Heartless Mafia Heir

5- “Drop the act.”

(Fabio’s POV)

After they hugged, he handed her the flowers.

"Wow, thank you, Lemuel!"

He smiled. "Did you like it?"

"Like? I loved it!” she said and fondly smelled the fragrant roses. "Anyway, it's good that you came to visit. Are you leaving tonight?”

"Yeah. I went here to see you before our flight to California.”

"That's Lemuel Sarmiento. He's a pilot," Mr. Alvarez told me..

I looked at the old man.

"He's her childhood best friend," he added.

“Childhood best friend?”

He nodded. We watched the two as they continued to talk casually.

"He's only a year older than her, but they grew up together. They attended the same elementary and high school. They only parted ways when they started college since Lemuel studied abroad. But still, their friendship and closeness never changed, even over time," said Mr. Alvarez.

I watched Mr. Alvarez. His comfortable eyes for this young man, while the latter was conversing with his daughter, seemed to indicate that this old man had a lot of confidence in Monique’s childhood buddy.

He continued, "Aside from being her best friend and study buddy, he also used to be her protector. They always have each other's backs. He would never allow anybody to bully her or make her cry. He had always been there for her.”

I turned my gaze to their direction. Looking at them now, it's obvious how close they are. They are constantly talking and chuckling over even nonsense things.

"I don't know why they still don't level up their friendship into something more. They look good together, don’t they?" Mr. Alvarez playfully suggested.

I faked a cough from his silly conclusion.

"Maybe theirs is just a platonic love and pure friendship brought by their closeness and the fact that they grew up together? Maybe they only see each other as brothers and sisters…”

"I think they're soulmates..."

Soulmates? Does he really believe in such a thing? What the f*ck? Does he live in a book?

"Every time I look at the two of them, I remember the moments when Monique's mom was still alive. We were also childhood best friends that eventually turned into lovers as we grew up. I also used to be her protector, her study buddy, even her doctor whenever she was sick, and all that. So, every time I look at these two, I would always be reminded of Monique's mother and her precious memories deeply rooted to my heart.”

His voice broke a bit. I could feel that he really loved Monique's mother. Observing how his facial expression screamed sadness and his eyes had pain, I felt that no matter how many years passed, he would never get over his deceased wife.

Raw emotions etched across his face, and I sympathized with him. It was evident that the love he had for Monique's mother ran deep, and the pain of her loss was still fresh, even after all these years.

At that moment, I realized that some wounds never fully heal. The loss of a loved one could leave an indelible mark on our hearts, forever shaping who we were and became. It was clear that no matter how much time passed, he would always carry a piece of her with him.

I approached him gently, offering a comforting presence without saying a word. Sometimes, silence could be the most powerful form of support. I stood by his side.

My compassion suddenly faded away as I was stunned to see Monique gently pull her childhood friend's hand, bringing him to us.

"Dad, Lemuel’s here to send his greetings before their flight to California,” Monique dearly informed her father.

"Good evening, uncle," Lemuel greeted the old man and put the latter's hand on his forehead as a traditional sign of showing respect to elders.

Mr. Alvarez nodded. "Good evening, son. How are you? When did you get back home?"

"Just last night, uncle. I’m fine. How about you?”

“I’m doing good, son.”

Monique stood in between to introduce me to her friend. “Anyway, this is Fabio Carlos. He's a congressman friend of dad. Congressman, this is First Officer Lemuel Sarmiento. He works as a pilot in an international aviation firm.”

He extended his hand for a shake. I looked at it without any expression. The things on my head were hidden behind a neutral facade. A mix of thoughts and feelings swirled within me, making it difficult to respond at that moment.

I heard Monique openly smirking and raising her brow, silently telling me how really unfriendly I was when it came to introductions and shaking hands, like how I made her wait before I accepted her hand earlier.

Out of courtesy, I reached for the hand that was waiting for me in the presence of Mr. Alvarez. I didn't want the old man to get the wrong impression that I was rude.

Understanding the importance of courtesy and wanting to make a good impression, I had to be civil no matter how I despised it deep within me. It was a small gesture, but one that held significance in showing professionalism.

It was important to me that Mr. Alvarez didn't perceive me as rude or dismissive, especially in such a formal setting. So, for the sake of it, I had to ride on, even though I wanted to break the hand that asked for a shake and the same hand that caressed the face of the beautiful woman in front of us.

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, why don't you join us before you go, Lemuel? It's alright with you if he will. Right, Congressman?” Mr. Alvarez invited him and asked me.

I nodded. "Yes. No problem."

Lemuel humbly declined and shook his head. "Thanks for the invitation, uncle, but I just dropped by to pay my greetings. I can't stay for a long time.”

Monique pouted childishly. “Are you really going to leave right away? How unfair! We haven't even talked a lot yet!”

Lemuel chuckled and patted her head. "Don't be sad, madam! You know you can always write me letters, and we can talk about a lot of things!"

Monique smiled and agreed. After that, she turned to her father. “I’ll walk him outside, dad.”

Mr. Alvarez nodded, giving her permission.

She temporarily put the bouquet on the chair, and they walked outside. I didn't stop watching them until they disappeared from my sight.

The old man resumed eating.

Even if I wanted to eat what was left on my plate, I couldn't seem to swallow the food, so I reluctantly put the cutlery down on the table.

He looked at me.

"What's wrong? Are you done eating? I think you haven't eaten that much yet, Congressman," he asked and commented.

I shook my head and then stood up. "Please excuse me. I'll just go to the comfort room.”

He nodded.

I walked, but, of course, I was not really going to the comfort room but instead followed Monique and Lemuel outside.

From the parking space, I saw that the two hugged each other before he kissed her cheek goodbye. I couldn't explain why, but I felt irritated looking at them both being together…

As I watched them embrace, a wave of different waves of unexplainable emotions washed over me. It was as if a cloud of unease settled in my chest, casting a shadow over my thoughts. I couldn't quite put my finger on why their closeness bothered me so much.

Trying to shake off the negative emotions, I took a deep breath and reminded myself to focus on the bigger picture. After all, I just met her tonight while she knew him all her life, and their bond had always been strong over anything. But how could I deny that seeing her with that man ignited a twinge of jealousy within me, despite my best efforts to suppress it or not to feel this way at all!

I decided to take a moment to reflect on my feelings. Why did I feel this way for her? What was she to me? Or perhaps it was the fear of being left behind as she embarked on a new chapter of my life where she suddenly came along and it happened that she looked exactly like Larra Reagan… Whatever the reason, I knew I had to confront these emotions head-on.

She waved her hand for the last time before his car drove away. When his vehicle disappeared from her sight, she smiled and walked back inside.

I hid myself in a quiet, empty room at the side, and when she passed by, I pulled her hand.

She was about to scream in shock, so I had to cover her mouth with my hand. I pinned her on the wall.

"You?! C-congressman, w-what are you doing?” she asked in a shaking voice and even fake a laugh to subside her nervousness.

A mixture of shock and amazement could be seen on her face when she realized that I was the one who pulled her all of a sudden.

I removed my hand from her lips. I pressed her shoulders tightly.

“Drop the act. I know it's you, Larra. Even if you have changed your name, even if you wore expensive jewelry and clothes, I know it's you!"

"W-what are you saying? Congressman, is this some kind of a joke or what?" Her face played innocent as if she couldn't believe or understand what I was saying.

"Come on, stop pretending, Larra."

"Larra who?" From an amused expression, her face gradually expressed annoyance. "Let go of me!" She forcefully freed herself and pushed me.

I let her go and backed away a little.

"What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly acting like this? Why are you being weird, Congressman?!”

Still, I didn't buy her pretensions.

"Tell me, how did you come back, and how the heck did you become a daughter of an ultra-rich old businessman? Tell me, what trick did you use, Larra?”

"Larra?" Suddenly, a playful smile appeared on her lips when she came to realize something. "Was she the reason why, for all of the duration of your meeting with my dad, you did nothing except watching me?"

I didn't answer. I just continued to glare at her.

“Oh, I think I'm starting to get it now. Do I resemble her? Or perhaps I look a lot like her? That's why you're so paranoid and acting like that, right?”

Again, I did not speak.

"Why? Who is Larra, huh? Who is she in your life? Is she your ex-girlfriend? Wife? f**k buddy? What?”

“Ex-fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée!” she exclaimed, acting as if she was so surprised and intrigued. "So, what happened? Did she leave you? Did she dump you? Or maybe you were an awful lover to begin with…”

I didn't rebuke her provocation but instead asked, "How did you survive that night? As far as I remember, I did my job very well—”

"Survive? What do you mean?” She looked puzzled for a second, but she immediately looked scandalized and scared when she formed a conclusion in her mind. "No, don't tell me... you killed her?!"

“Drop the act. I know it's you, Larra."

She rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic."

I gripped her nape and pulled her closer to me. Our eyes met. I stared at her intensely.

"I have a way to confirm it's you."

I drew my forehead close to hers. When I was about to reach her lips, she suddenly spoke, stopping me midway. "Do it then."

We were staring at each other's eyes, with the same level of trying to challenge each one.

"Do it, Congressman," she continued and drew her lips to my ear. "But I'm warning you, one wrong move, you already know what will happen. Say goodbye to the sponsorship of VistaCecilia Homes. What will happen and how will your beloved citizens react if the housing project that you promised them during the election does not push through because you lost my father's sponsorship? You will be remembered as someone who couldn't keep a promise. And you will definitely lose votes and support in the next election. Do you want that to happen?”

I couldn't speak. My teeth clenched. I hated to admit it but she got a point right there. I felt threatened.

She grinned when she knew her threat won over me.

"Just a word from me to cancel the sponsorship with you, and you will lose a lot, Congressman, so, go ahead and do whatever you want.” She stared into my eyes, completely challenging me. "Do it.”

I let her go and gently pushed her away from me.

She chuckled, totally winning. And then she left me. She might have found it so amusing that she made a fool of me!

I sighed as I watched her walk away.

She is really different from Larra. She's fiercer, bolder, wiser, and she knows how to protect herself. Just far different from the weak Larra.

Maybe you just look a lot like her, but not really her…