Chapter 8
"Shut the fuck up Gabby." Noah snapped causing a frown to set upon my lips. Noah and David both looked ready to throttle me. Ignoring their murderous glares, I turned my gaze back to Elijah.
"I will go through with this and you Elijah will kindly do as I asked." I replied nodding my head confidently. Elijah tilted his head, eyeing me out with his scrutinizing gaze.
"Sit down," He said completely dismissing me. My brows knitted together. He was not taking me seriously.
"Are you listening? I want you to take me to Garrett."
"Yeah okay," I glared at him, hating how he treated me like a brainless child. Elijah continued to speak with Noah and David as if I was no longer there. I shook my head and took a seat seeing they were not going to pay me no heed.
Ruth whispered something into Elijah's ear, smiling softly. Elijah only eyed her out before turning back to the men, ignoring her entirely. His cockiness always seems to surprise me. He knew he was good looking and didn't try to hide it, if anything he use his good looks for his advantage.
"You're off again?" Elijah asked Noah.
"Yeah, there's thing I have to see to." Elijah only nodded.
Turns out both Noah and David left that night. I didn't know what to think of it. I didn't want them to leave, certainly not Noah. He was the only thing keeping me sane. Even David was good to keep my mind off things. Although he never talked to me I would still talk to him, he seemed like a good enough listener. Without them there will only be me, Elijah, and Ruth again.
"If you want, I can bake you something to take with you. How about a pumpkin pie?" I said desperately trying to buy time. Noah laughed and the corner of David's mouth twitched up ever so slightly.
"Are you trying to bribe us?" I nodded. David shook his head and ruffled my hair before grabbing his keys and leaving. Noah said his goodbyes and soon followed suit.
Not wanting to get stuck with Elijah and Ruth alone, I headed up to the library. I didn't know how long I sat there but for some reason I couldn't seem to get into what I was reading. No matter how hard I tried my mind continued to drift to Elijah. For some reason, I disliked that he was with Ruth. The thought of them alone made my stomach stir strangely.
"What are you doing?" I almost fell out of my seat at the sound of Elijah's voice. I placed a hand over my chest trying to calm down my pounding heart.
"Goodness, you could've given me a heart attack."
He raised a brow, and took a seat beside me. "Do you know what time it is?" I slowly shook my head. "It's late, lets go." He didn't wait. He grabbed my arm forcing me from my seat and all but dragged me to his room. I watched him skeptically as he pulled off his shirt and got into bed.
"Come here, I don't bite... hard." I ignored his comments and very slowly I got into bed. Elijah pulled me into his chest and nudged his face into my neck, inhaling deeply. "Your scent is so damn addictive." I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"Why are you here and not with Ruth?"
Elijah removed his head from my neck. "Do you want me to be with Ruth?" I stayed silent, not having an answer. Did I want him to be with Ruth? The answer to that would be no... no, for some reason I did not want him with Ruth.
"She's going to be upset." I said instead.
"Does it look like I give a fuck if she's upset or not?" I frowned. He didn't have to be so mean about it.
"She loves you... why treat her that way knowing how she feels about you?"
"Yeah well, that's her fucking mistake. I never gave her any indication I returned the same feelings. She knows how this work. If you want me you must be willing to share."
"Even if it means hurting people." Elijah hard blue orbs gazed into my amber ones.
"They wouldn't get hurt if they learn how to keep their fucking feelings out of it." He was becoming irritated. "Women are just money hungry sluts that think they can hold me down. They believe if they're around me long enough and is able to keep me interested that I'll be dedicated to them."
"Not every woman is as bad as you make them seem."
"Because every one of them proves me right. Ruth threatened you repeatedly since you been here. She's desperate to get my attention away from you and for me to tell you to fuck off. Yet you still defend her."
"She's jealous and hurt..."
Elijah shook his head almost to himself. His hand lightly grazed my cheek, and he stroked it ever so softly. "You're different from them." I wasn't sure what he meant by that.
I waited for him to explain further but he didn't. He only closed his eyes and forced my head onto his chest. I let out a soft yawn. Knowing that was all I was getting out of him tonight, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to follow.
* * *
The past few weeks went by in a blur. Elijah did nothing but ignore me, leaving me to drown in boredom. He didn't bother to give me an ounce of his attention. He would spend most days avoiding me. It was unnerving, but instead of confronting the problem to him, I stayed to myself, doing whatever I could to keep my mind from wandering.
I'd cook and clean, the maids and cooks would always be horrified and kick me out. They eventually gave in and allowed me to help. Although I had found ways to occupy my time it still was sometimes lonely not having anyone to talk to.
One morning I was clearing the table as I did every morning after breakfast when Elijah walked in. "Go pack," I froze momentarily. He haven't said a word to me in weeks, I was unsure if it was me he was talking to.
"Me?" I asked pointing to my chest. He let out an exasperated breath.
"You're the only one in the room Gabrielle. Now go pack."
My brows drew together. "Why?"
"If you want clothes to wear I suggest you go pack." I was about to question him further but he didn't give me the chance to. He turned on his heel and walked out the room.
Confusingly, I went to go do as he said. I packed not sure exactly what I was suppose to pack and for how long. After I was ready I made my way downstairs to the confusing criminal. Elijah didn't say a word to me, he grabbed my suitcase and put it into the car. Very slowly I followed suit and we were on our way to god knows where.
On the road Elijah did not bother himself to explain to me what's going on. I tried to get something out of him multiple times but the hard headed man wasn't going to relent. It confused me, why bring me along if he clearly didn't want me here.
Being on the road for a few hours I was desperate to stretch my legs, and not only that, but I also needed to relieve myself. I told Elijah this, but he either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me. I tried again and he once again disregarded me. I let out a deep breath and turned towards the window, my eyes trying to find something to distract myself with.
To my utter surprise Elijah pulled over at a small cafe. Not waiting a minute longer, I all but ran inside in hope of finding a bathroom. After finally relieving myself I made my way back to Elijah. He was sitting at a table and had already ordered. I sent him a small smile, that he didn't acknowledge, and took a seat across from him.
"Um... Elijah, I'm thirsty." He looked up from his food, the irritation slowly making its way towards his face. "I'll get it," I mumbled.
The waitress was nice enough to give me a glass of water. I sent her a thank you, going back to my seat. Before I could get there, I bumped into a young man, accidentally spilling my drink all over him.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He didn't even bother to look up at me, he was too busy grabbing napkins trying to dry his shirt.
"What the hell woman! Are you blind?"
I frowned at his words. How rude. "No, but I sincerely apologize. If it's okay with you, I can pay for the shirt." I tried to pass him more napkins but he shoved my hands away.
"No need," He snapped.
"There's no need to be rude, I already apologized and offered to pay for it. I mean it's just water." I mumbled the last part causing him to look up at me. The anger on his face diminished and another look crossed his features.
"Maybe there is a way you can pay for it." He said suggestively, his voice sounding deeper then before.
"Oh, that's good to hear. How much is that going to be?" The man stared at me confusingly. "The shirt I mean?"
"Uh..."
"That's a very nice shirt, probably was really expensive, right? Good thing it's only water. I remember when I spilled grape juice on my favorite white top. I washed it over and over again but in the end I had to throw it out." I explained. "I'm babbling, how much for the shirt?" The man looked suddenly uneasy, his eyes flickering away from me as if he was suddenly lost.
"Never mind for the shirt." My brows drew together in confusion. Before I could say more someone grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the man. Just as we left the cafe I looked up to see the stranger is Elijah. I silently got into the car waiting for him to do the same.
He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Fucking trouble, I swear you can do anyone's head in." With that we were off.
After hours of driving we finally came to a stop. It was pass midnight and I wanted nothing more then to find somewhere to sleep. Elijah got out the car and I quickly followed not wanting to get left behind. The house was big, bigger then Elijah's.
Instead of waiting for someone to invite us in at the door, Elijah walked in arrogantly and made himself comfortable in the living area. I stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
"Sit down Gabrielle," Hesitantly, I took a seat beside him. Moments later an older man walked out. He had brown hair, and light brown eyes to match. He was a lot older then Elijah but was good at hiding it.
"Elijah, I didn't think you would come."
Elijah looked up at him boringly, as if this man was wasting his time. "Neither did I,"
"Well, I'm pleased you did." A small cheerful smile fell on his lips, hiding the relief he felt. He then turned to me. "Where's my manners, I'm Eugene... Eugene Knight." What? I turned towards Elijah not bothering to hide my confusion. Elijah didn't give anything away, the boredom on his face staying intact.
"What is it you want? Why did you call me here?"
"Am I not allowed to miss my son?" He let out an absurd laugh, but it wasn't enough to overlook the slight hurt in his eyes.
Elijah shook his head before grabbing my hand and standing. "We're tired, it was a long drive and I want to sleep." Not waiting for Eugene to respond, he dragged me up the stairs without even glancing back at the older man.
In the room Elijah went into the bathroom and showered without so much as a word. I waited for him to finish then went in after. Once done, I entered the room to see Elijah on the bed lying on his back with his arms behind his head.
His eyes were closed and if I was anyone else I wouldn't doubt him being asleep. I crawled into bed beside him, gazing at his face longer then necessary. He was thinking... hard.
"You told me you never knew your father."
"I don't," What?
"I do not understand..."
He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "Eugene was one of the many men my mother whored herself to. After my mother died he took me in at the age of thirteen."
"That was very sincere of him. He took you in ignoring the fact that you are not his biological son. He took on the responsibility of taking care of you... he must've really cared a lot about your mother."
"Yeah..." Was his nonchalant response.
"You act as if you do not care about what he done for you."
"Because I don't."
"That's harsh to say about someone who looked after you when there was no one to do the job. Why behave so poorly to him after all he have done?"
Elijah looked at me, his eyes darkening drastically. I bit my lip out of fear of his retaliation. "Don't speak of shit you know nothing about."
"I'm only trying to understand how you could speak down on someone that had a huge impact on your life."
"The fuck I tell you about trying to figure me out,"
I frowned. "You are a very rude man Elijah Knight." He ignored me. "You know my Gran used to tell me that negative behavior is a contagious disease and that I shouldn't give in to people bad habits. You Elijah is always so gloomy... one day all your negativity is going to catch up with you and your going to have a permanent scowl." I advised, nodding my head.
"Gabrielle, shhhhh... no more talking." I frowned at his dismissive approach. He did not have to be so rude.
Yawning lightly, I placed my head on Elijah's chest suddenly very exhausted. My eyes began to weigh down and just before I was fully asleep I felt a soft kiss placed on my head.
The next morning I awoke to find myself alone. I quickly dressed in fitted blue denim jeans and a loose grey t-shirt. I tied up my hair and began making my way downstairs. After a few wrong turns I was finally able to find Elijah. He was seated out on the patio having a smoke, Eugene was there also.
"Good Morning," I announced drawling their attention.
"I hope you slept well... have a seat, breakfast will be served in a little bit." I sent him a small smile and sat in the seat beside Elijah. "I didn't catch your name."
"Gabby,"
"Gabby... you are very beautiful."
I blushed, offering a small smile. "Thank you,"
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you to my son?" Um...
"And that's your business how?" Elijah budded in before I had the chance to say anything, not that I knew what to say.
"I have the right to knows what goes on in your life."
"Do you now?"
"Yes, as your father-"
"My father? You're just another man my mother fucked. Only difference you actually felt pity after she was dead and decided to take me in." Elijah's words were brutal. "Why? Did you feel remorseful... no, thats not it. Maybe you truly felt something for her. Shame, she didn't give a fuck about you... she only saw dollar signs."
"Elijah!" He raised a brow in amusement, taking in Eugene's angry form. "You will not disrespect your mother that way."
Elijah laughed. "Just saying how it is, you should come to terms with it." He took another drag of his smoke before tossing it and going inside.
* * *
Later on that evening, I was sitting out on the patio alone when Eugene came out and joined me. I ignored him and continued looking out at the beautiful view, taking everything in. The flowers were set up so nicely, I made a mental note to walk the garden later.
"You like the view," Eugene asked following my gaze. Without looking at him, I nodded.
"You have a very beautiful home."
"So I've heard,"
"Do you not think it's beautiful?" My gaze was now locked on him.
"After looking at it for such a long time the beauty soon disappears." He voiced sounding distant, almost as if he was not talking to me.
I nodded in understanding and turned to look back at the garden. "Me personally couldn't live in a sizable house like this. I would get too lonely and soon become bored." It was a while before he spoke again.
"I'm guessing Elijah told you about me and his mother."
"He did,"
"You must think badly of me." Poor man.
"I'm not one to judge... everyone make mistakes, I mean no ones perfect. It's up to you to either learn from them or continue to make them." His intense eyes watched me skeptically, trying to see if I was being sincere or mocking him. After what felt like forever he smiled.
"You don't seem like the type to involve yourself with someone like Elijah... a innocent face like yourself. How you end up here, with him?" Um...
Before I could get anything out Elijah graced us with his presence. He leaned against the door frame with his arm cross over his chest and eyed us both out suspiciously. Eugene stood, breaking through the awkward silence. "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't we go get seated."
In the dining room, I took a seat beside Elijah and across from Eugene. The silence in the room was so tense, almost as if it was taunting us. Elijah ate silently, not bothering to look up from his plate. Eugene tried to make small talk multiple times with Elijah but only received one word answers.
It wasn't until a stunning woman entered the room did the tension break a little. She was beautiful... like out of this world beautiful. She walked over to Eugene placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"I'm sorry I took so long." She looked vaguely familiar.
"You were suppose to be here hours ago," She rolled her eyes.
"I got a little carried away and went shopping after." Eugene only shook his head but didn't say more about it. Her beautiful brown eyes then landed on Elijah. "Elijah sweetheart, how are you?"
"I see Eugene have yet to get rid of you. Seems he's not yet bored." The woman glared at Elijah angrily but didn't respond to the obvious insult. Eugene was not at all taken about what Elijah had said. It would seem no one dared correct him.
Eugene cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject. "Sweetheart this is Gabby,"
The woman turned to me as if just noticing I'm there. The moment her gaze landed on me her eyes widened in shock. Recognization made its way upon her face.
"Gabby?" She whispered in confusion.
"Um, yes... I'm with Elijah."
"You look exactly like him..." My brow drew together in confusion.
"Honey, are you feeling alright? What is it you're babbling about Gabrielle?" What? My mouth parted in shock. No... she couldn't be. I looked at Elijah. Elijah who didn't look at all startled by this information, he only watched me silently. I slowly shook my head, looking from Elijah back to the woman.
Without waiting another minute I stood and all but ran to my room. I needed to get away from everyone. I was feeling suffocated. I knew Elijah was following. The second he shut the door I attacked, I slapped him hard across the face.
"You knew! You knew who she was!" He didn't say a word which only riled me up all the more. Without thinking I slapped him again. Before I knew it I was hitting him repeatedly. I continued to beat on his chest angrily. Elijah allowed me to vent and took it all.
Only when my body tired from exhaustion did I stop. My legs gave out from under me, but before I could meet the floor Elijah caught me. Not able to hold it back any longer, I broke down in his arms. He held me to his chest as I cried pitifully. We stayed like that for a while... me seeking comfort in the bad man's arm.
It wasn't until I gained back my strength did I shove him away. His face remained void of emotion as he did nothing but stare at me. "How long have you known?" I asked, keeping my voice at ease.
"For some time now."
"Did you know when you barged into my shop that night?"
"I figured it out... after you explained to me what happened with you mother and Gran. I wasn't exactly certain and thought to find out."
"Therefore this is all just a coincidence."
"I don't believe in coincidences."
"Is this the reason you brought me here?" He nodded mutedly. Shaking my head to myself, I moved to get into bed. I did not have the strength to go on, I was emotionally exhausted.
The fact that I just met the woman who had birth me was almost unbelievable. It seemed nearly impossible. Yes, I thought about meeting her... the questions I would ask her but it was always so unlikely I would.
I was confused, shocked, but most of all... afraid. Afraid that in the end I will only be hurt. Mentally, I was not prepared to go through with this. My entire life I felt unwanted. Most kids having a mother or father... some was lucky to have both. Gran was great to me, I couldn't have asked for more, but then she left me too. It was hard not having anyone to turn to.
There was no one to blame. Not my birth mother, not Gran, not Elijah...
"I'm sorry," I hiccuped. Elijah raised a brow. "For striking you." He didn't respond.
That night Elijah stayed to his side of the bed, not attempting to hold me. We slept with our back facing each other.
I was forced to go down to breakfast the following morning. Elijah was having no bar of it. I tried begging him but that only got me nowhere. So here we all were, patiently waiting for breakfast. I felt Gabrielle's eyes on me but didn't dare meet her gaze.
Eugene was making small talk, trying to ease the tension. As breakfast was served I spared a glance towards Gabrielle. She was very gorgeous. Now that I know who she is I could see some similarities we shared but they were almost nonexistent.
"So Elijah how did you and Gabby meet?" She suddenly asked.
Elijah leaned back in his seat eyeing her out. "Job gone wrong. Ended up barging into her place... threatened to kill her if she say shit." He responded shocking me to the core. Eugene also looked surprise by Elijah's declaration.
"That doesn't explain why she's here."
"Is there a problem with her being here." She glared at him.
"No, I'm just saying, why is she still with you after all you've put her through. I would leave a psychotic person like you."
Elijah smiled. "I'll kill her first." The way he said it, with such seriousness, had my heart pounding in fear. Gabrielle must have realized he was serious too, I'm assuming by how wide her eyes became.
"Elijah that's enough." Eugene spoke with firmness but Elijah wasn't done yet.
"Eugene's right. Let's not speak of her as if she's not sitting right here." We all watched Elijah suspiciously. He then turned to me. "Is there anything you would like to ask your mother Gabrielle?" My mouth parted in shock. Poor Eugene looked lost.
"What?"