Velora

Episode 2

“My heart doesn’t want to meet him… whenever we meet, he drives me crazy… and every time that old man has the same catchphrase…” saying this, he made his voice heavy, imitating his grandfather, ‘When will you take over my business???’

“So take it over then… what’s the problem???… You’re lucky to have a grandfather who cares for you all the time,” the guard tried to explain gently.

“That’s exactly the problem…” Gabriel burst out, his voice raw with frustration. “To my own parents I’m already dead so why do they insist on keeping me alive just to watch me suffer? I’ve tried to end it so many times, yet even death won’t grant me peace…”

The guard’s stern expression softened as he heard him speak. He was about to open the elevator but stopped and let Gabriel step out instead.

“Don’t you know, son,” the guard said gently, “that taking your own life is f*******n?”

“So tell me, is running away justified?” Gabriel’s voice cracked with pain. “Turning your back on your own child’s rights while they’re still alive tell me, is that justified? I’m a human being too, man… I feel pain as well.”

He looked at the guard with eyes full of anguish, his question heavy with despair. The guard fell silent.

“Sir…” In that moment the guard could clearly see the raw torment and heartbreak in

Gabriel’s eyes. Those eyes were silently asking why his parents had done this to him.

But the guard had no answer. He dropped his gaze instead.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open.

And then just like that Gabriel’s face, which only moments ago had been carved with anguish, shifted with chameleon-like speed. The sorrow vanished, replaced by a sharp, cunning smile. He winked at the guard and said lightly, “Sorry, man.”

Before the guard could make sense of the sudden change in expression, Gabriel shoved him aside, slammed the elevator button, and sprinted out.

“Ha! Gabriel, you nailed it!” he laughed to himself, patting his stomach in triumph. “What an act that whole sentimental scene! Brilliant. That poor guard really thought he could drag me away so easily. Does he take Gabriel for a fool? No chance. Alright then, time to find a new hotel…”

Sir… Gabriel pushed me into the elevator and ran off,” the guard reported over the phone to Ethan Cole’s secretary.

The secretary’s voice flared with anger on the other end.

“Alright… I’ll handle it,” he said sharply, and ended the call.

Oh God… please, please let me get this babysitting job. Lord, I really need it…” Emily whispered desperate prayers to herself as she sat in the waiting room, hoping she would be chosen to look after Ethan Cole’s grandson.

She had just finished her bachelor’s exams and came from a middle class family. Her mother’s health had been deteriorating for months. Daily expenses, her mother’s medicine, and her younger siblings’ school fees all of it weighed heavily on her father alone, who ran a small grocery shop. Emily wanted to help shoulder that burden.

For days she had been wandering everywhere in search of a job. Finally, her friend

Sophie who worked in Ethan Cole’s office had told her about this opportunity.

Sophie had told Emily about the babysitting job but she’d conveniently left out one small detail: the “baby” she was supposed to look after was a twenty five year old young man.

“Hello, sir,” Emily greeted with a polite smile as she stepped into Ethan Cole’s office.

“Please, have a seat.” Ethan was taken aback the moment he saw her. She was the youngest applicant he had interviewed for the role and undeniably striking in her beauty.

“You’ve come for the babysitting job?” he asked, needing confirmation. After all, it wasn’t every day that a twenty-year-old girl showed up to babysit his twenty five year old grandson.

“Yes, sir,” Emily replied confidently.

Good… but are you sure you can handle babysitting my grandson?” Ethan warned, his tone carrying a weight of caution. “He’s not going to be easy to manage.” Emily, innocent and unsuspecting, didn’t fully grasp what he meant.

A mysterious smile spread across Ethan’s lips as he thought to himself how could a simple, straightforward girl like Emily possibly take on the storm that was his grandson?

Emily was dressed in a simple white blouse and modest slacks, a neat scarf draped respectfully over her head. Her attire, along with her polite manner of speaking, left Ethan Cole quietly impressed. But it was the innocence shining so clearly from her face that finally compelled him to consider giving her a chance.

“You’ll have to stay with my grandson like his own shadow,” Ethan explained firmly.

“His meals, his drinks, meeting friends, outings everything must be under your watch.”

Emily blinked, a little puzzled. Friends? Outings? Since when did little children have social lives like that?

Ah… these wealthy people and their strange ways, she thought to herself, both amazed and confused.

“Okay, sir… I accept,” Emily said with a smile as she signed the one year contract.

“So, when do I start?” she asked eagerly.

“Right now,” Ethan replied seriously. “I’ve already sent my guards to bring that rascal in. The moment they catch him, they’ll bring him straight here.”

Emily’s brows furrowed in surprise. Guards? To catch a little child? she thought, bewildered.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, loud shouts and commotion echoed from outside.

“There he is my grandson,” Ethan muttered knowingly. From the sound alone, he could already tell: the storm had entered his office.

Two guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him into the office. Gabriel immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Hey, man… let go! You’re totally messing with my cool personality!”

The guards presented him before Ethan Cole, who shot them a glare sharp enough to make them flinch.

“Listen, kid,” Gabriel continued, undeterred, “these old folks won’t be in charge for long. Just wait until I take control then you’ll see how I get back at all this disrespect.

My personality will reign supreme!”

He was about to curse when his eyes suddenly landed on Emily. She was staring at him wide eyed, utterly stunned.

The innocent young girl was completely taken aback by Gabriel’s audacious, fearless demeanor.

“What?? Why are you staring like that? Never seen such a handsome guy before?” Gabriel teased, leaning in playfully.

Emily, flustered, shook her head quickly, trying to deny it.

“Gabriel… enough with the theatrics,” Ethan Cole said in a firm, commanding voice, simultaneously signaling the guards to step back.

“Useless…little rascal! Even though I told you not to, you ran away from home! What did you think I wouldn’t find out which hotel you were staying at?” Ethan Cole stood up from his chair, seething with anger, ready to scold Gabriel.

“Old man,” Gabriel said, utterly calm, his voice dripping with audacity, “don’t you think that after all the praises you heap on me and the flattering titles you give me… maybe there’s a little less of that today?”

He twirled a finger near his ear, leaning in as he spoke. Emily’s jaw dropped, completely stunned at the sheer nerve and boldness of Gabriel’s behavior.

“Speak properly! Don’t you have any manners when talking to elders?” Emily stood up from her chair, fixing him with a fiery glare as she scolded him sharply.

“Ughhh… another lecture?” Gabriel groaned, exhaling a long, exaggerated sigh as if the air itself was mocking him.

“Gabriel!” Ethan Cole barked angrily, his patience clearly wearing thin.

“Yes, yes… I’m listening. Go on,” Gabriel muttered lazily, letting himself drop onto the sofa in front of him.

“Gabriel, did I educate you for this? For you to throw your life away like this one day?” Ethan Cole asked, his voice softening as he struggled to keep his emotions under control. “I know this loss hasn’t been easy for you, but trying to take your own life… running away from home… how is that wise?”

Gabriel let out a low hum, his tone careless. “Hmm… I’ve been thinking the same thing, old man. Why did you even bother educating me? In fact, why did you even bother keeping me alive?”

His words landed like a hammer, spoken with such indifference that it was as though his own existence held no value to him at all.

13

“Those questions will get their answer in time. For now, let’s get to the job I called you for… this is Miss Emily your new babysitter.”

The moment the words “baby sitter” hit Gabriel’s ears, he blurted out in genuine shock, “Wait what??”

Emily, equally stunned, instinctively stood and managed, “What??”

“Are you joking with me?” Gabriel asked, stepping forward to appraise her from head to toe. He addressed Ethan with a baffled, uncertain tone.

“No… she really is your babysitter,” Ethan said, dead serious. At that admission, Emily clutched her heart.

“Oh God so I have to babysit this rude, foul-mouthed brat? Sophie’s kid? What on earth did you do to me?” Emily’s mind raced. “Oh no… I already signed the contract one whole year. Allah, what have I done? What am I going to do?” She started biting her nails in a panic.

Gabriel, collecting himself and looking almost amused, said, “This kid he’s my babysitter? Old man, has your brain stopped working in your old age? And where did you even find this girl?”

Then he turned back to Emily. “Look, kid go home. Your parents must be worried. Come on leave.” He picked up the bag that had been sitting on the table and held it out toward her.

“Gabriel… I’m serious. Stop this pointless drama,” Ethan Cole said in a deep, commanding voice.