Chapter 45
Elen a
“If we really want to go through with this without raising suspicion of your mother, we need to distract her.”
“No shit, Sherlock Holmes.” Mio bites back to Gabriel. I got to properly meet her today and it is clear that she is not interested in Gabriel. I offered my help to get the tape deleted.
Might have made a new friend because Mio is nicer than I expected. Behind her dark expressions and pale complexion, she hides a sweet girl who is also a badass. So far, she has managed to insult something on Gabriel twelve times and complimented me twice as much.
I am enjoying this way too much.
“What if , and I am just spit balling here, you guys put an act together?” I suggest, my funny suggestion being not so fun anymore when they both turn to look at me, arms crossed over their chests.
“What do you mean?” Gabriel asks.
“We all know that Marjorie loves the idea of you two,” I point to them. “What if you act like you are together for a second and I will delete the file?”
“No way in hell,” Gabriel says under his breath.
“Nuh-uh,” Mio says at the same time, and continues. “I am not going into another relationship with him, even if it’s fake.”
“We weren’t even in a relationship.”
“I don’t care,” Mio shoots back at him, and I am starting to wonder if my brilliant idea isn’t that brilliant. “It was torture enough.”
“Maybe it wasn’t that much of a brilliant idea,” I mumble under my breath. “Any other ideas?”
“Why not you two?” Mio points out. “Sorry to mention it Elena, but we all know she does not like you very much.
“Correction, she hates me,” I point out.
“Right, talk to her about your wedding you are planning.”
“We aren’t planning a- a wedding.”
“I say that’s a plan,” Gabriel says without another thought.
“You aren’t planning a wedding?”
“We actually got together because we were fake engaged to keep you away.” I point out with an awkward smile and tone in my voice.
“Which, by the way, did not work out otherwise we would not be in this situation.”
“Gabriel, be nice. We all know she did not want to be there but had to be.”
“Yeah, Gabriel. Listen to your wife and be nice to me.” Mio chimes in. “And also, I would rather die than spend another minute with you willingly. I have an idea, let’s throw him off this plan, and we will handle this alone, Lena.”
Gabriel tilts his head, his eyes grow dark, clearly he is mad at Mio. I’m loving this.
“I would say I am in.”
“Great, goodbye Gabriel,” she stands next to me and waves at Gabriel, signalling at him to leave.
“But, a three-person plan is safer than a two-person plan.”
“I thought we were bonding.”
“Weird to say, but I like you Mio, and we kind of are bonding but I have a better idea that involves all three of us.”
“Which is?” She asks, not very impressed I might add.
“Put her on the stand. Make her delete it herself. From everywhere she might have the copy. We might be able to get to her laptop but what if she has more copies?”
“On a hard drive?”
“Hard drive, USB, anything.”
“She is right, my mother is sneaky and would keep multiple copies.”
“Put her on the stand,” I shout, and clap my hands but regret it immediately. That burns. I reach for my water bottle on the table and unfasten the cap.
“I would say let’s do it but she is stubborn as hell. Who do you think he got that awful trait from?”
I choke on the water I have in my mouth, coughing as my throat is burning. “She is hardcore,” I comment.
“Someone has to point out his flaws. Otherwise, his ego will be your worst enemy.”
“Yeah, too late, I have already been victimized by his ego.”
“Lena, you are being cruel today.” he complains but I just flash him an innocent smile followed by words I never thought I would say.
“But you love me either way.”
His foul expression disappears and is replaced by a soft one. With a soft smile. His dimples slightly showing. “I do.”
“Aww,” Mio awes in the background as we just stare at each other. “That’s the first time I heard him say those words.”
“I love you?” He questions.
“No, ‘I do’,” she says in quotation marks. “You are never this easy agreed.”
I hold a hand to my mouth, trying to suppress my smile.
“Ever heard of the term that people change?”
“You and change are two foreign subjects that do not fit together.”
“Technically now they do, because remember how I said I would never fall in love?” he ends his sentence, waiting for Mio to point out the obvious. I awe him when he holds his hand out for me to take and I do. He pulls me to him and I take a sit on his lap.
Kind of gives me déjà vu from Venice.
Gabriel presses a short kiss on my cheek before it hits me.
Wait, what?
“You have never been in love?”
“Didn’t see the point,” he shrugs his shoulders. “Until you.”
“Aww, how romantic.” Mio scrunches her nose and turns around. “And nauseating.“
“Now love is nauseating?” he retorts.
“Always has been. That is why I stick to casual relationships.”
“Which is the reason we are here in the first place.”
“At least I am having fun before I am forced into a marriage.” She mumbles under her breath and the room goes silent. How is someone supposed to say something to that?
“Never mind my talking, let’s confront this bitch,” she says, storming away.
“Mio!” I call after her. First, she swore and then she stormed off alone, probably making the situation worse.