Eighteen

Book:Rich Love Published:2024-6-2

It was the same routine as the first time. The same car, the same driver, the same instructions were repeated to her before they left. She sat in the quiet interior of the dark car and wondered if Gavriel was watching her through the lense.
They were 15 minutes on the road and there was no Gabriel. She was curious, “Gabriel?” she called. No answer. She hesitated. Maybe it was a one time thing because it was her first time in the car when he called her. So she didn’t call again.
Just when she got comfortable, “Yes, Jamie?” his deep voice greeted her.
She felt a strange delight come over her, “Gabriel … you’re there?”
“I’m here … I’m sorry I couldn’t come and pick you up today either, I just got back from a meeting.”
“That’s okay … I was just … it felt awfully quiet in here.”
“I know,” he said.
Now that he was there, she lost thoughts of what she wanted to say to him. “Do you always do this to your future employees? Pick them up in a sound proof car, limit their visions and talk to them as if you’re invisible?” she asked.
“No … I don’t usually talk to them.”
She smiled amused, “Why do you talk to me then?”
“You called,” he said simply.
She pressed her lips together, “I wanted to ask you something … it’s been weighing on my mind for a few days …” she hesitated, “My divorce papers …”
“It’s being done … give it a month,” he didn’t wait for her to finish.
She sighed a breath of relief, “Really? He agreed to it? Should I be expecting a call from him or his lawyers?”
“With some persuasion, he agreed … maybe he’ll call, maybe not, I don’t know.”
She had a wide smile on her face, “Yeah … who knows.”
“Are you happy about that?”
She took in the moment, “Yes, actually, I’m pretty happy about that … thank you.”
“I’m glad … you’re welcome … Jamie … I’m gonna go shower for awhile, Harold will be waiting for you when you arrive … is that okay?”
Sometimes he was so polite it sounded really sweet, “Sure.”
“Great, I’ll see you soon, Jamie.”
**********
Harold welcomed her with a more familiar smile this time, he even started a small talk on the way to the drawing room on the third floor. No window, same as the sixth floor, the interior was pretty much the same. Cameras everywhere, coded doors, persian carpet. She can only imagine how big the whole building was and there was no one around other than Harold and the tall handsome billionaire who lived there, isolated from the rest of the world.
He was wearing a khaki cashmere sweater and khaki pants to match it, the color blended nicely with the interior of the drawing room. He was standing by the mantle piece with one hand in his pocket and the other one holding a glass of bourbon.
He looked at her with a faint smile across his face like he was admiring what he saw, and then he looked away. “Jamie, would you like something to drink?”
“Yes, I’d like some coffee, please,” she said as she walked towards the sofa and made herself comfortable.
“H … I think I’ll have the same with Ms. Knox … coffee sounds more fitting,” he put down his glass.
“Of course, would you like your coffee plain, Ms. Knox?” Harold asked.
“Yes, please, plain, black and strong,” she replied.
“I’ll have the same, thank you, Harold,” Gabriel added as he sat next to her, facing her with one leg crossed to the other.
“So I guess this is where we sit down for more … friendly conversation?” he said with his eyes pierced through her soul.
His cologne was subtle, she breathed his lovely scent in.
She smiled, “Like in that coffee shop we met? Do you do that a lot? Go to coffee shops to read by yourself?”
“No … I rarely go out … when I do, I go alone … anyways, I was there to supervise, I own the place.”
That explained why the waiter seemed nervous around him, and he knew their names.
“Like I said, I don’t have many friends, … any friends, actually.”
“I don’t believe you … how can a guy like you not have any friends?”
He sighed, “I know a lot of people, but they’re not my friends … to know someone does not make them your friend … take you for example, I thought we were friends, but are we?”
She shied away from his gaze, “You’re my investor, … donatur, … my employer? But we can be … friends.”
“Can you really call someone you’re benefiting from to be your friend? Does it work the same way as say … with Perry Mason? He’s your friend, isn’t he?”
“Perry? Yeah, he’s my best friend, we’ve been living together for 4 years … are you saying that because I’m benefiting from you, I can’t sincerely be your friend?”
“Most people can’t, they tend to choose their words carefully around me, they hide things from me, they lie, because what they gain from me is more valuable than my friendship … should I expect the same from you?”
She paused for a moment, she understood what other people might see in him, how intimidating his reputation was and his money. “No … I’m not a people pleaser, if that’s what you meant … I’m not afraid to tell people what they don’t want to hear, but I can understand why most people are afraid to do that with you.”
“Why is that?” he asked, genuinely curious of her answer.
His light brown eyes softened, she was paralized by them. Behind all that wealth and power lies a man who was so disconnected from the world, and he had invited her into his most private place simply to connect.
“Because they don’t know you … they’re afraid of how you might react … friendship is a two way street … you can’t know all about me, and not tell me anything about you.”
His expression didn’t change, “I have to protect myself, Jamie, it’s hard to explain but this is the life I’ve grown accustomed to … and frankly, that’s what I have to do to survive.”
Gabriel has the world in his grip, yet he sees himself as someone who’s vulnerable. She was starting to believe at least one thing, he really didn’t have anyone because there was no one he could trust. Everyone around him was benefiting from him and was afraid of the power that came with his money.
He had isolated himself in that building he called home, she could only imagine how lonely he must be. She had been there twice, and she hadn’t seen anyone other than Harold.
That’s when Harold came in with their coffee.