Romance with the Cursed Siren

CHAPTER 48. Childhood Memories

"Let go of that woman!" Rachel's angry utterance as she pulls her fiance away. But Gabriel strongly withdrew his hand and turned again to the lady who had still fallen to the ground.

"Are you, okay?" He asked, and Crystal nodded silently. He helped her stand up, and when she finally found her grip, she shoved Gabriel’s hands away.

“What is that disgusting woman doing here!? What did she tell you, huh!?” Rachel was freaking out and about to reach Crystal again with her dreadful claws, but Gabriel quickly blocked her chance.

“Stop it! She’s doing nothing, okay?” He told her, standing in between the two ladies.

Gabriel heaved a deep sigh and pressed his forehead with his palm with so much frustration. He slightly turned to look at Crystal, who was looking down while biting her lower lip and with teary eyes. Then turned back to Rachel again who was standing firmly with her arms crossed on her chest while narrowing her eyes to Crystal.

“She. She's Crystal, she's." He stuttered and paused, hesitating about what he had to say. 

"Sh-She's a friend and… I am only helping her." He let out.

Crystal felt her heart skip a beat after hearing the man's words. Hoping that the ground would open up and swallow her entire being to the ground.

"A friend? Helping her by letting that disgusting stripper in your mansion? You're unbelievable!" Rachel huffed in anger.

"Don't call her that!" Gabriel quickly countered as he shut her with a fury gaze before he turned back to Crystal.

"Go back to your room." He demanded in an almost whispering voice, but the lady did not obey.

'My room? I thought it's our room?' She sadly thought while her tears dropped one by one.

"Crystal." He called her again.

"I want to leave," she said, still not looking up at him.

Gabriel sighed and abruptly grabbed her wrist, dragging her back to the mansion. Crystal tries to withdraw herself, but she has no match against his strength.

"Gab!" Rachel called to him, but he just ignored the lady.

Rachel is glaring at the sight of the two while her body is shaking with rage. Her breath growing thin and ragged with the thought of her cousin Crystal is trying to snatch Gabriel again from her. 

"You still didn't change, you Crystal!" With pursed lips, trying to suppress her madness.

She madly stomps her heels back to her car and grabs her phone, immediately dialing her father's number.

"Dad, you wouldn't believe who my fiance is keeping inside his house." She started with so much annoyance.

"Who?" her father asked in a calm tone.

"It's Crystal!" Slamming her hand on the steering wheel.

"What!? How is that even possible?" It shocked Austin as well after hearing her report.

"I don't know! I thought you asked Margaux to sell her out?" But her eyes widen when she realizes something.

"Don't tell me that Gabriel bought her from that place!?" She unbelievably told her father.

"I do not know, Rachel. But I'll talk to Margaux as soon as possible."

"Oh, God! I can't believe you did this to me, dad. How can you not be careful about these things? You really are only looking after yourself not to get busted for being Sebastian Jones. While you didn't care about my relationship with Gabriel." Rachel dramatically complains like a child who is having tantrums towards her father. While Austin felt annoyed by her accusation.

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady. Blame yourself if Gabriel still can't love you in return." Austin firmly said.

"I need to go now. I have no time to listen to your childish complaints. Bye." Then the call ended.

"Urgh!" Rachel groaned and tossed her phone furiously.

"I'll make sure to kick you out of our lives for good, dear cousin. You'll see." She threatened her, gripping the steering wheel as she felt so much envy towards the lady.

*****

"Gab, look!" The six years old Rachel cried excitedly approaching Gabriel, who just arrived with his grandmother to attend a dinner meeting together with the other company's shareholders at the Alonzo's Mansion while also pulling the five years old Crystal with her. She flicked her hair and turned around while showing their cute twinning hair bow that her mother bought for them. 

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She added, waiting for the boy's answer.

"Yes, but it looks even more beautiful with Crystal wearing it." The handsome boy seriously remarks.

Rachel pouts her lips and turns to look at her cousin, who doesn't care what they are talking about, as she is busy pretending to talk to her plush doll.

"How can you even say that? We even got the same color." She inquired with a frown face.

"Because her hair is more lovely than yours." He honestly said, shrugging his shoulders. Though the young Gabriel was just super amazed by Crystal's curly hair than Rachel's straight ones. However, at a very young age, Rachel already felt her first heartache and started getting jealous of her cousin.

****

"Stay here," Gabriel demanded, crouching in front of Crystal, who is sitting on the bed.

"I'll ask Layla to bring you your dinner and accompany you for a while until Rachel leaves, okay?" He added, but Crystal’s emotions were already suffocating her again while constantly wiping her face with her hands, and cannot find any word to respond to him.

Gabriel sighed and though he wanted to stay and comfort the lady, he couldn't do it because of the annoying Rachel as he described her.

"I'll explain everything later, okay?"

"I don't need your explanation, just let me get out of here," Crystal says between her hiccups.

Again, Gabriel only responded with a deep sigh. He stared at her for seconds before he stood up and turned to leave already.

Crystal only follows him by sight as she continues sobbing. Once Gabriel closes the door, she slowly drops her body as well on the soft mattress while burying her face in the pillow.

Later on, someone knocks on the door. 

"Miss Crystal?" It was Layla already, but she didn't answer and only covered her whole body with the duvet.

After a few calls with no answer, Layla entered the room while pushing a trolley with the dinner on it. She roamed her eyes around the quarter and darted the covered lady on the bed like a cocoon.

She pulled a small table beside the bed and placed the food on it before she shook the still crying lady. 

"Miss Crystal, your dinner is ready. Come on, get up now before it gets cold." She invited her, but Crystal didn't answer. 

"Are you crying because you thought that Sir Gabriel didn't love you since he is engaged to someone else?" She suddenly asked, which made Crystal pay attention to her.

"I've been serving him since he bought this house five years ago. This floor had bedrooms before but a few months back, he renovated it. When I asked him why he only kept on telling me he was only preparing for someone. When I noticed that he also got rid of the stairs connecting to this floor from the next and hid its button, I asked him again why and he said that he only wants to protect that someone." 

Crystal bites her lower lip while listening to the lady.

"When he brought you the first night, it shocked me to see you blindfolded and tied." She chuckles softly, remembering the moment. 

"The first thing that came to my mind is that he kidnapped you, which I think he truly did. And after that night he slowly introduced me to you through his stories, about how you guys met. Including the reason for putting a swimming pool inside this enormous room." 

And that's when Crystal pushed the duvet down over her face and glanced at Layla.

"You mean, you knew?" She asked, and the lady only nodded her head, smiling sweetly at her.

"At first, I'm not sure if I should believe him, but when he asked me to clean the pool and saw the cute little pearls, that is when I gradually acknowledged it. That he is not only inventing his stories because they are true." Layla explained.

"But why didn't you come over when I'm in my siren's form?" She inquired.

"Because that is what sir Gabriel wanted for the moment. He is just worried about your reaction, thinking that it will upset you when you learn he exposes your true identity to someone else without asking your permission." Layla smiled, pushing aside some strands of her hair that are scattered on her face.

“But I sometimes peek at you during the daytime whenever he asks me to check on you,” Layla added.

"Come on, get up now and fill your belly." She urged again.

Crystal moves her eyes to the food, and that's when she felt drooling at the sight of it. 

"Maybe you're right that he loves me, but that's only just a friend’s affection." She mumbled while slowly getting up, as she was ready to devour the delicious-looking food.

Layla smiled.