GUARDED HEAT のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 81 - チャプター 90

"You two finally decided to show yourselves," my father said, clearly referring to both Gunner and me, before he focused his gaze on me. "I thought I would have to drag you here myself," he added, his voice stern and impatient. Obviously, he was angry that it took us so long to get inside. After all, he hates waiting, especially when the person he has to wait for is me. If it was the Layland before Gunner came into the picture, he would immediately think of a comeback or a sharp-witted response to his father. But the current me, who seemed to have gone back into being a weakling, couldn’t think of anything. My brain was filled with so many questions and negative thoughts that I couldn’t think straight anymore. I was just staring at my father like a damn fool. ‘Speak, Layland. Speak up! Say anything! Anything that would rile him up. Do what you’ve been so good at doing for a while now!’ That’s what I keep telling myself in silence. But I couldn’t. And that made me want to smash my he

"I personally asked your brother to have you take the job because you have been recommended by some of my business partners. And they said nothing but good praises about you, that you are excellent at your job and that you take it so seriously. So why, Mr. Raptis? Why is it that I don't seem to have the same sentiments as them? Why is it that I feel like you are not what all my friends and my business partners had told me? Why is it that I feel like you are not doing an excellent job like I expected you to be?"I clenched my fists. "I apologize if I haven't met your expectations, Sir," was the only thing I said. I made sure to meet his eyes as I hid my nervousness and put on a brave look instead, wanting to give him the impression that I am not someone he could easily break.Honestly, I don't know if the way I was acting would put me on his good side. There's a huge probability that it would instead make me dislikable in his eyes, as he might think that I was being arr

I was already taking my one last overall look at the mirror when I heard a knock on my door, followed by Gunner’s voice calling my name.“Come in,” I responded to him.Through the mirror that was facing the door, I looked at Gunner as he opened the door, came inside, closed the door again, and locked it, and then made his way towards me, his eyes fixed on my body. He was looking at me as if he was trying to take in the way I looked.He stopped when he was already right behind me with only a few inches of distance between us. And to my surprise, he closed even that small distance between us as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him until our bodies got stuck together. He then bent down so that he could rest his chin on my left shoulder, his eyes still staring at me through the mirror.“This is not good,” he said.I grimaced as I met his eyes. “Are you saying that this outfit is not good, or that I looked ugly in this?""I am saying I don't like how you look too

"Let me guess. He told you to make sure that I won't be causing trouble and that if I do, you'll be the one to pay for it," I immediately told Gunner the moment he sat in the driver's seat of his car and closed the door.He looked at me with amusement in his eyes. "You were able to tell that much without listening to our conversation?""I've heard him say that to his minions so many times that I've already memorized it," I responded without meeting his eyes. I sighed. "That old man's already predictable; he doesn't even surprise me anymore.""Except for what he did and said to you today," Gunner immediately retorted."Well, that's because I never thought my father could be so dumb as to even resort to that.""Or maybe he saw you as someone so weak that you wouldn't stand up for yourself and would do anything he asks you to do."I looked at our house through the car's window, pain and bitterness visible in my face. "Or maybe that," I muttered in a small voice."Are you?" Gunner asked.

Gunner and I went inside the restaurant together. He talked to the maître d' before we both got guided to our own tables.Gunner first got seated at the table my father had booked for him, so it wasn't surprising anymore that after walking just a few steps away from him, the maître and I already reached the table, where a woman was already sitting, looking so bored at first but immediately going tense when she saw me.I muttered "thanks" to the maître and waited for him to leave before I faced the woman again and gave her a smile."Hi," I just said without bothering to do anything.But it seems that it didn't bother the woman at all, as she didn't do anything either and just replied, "Hi," with a small and obviously nervous smile. Then she added, "You must be Layland?""Yes," I responded."That's cool. Oh, and I'm Stephanie, by the way.""Nice to meet you, Stephanie.""Same here."None of us spoke after that. The awkwardness surrounding us was so obvious that it was kind of embarrassi