Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Estevan Clyborne

"You have to find your bride, Gabe!"

Larisa took a heavy breath while standing outside the office of Gabe Clyborne with his parents inside. She can hear their conversation and how they are raising their voices towards each other.

"How many times do I have to remind myself? I will not get married if I don't want to," he said with firmness from his voice.

"That is absurd, Gabe. You know a lot of our enemies will come to steal everything from you. The lions are waiting outside the gate," his father discussed calmly. He was calmer than his wife.

"What? Erase us? I don't care, Mom. You know I have no interest in being the most powerful in this Mafia world." Gabe said with his baritone voice.

Well? They are anticipating that one of the clans in the Mafia world will erase them just like what happened to the Castellan.

"They are always like that," Leo uttered, standing beside her as well. After Mr. and Mrs. Clyborne thought of her as Gabe's girlfriend, they were kicked out in the room to give some privacy to the family. But then, they can hear everything though.

"Why does he not want to get married?" Larisa asked.

"You have no idea what's gonna happen, Gabe. We can all die if they erase us…none of us will leave in this world and your bloodline will not conti—"

"It will continue but with that woman that I really love. Not with someone that I just met twice," he uttered and took a heavy sigh.

"Who would want to get married to someone you don't even know?" Leo asked her back and smirked.

"What about that bodyguard? Why would you hire someone that is a woman?" Her mother asked with frustration. Leo and Larisa stopped when they heard that. She simply shrugged and remained unbothered about it.

"She's capable," they heard Gabe say shortly as if he didn't need to explain his decision of hiring her anymore.

"Capable? She's a mere woman, Gabe!"

"And she defeated David," Gabe said immediately, which silenced the room. His parents were definitely stunned.

"I saw how she fought…and I know she's suitable for the job," Gabe said again.

"Just act like you don't hear anything," Leo murmured.

"What else should I do?" Larisa said and chuckled.

"Whatever. You will meet the heiress of the Leondale, just this once. Why don't you try it?" His mother proposed to him.

"No, mother." He said in his stern voice.

"The Coopers also had an arranged marriage and it worked, Gabe. You and their heiress might wo—"

"Mom, they are the Coopers and not all arranged marriages work!" They can both hear from outside how upset Gabe is. His mother won't really stop until he says yes.

"Let's just try to meet them, Gabe. What about dinner? If you don't like her, then we'll leave you alone." His father now said, making a deal for him.

"That's better," Leo mumbled.

"Fine," Gabe replied. "It's a deal, don't break your words."

"I'm true to my words," his father said. A seconds later, the door opened and they both pretended just standing there as if they didn't hear anything. They were about to leave when Mrs. Clyborne suddenly stopped in front of Larisa and glanced at her for a second.

"I would like you if you are his girlfriend," she uttered and smiled sweetly at her before they both marched out of the company.

"Were you nervous? Those two always give me chills," Leo said and took a deep breath. Was he holding his breathing earlier?

"Not really," she said while watching them leave.

"Annalise, Leo!" Gabe called inside the office. They both came inside quickly.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked.

"Can you get me some ice coffee?" He asked while massaging his head. Gabe really looks stressed.

"I can get it," Larisa volunteered again.

"Go, get hi—"

"No, not her. Just get it, Leo. You're my bodyguard so you better stay with me." He said deeply and drew her eyes at him. Why does it give her butterflies all of a sudden? As if she has to read between the lines? Why can't she imagine herself staying alone in this huge room with him?

"Okay, then. I'll get us some coffee, too." Leo told her before he left them alone there. She was like a statue, standing near his table. None of them were talking and she didn't dare to break the ice either. Gabe was busy reading a lot of papers on his desk, ignoring her presence.

"I'm sorry about how my parents acted," he said first, breaking the silence. "You might have felt uncomfortable," he added and now glanced at her.

It feels like an electricity suddenly ran through his spine as he mustered some strength and courage to glance at her. As soon as their eyes met, it was like a volt that he felt all over his body. Why are those eyes of hers able to captivate anyone so easily?

"No, not at all. I understand the situation," she answered, avoiding not to stutter and embarrass herself.

"Please be used to them. My mother might push you towards me," he said and now pulled his eyes away from her.

"Yes, sir."

"Gabe," he said and looked at her again. Why does he have to look at her?

"Pardon?"

"Call me Gabe," he added and sighed.

She was stunned. Her lips parted as she was lost for words. Oh, yeah. He wants her to drop the formality but how can she just call him on his name? That's where she is not comfortable.

"Okay…Gabe," she added and forced a smile to her lips. Her eyes shifted to the paper that he was reading. But then, her eyebrows crossed when she saw that he was actually reading it wrong.

"Are you reading?" She asked all of a sudden after noticing that.

"I am," he replied without giving her an eye. Her eyebrows raised as she sighed and went in front of him.

"You're reading it wrong," she uttered and rotated it for him. His lips parted in embarrassment after realizing that. Larisa went back to her position earlier and created a distance between them with a sly smile on her lips.

"My bad," he said and took a deep breath.

Right after that, Leo came back with ice coffee not just for Gabe but for the three of them.

"You won't deduct this on my salary, right?" Larisa asked, joking.

"It's free," he answered and chuckled.

They both continued their work again while Larisa was only inside the office, killing her time by thinking a lot of things. Gabe was so busy that he couldn't even feel their presence anymore in the room. It's 7 pm when they all decide to go home, exhausted except for Larisa who doesn't feel tired at all. On this day, she meets Gabe's parents and even finds out how they are pushing their son to marry a Leondale.

"I'm so tired," Gabe murmured and laid his head on the window as soon as Larisa began to drive. She couldn't help but to check on him every minute. Why does she feel like he pity him for a moment just because he's tired from working? She shook her head and sighed.

"Do you have a problem?" Leo asked with his eyes closed. He always thought that someone had a problem every time he heard someone sighing.

"Huh? Of course not," she replied. Gabe opened his eyes in secrecy after hearing Larisa sighed as well. He suddenly wants to know what's running in her head.

"I'm gonna sleep," Leo said as soon as they arrived back in the mansion.

"Annalise," David called. It seems like he just finished taking a bath.

"Good evening, Gabe." He greeted him with a smile on his lips. Gabe simply nodded but stayed there with them.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Well, you can join us for dinner if you want. We cooked some food," he proposed and raised his eyebrows repeatedly.

"Sure," Larisa replied with no hesitation. She's already starving too.

"Am I not counted?" Gabe suddenly asked, which made the two of them freeze like statues. Both of their eyes shifted at him, surprised.

"Huh?"

"Count me in," he said coldly before he began to march out from there. David and Larisa eyed each other before they both shrugged.

"He's really weird sometimes," David mumbled. "Anyways, do your thing and we will wait for you." He added before he left her alone as well.

She quickly came back to her room and before she could even call Candice, she was already calling her.

"Hey," she said as soon as she answered it.

"Are you home? What's the news now?" Candice asked.

"Well," she uttered first with a smile. "Gabe Clyborne doesn't want to marry the heiress of Leondale. Can you do some research about her?" Larisa asked so she could get to know her more before she could even meet her soon.

"Sure, I'll send it to you after this call."

"Anyways, I met his parents." She mentioned it with excitement.

"Really? They came home?" She asked with surprise.

"Yeah, because of the wedding they want to happen, I think. But Gabe is hard as a stone, he's against it." She rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"What happened when you met his parents?" She was indeed curious about it.

"They were kind…they thought I was Gabe's girlfriend," she said and laughed with that thought.

"Well, you are beautiful to be his personal bodyguard." Candice said and agreed with that thought.

"Everything's going well. Deliver them everything I said," she uttered and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah. Gotta go, take care." Candice ended the call and Larisa remained looking at herself in the mirror for a second.

"Annalise?" She looked at her door when she heard Leo calling from outside.

"Leo," she called and smiled at him. He's done changing his clothes.

"You're not done yet? David told me to get you," he said.

"Oh, yeah. I'll go there, I will just change. Sorry, I rested for a bit." She said and even faked her yawn.

"Okay, be quick."

She simply nodded before she quickly moved and washed herself as she changed her clothes as well. She chose to tie her hair as well before going down there to eat dinner with them. Her feet automatically stopped in front of Gabe's room as if it was glued there. She couldn't help but to wonder if Gabe was still inside or not. He said he will join them for dinner.

"Why do I care?" she mumbled to herself.

She was about to leave when the door of Gabe's room opened all of a sudden. Their eyes met again and Larisa's lips parted when she saw him. He was wearing a simple white shirt and a black shorts. She gulped secretly, and had no idea about what she must do.

"Annalise," he called.

"Gabe," she called.

"Are you going down?" he asked. Why is he keeping his eyes on her? It's making her feel hard to breathe all of a sudden with his eyes on her.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Let's go," he simply said before he began to walk first. She had to pull herself back to her senses and follow him.

"She's beautiful, don't you think the same?" One of them said.

"She is, her eyes were captivating." David said by himself and agreed.

"Do you have a crush on her?" Leo asked and chuckled.

"I am only praising her," David said and glared at him.

"I'm only asking," he defended.

"Shall we eat?" Gabe asked and interrupted their conversation. They both heard what they were talking about and yet Larisa pretended not to hear anything. He couldn't help but to glance at her to see her reaction. But she was only wearing her usual blank face.

"Yes, of course." David said and smiled at Annalise behind Gabe. It didn't escape Gabe's sharp eyes.

"Come on," Leo said.

"You can si—" Gabe seated to the chair that David was about to offer to Annalise. Her eyebrows raised a bit while eyeing Gabe weirdly.

"I'll sit with Leo," she said and smiled the smallest.

"Let's have dinner," David said before they all dug into the food that was served on the table. They were quiet because of Gabe's presence on the table.

At the end, they all ate in silence and ended it with silence as well.

"Annalise?" Gabe called when he was on his way to the living room.

"Yes?"

"You must also come when I meet my parents with the wo—"

"Hi, Clyborne!"

They both stopped when a man just came in wearing a black leather jacket and black leather pants. He quickly hugged Gabe as if they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"Why the hell are you here?" Gabe asked with annoyance.

"Why? Didn't you miss me?" He asked. This man resembles Gabe a bit. The silver earring on his one ear was beaming through her eyes. Her eyebrows crossed while staring at the man.

"No, I didn't."

"Who's this beautiful lady?" He asked as his eyes shifted to Larisa.

"Sto—"

"I'm Estevan Clyborne…Gabe's cousin."