CHAPTER 3
1057 Words
Gabby woke up the next day, to a very silent room.
Not the comfortable kind of silence she was used to, but a lonely and heavy kind of silence.
For a minute, she forgot where she was.
Then reality returned, the mansion, the contract, Manuel Reyes.
Her chest tightened immediately.
It had only been one day, and she already felt as though she had been trapped in the Reyes mansion for weeks.
She let out a heavy sigh of frustration, stood up from the bed and walked towards the large windows overlooking the estate.
The morning sunlight shone bright, making everything look perfect, every flower was in place, and every hedge trimmed.
The entire estate reminded her of Manuel, beautiful but controlled and impossible to read.
The thought of that irritated her.
After dressing, Gabby headed downstairs for breakfast.
She was determined to make an effort and not to spend the rest of her life hiding inside her room, no matter how uncomfortable she felt.
The dining room was empty when she arrived.
For a brief moment, she felt relieved.
At least she wouldn't have to struggle through another awkward breakfast with Manuel. She thought.
Just immediately, Ms. Bennett appeared.
"Good morning, Mrs. Reyes."
The title still felt strange to her, but she managed to force a polite smile.
"Good morning," she replied.
Breakfast was served quickly, but before she could take more than two bites, voices drifted into the dining room from the hallway.
The voices sounded serious, more like business.
A few moments later, Manuel entered with some executives behind him.
Their conversation stopped as soon as they noticed her.
One of the men offered a polite nod, another barely noticed nor acknowledged her existence.
Manuel simply glanced in her direction.
"Good morning," he greeted.
The greeting caught her off guard.
She gave him a surprised look and responded, "Good morning."
The executives exchanged curious looks as though surprised he had spoken to her at all.
That realization left an unpleasant feeling in her stomach.
Was he usually that cold? She thought.
The group soon continued toward Manuel's study room and within seconds, they disappeared, leaving Gabby alone again.
The rest of the morning dragged by, as she went on to explore parts of the mansion she had not seen before.
A music room, a private cinema, an indoor pool and a library larger than any she had ever visited.
The weight of the Reyes family wealth was almost impossible to comprehend.
Yet despite all the luxury surrounding her, Gabby couldn't stop thinking about one thing, her father.
Where was he? Did he truly leave voluntarily? Or did something happen to him? These questions haunted her.
By noon, she found herself standing inside the library, long rows of books stretched across the room and, for the first time since her arrival, she felt a bit comfortable.
To her, books made sense, books didn't judge and, also, books don't force people into marriage contracts.
She wandered through the shelves slowly, staring at the books on them, then something caught her attention, a framed photograph resting on a nearby desk.
She picked it up out of curiosity.
The picture showed a much younger Manuel standing beside an older man, Antonio Reyes, his father.
Both of them wore expensive suits but forgot to wear smiles.
Even as a teenager, Manuel looked very serious, as if he had skipped childhood entirely.
"Interesting choice."
The voice behind her made her jump.
She turned around, still with the photograph in her hand.
Manuel stood in the doorway.
Her heart beat sped up immediately.
"I… I didn't hear you come in." She stuttered.
"Yes, I noticed," he replied.
She felt embarrassed and quickly returned the photograph to its place.
"I'm sorry." She said
"For looking at a picture?" he asked, but his expression was still unreadable.
"You don't need permission," he said.
The response made Gabby feel slightly relaxed.
Being around Manuel felt like walking through a field with hidden traps, you never know what might set him off.
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Manuel asked. "Are you bored?"
The question surprised her.
"A little." She responded.
His gaze swept across the library and then he said,
"There are over five thousand books in this room."
"I noticed."
"Then boredom shouldn't be possible."
Gabby gave a small laugh.
Manuel's expression softened for a second but sharpened back immediately.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing." He immediately looked away.
For some reason, that tiny victory pleased her.
Later that afternoon, Gabby decided to stroll outside the estate. She needed air and things that didn't involve marble floors and discomforting silences.
The moment she stepped outside the estate gates, she felt free, but the feeling didn't last.
About fifteen minutes later, she noticed someone following her.
At first, she ignored it, but then she saw him again.
A man in a black jacket and a baseball cap, keeping his distance and watching her.
A chill ran down her spine and she quickened her pace.
The man repeated the same thing and at this point, fear had started to grip her.
"Gabby!!."
She froze.
The voice wasn't behind her, it came from across the street.
A man who seemed very familiar, someone she had not seen in years.
Stood beside a parked car.
Her older cousin, Ethan.
Before she could react, he crossed the street quickly.
With a very concerned look, he said, "Thank God I found you."
Gabby stared at Ethan, with confusion.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
Ethan looked around nervously, then he lowered his voice and said
"Your father didn't run away."
Gabby's heart skipped.
"What?"
"He didn't disappear willingly." He said
Fear surged through her body.
"What are you talking about?"
Ethan grabbed her arm and said
"Gabby, listen carefully." His voice trembled.
"Your father found out something before he vanished."
She stared at him with curiosity.
"What did he find?" She asked.
Ethan was about to answer her when a black SUV suddenly pulled up beside the curb.
The vehicle stopped so abruptly that tires screeched against the pavement.
Both of them turned.
The back door opened.
And the same man who had been following Gabby stepped out.
This time he wasn't hiding, he was coming straight towards them.
Ethan's face turned pale.
"Run, Gabby run!".
- Writer
