into me like a steel bat to the chest.

But I didn't show it. I locked my expression down, stripping it of all emotion.

Clairessa shot him a warning look, and he corrected himself with a sigh. "Ex- girlfriend," he added. "The one I hurt. The one I'm trying to win back."

As if that wasn't enough, he smiled faintly and gestured between us. "Dad, meet Clairessa. Clairessa, this is my father-Gabriel Storm. CEO of Storm Innovations. I'm guessing you already knew that... since you work there."

Clairessa gave me a stiff nod. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Sir.

Pretending she didn't know me.

Pretending this was our first encounter like just days ago she hadn't been beneath me, moaning my name over and over, her body. trembling as I drove into her, again and again, until the climax tore through her and she screamed that she loved me at the top of her lungs.

I said nothing. I couldn't. I was choking on rage and disbelief.

Adrian, oblivious to the wildfire consuming me from the inside, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure it's not hurting anymore?"

"It feels much better," she said, showing him her palm. "See? All good."

"I'm glad to hear it." He gestured to the floor. "I'll clean this up and we can all have breakfast."

Clairessa took a step back. "I'm not hungry anymore... I should probably go—" Of course she wasn't.

How could she be, when her manipulative lies were about to be exposed?

But Adrian reached for her. "You don't have to go. Don't mind my dad's grumpy expression. He looks scary, but he's harmless."

"Adrian," I said sternly, "I need to speak with you. Alone. Now."

Harmless?

I was this close to showing him just how wrong he was.

Adrian laughed awkwardly, not catching the fire in my tone.

The idea of a happy family breakfast was a delusion.

"Adrian," I growled, when he didn't move fast enough. "Now."

She flinched, and her eyes finally met mine. For a split second, I saw it-that flash

of guilt in those brown depths.

Good. She should be afraid.

I leveled her with a furious glance, and it was the only thing keeping me from exploding.

Whatever softness I had ever felt for her? Gone. I didn't just look at her. I looked through her.

"I'll meet you in the room,” he replied, his gaze tracking her every step as she

walked away, her head slightly bowed, avoiding our eyes.

I watched her leave-watched the sway of her hips in what I now knew was Adrian's shirt.

My jaw clenched hard.

She had no damn right to look that comfortable in my son's clothes.

"Dad," Adrian's voice pulled me back.

"What?" I bit out, barely containing the anger welling up inside me.

"You weren't exactly welcoming to Claire just now and..."

"And?" I cut him off, stepping closer, challenging him to finish that sentence. He

backed off. He knew better than to push me when I was like this.

"I just wasn't expecting you to show up here."

"You weren't expecting me to show up at my own house?" I shot back harshly. But

I knew what he really meant.

This house was the first property I bought with my own money after years of working myself into the ground. It was where Fiona and I lived through our best and worst years. Where Adrian was born.

Where I also discovered Fiona's betrayal.

Too many memories lived here—both good and goddamn terrible. I stopped visiting because the air felt haunted.

But that didn't mean the place was any less mine. And Adrian had no right to treat

it like some crash pad.

"You know this place holds pain for you," Adrian said, his voice softening. "That's why you avoid it like the plague. So no, I didn't expect you to show up." “This is still my house,” I snapped. “Whether I show up today or twenty years from now, it's mine. And don't you dare try to justify bringing a woman here like that."

"Dad, relax, I didn't mean it like that. Look... the truth is, Clairessa's onty staying here because her place burned down. She lost everything. I invited her. I'm trying to do the right thing-make it up to her."

Burned down?

My chest tightened, uncertain whether to feel sympathetic.

Was this real? Or just another manipulation?