"You look exhausted" Gabriel pointed out
"Don't add to my stress" Maria said as she walked over to the kitchen sink and washed her hands "Although, that's what you've been doing throughout today" she picked up a knife and began to cut up some onions
Gabriel frowned at her reply as he leaned against the kitchen island and continued to observe her
"That thing about highschool...was it true?" he asked
"This again?" Maria said as she turned to look at him calmly "I'm not that type of woman. Even if I was to get involved with someone, I wouldn't do it for money but for love. I wouldn't even sleep with anyone unless I'm married to them. That's how my parents raised me" she went back to dicing the onions as the kitchen was once again silent.
"Now that I think about it, why are you single?" Maria asked as she finished with the onions and picked out some garlic
"Why do you ask?"
"You've asked me a lot of questions today. I just wanted to ask"
"Women only want my money. It's too annoying to even have a relationship with one" he answered
"Men only want my body. When they've had that, they're sure to dump me. If I don't give them that, they either take it by force, or dump me" Maria said "That's the main reason why I don't do any kind of relationship"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Cause I know you're the headstrong judgemental type" Maria said
"You sound just like Mark" Gabriel grumbled
"I've heard that a lot today" Maria said with a smile as she finished cutting the garlic and looked behind her at the kitchen island "Can you pass me the bell peppers beside you?"
Gabriel looked to his side and noticed the red and green bell peppers "Which one?"
"One of each" as soon as she said that, Gabriel picked them and handed it to her. "Can you also hand me a large bowl, the minced meat in the fridge, the curry and thyme in the shelf just above the fridge, and the pasta in the shelf off to the far end to your right?" when she looked behind her, Gabriel was still resting on the kitchen island with a surprised expression
"I'm seriously amazed by your every action. You actually have the guts to order me around"
"I'm asking for your help not ordering you. I'm not you" Maria pointed out and Gabriel sighed before squatting and bringing out a large bowl
He used the large bowl to collect all the things Maria had mentioned earlier before dropping the bowl beside her.
"Can I have a pot, tomato paste, spatula and pan?" Maria asked and Gabriel gave her an odd look which made her chuckle "Please?"
Before he knew it, he was practically helping her cook and moving stuff in the kitchen. And when she was done, and the food was set on fire, he went back to resting on the kitchen island.
When the pasta was ready, she drained the water and took out some plates before setting it down on the kitchen island and dishing out the pasta. As soon as she opened the pot containing the sauce inside, the aroma made Gabriel have to peek over her shoulder.
"It's ready" she said as she offed the gas cooker and poured generous amounts of sauce on each plate before adding the meatballs she had made earlier on the sides
Suddenly, the twins busted inside the kitchen and each grabbed a plate and forks from the cabinets before running back out
"Don't forget to wash your hands" Maria reminded them
"Sure" the twins shouted as the dining room door shut
"For kids who haven't eaten anything, they sure do have a lot of energy" Maria said as she dropped the pan and picked out a fork and knife for herself from the cabinet
"You know how to eat like a normal person?"
"If by normal, you mean the way you rich people were trained, then yes" Maria said "My father said a lady must be well diversified. That's how he raised me" just as she was about to take a bite out of her meal, she heard her name
"Maria..."
"What is it, now?" she asked as she looked at Gabriel who was right behind her. Her breath hitched as she noticed the little distance between the two of them
"If I were to promise you the world, would you take your first jump at it?"
After he asked her that question, a memory of how a man had embarrassed and tortured for his own pleasure, had crossed her mind along with a memory of her and Helen escaping from what looked like a prison cell with injuries on their bodies. She instinctively gripped her left shoulder and slightly shivered before making space between her and him by moving to the side
"Please, don't make jokes like that" Maria said with a fake smile as she picked up her plate and left the kitchen
However, Gabriel had seen it when looking in her eyes. He also noticed every action she made when he mentioned it. Coupled with the terrified look she had in her eyes, he knew something was off.
He had seen the eyes of those who wanted to die, those who knew they were going to die, and those who had been tortured to the point of breaking psychologically. Out of the three, Maria's eyes reminded him of the third option
'Although, I'm not sure about it' Gabriel thought 'Only Aren can help me to confirm such a thing. He's a doctor after all'
******
Zurich, Switzerland
Wayne Hospital
Director's Office
A man who looked like a younger version of Gabriel, had just finished reading a file as he dropped it on the table. The man's hair wasn't as dark as Gabriel's and was more leather black when compared.
It was messy and short which went well with his grey eyes and his tall muscular statue. Matched with a dark green long sleeve tee, black dress pants and white slippers with an equally white lab coat. He looked both lazy and professional.
The file he was reading, belonged to one of the patients at the hospital with the name [Crystal Daniel] written in cursive on the top right corner.
'Still no news from New York' the man thought as he played with his pen while relaxing in his seat 'I wonder how Mark and his family are doing. I don't really care what that headstrong older brother of mine is up to but, for the past three years, I keep wondering if it would kill him to call me' he turned on his phone and went through his contacts
'Gabriel can call mother and text Crystal but when it comes to his younger brother he doesn't even....' before he could think further, his phone buzzed in his hand and [Gabriel Wayne] appeared on the screen 'Think of the devil' he answered the call and put it on speaker
"What does my dear older brother want from me?" the man asked "I'm a very..."
"Can you shut up and listen to what I have to say, Aren?" Gabriel asked a bit irritated
"What?"
"Mark got a nanny for his kids" Gabriel said and the place went silent
"That's hilarious" Aren said "Is this why you called me so late in the night on a Monday?"
"I forgot about the time difference"
"That isn't like you"
"Also, when you get back here, I need you to treat Mark's nanny and the nanny's friend"
"Treat? Why?"
"I think they were tortured by men, before their current jobs" Gabriel explained "When a man gets too close to them or even tries to touch them, they freak out and have a fearful expression that they immediately hide"
"That type of person, is a nanny who takes care of children?" Aren asked as he took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips
"First of all, don't smoke whenever I'm around; physically, or just on the phone with you. You promised mum you'd stop and she wouldn't be happy with you if she found out you're at it again" Gabriel said and Aren took out the cigarette and tossed it in the bin under his desk
"It's the three years stress" Aren said "I still can't understand what's happening with Crystal and why she's yet to recover. Not knowing what to do again really ticks me off. Anyways, you were saying?"
"Whenever she's around Mark's children...maybe his family, or her friend, that look in her eyes disappears" Gabriel said as he opened the dining room door about to head in "I'm not a doctor and I don't know what's going on. Which is why I'll have you look at the two of them since...according to Mark, we'll have to get along with them"
"Well, you're in luck"
"How so?" he stopped just at the door
"Crystal asked her teacher if she could take her exams early so she could travel" Aren said "However, the date she set was actually the date of the college entrance exams. Today was that day and after tomorrow, she'll be on holiday until further notice. She really wanted to return back to New York because she doesn't like it here"
"And you agreed to such a whim?" Gabriel shouted over the phone and Maria who was eating with the twins looked at him before asking
"Is there a problem?"
"Wow. The woman's voice in the background. Is that the nanny?" Aren asked
"That's none of your business" Gabriel said "When will you and her be coming back to New York?"
"This week Saturday" Aren said
"What?" Gabriel shouted
"Gabriel?" Maria called out and he waved his hand
"What were you expecting?" Aren asked "Crystal hasn't seen those she knows for the passed three years. She also has pistanthrophobia which makes it had for her to trust others however, she said she wants to change a little about herself BY herself. If she needs to change her condition by herself, the best thing to do is let her do whatever she wants, she's seventeen for Christ's sake"
"I know" Gabriel grumbled
"No you don't. Her condition can't be helped by family alone" Aren said "I know you're afraid of her getting hurt...just like in the past...I am too. Because she looks exactly like our older sister...her mother. However, because of that, and because she has her father's stubbornness, we can't keep her like a caged bird"
"Mark said the same thing" Gabriel let out as he went back into the kitchen
"So, what's the nanny like?" Aren asked
"Why do you want to know?"
"Crystal said she doesn't want to return to the ancestral home" Aren said nonchalantly
"What did you just say?"
"It's as you heard. She doesn't want to head back to the ancestral home" Aren said "Mom is returning to the ancestral home tomorrow. Crystal, doesn't know how to face her....I wanted to know if the nanny would be a good or bad influence on her"
"Dan and Cia, listen to her completely. The twins are also more well behaved and Mark seems more at peace" Gabriel said "From the work she did at the company today, as Mark's substitute assistant, I can tell she's very intelligent. To what level, I don't know" he picked out a fork and knife from the cabinet before taking a bite out of the pasta and meatballs
"I see"
"She's notably better than a master chef when it comes to cooking. Has even won the trust of most people at the company....even Janet. That's as much as I know about her" Gabriel explained "The problem lies in the fact that that's all I know about her. Even the dead Atkins who looked into her information couldn't find anything about her. The only person who has access to her information is most likely Mark. But with the way he acts, I doubt he's willing to share anytime soon"
"Oh. She's good"
"It's easy to get close to her so, I'm leaving her friend in your hands" Gabriel said "That one is a wild card with a few screws missing upstairs"
"She's that bad?"
"She reminds me of a gangster. Even the air around her is like that but, the twins like her either way" Gabriel said while taking another bite
"You sound like you dislike that one a lot" Aren chuckled
"She threatened me with my life today. I'm still wondering how she and the nanny became friends"
"It's like you and Mark. Both of you are so different, it still surprises me up to now that you're friends" Aren pointed out "But, you know the saying, opposites attract. Life would be boring if you and your friend were exactly the same"
"I know" Gabriel said before going silent "How long have we been talking?"
"About seven minutes, why?"
"Good. I've spoken enough" Gabriel said "Goodbye"
"Wait a sec..." before Aren could even finish what he was saying, Gabriel cut the call.
"What type of older brother was I cursed with?" Aren let out with a frown "He didn't even let me mess with him to my satisfaction"
.....
Pistanthrophobia is an illness or phobia, that also goes by the name of the fear of people, or the fear of trusting people. People usually get this phobia after a bad experience during a relationship. However, in this case, this fear is caused by the second option; the fear that if anyone gets to know you, you'll be rejected or betrayed
It's symptoms are:
Panic and fear, which is often excessive, persistent, and irrational to the level of threat
Trembling, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath
Strong desire to get away from the triggering event or person
Avoidance of conversations and deep interactions with people
...
Well, it was fun to share this with my readers. Keep reading for more of My Heart is Yours😘