Page 25 of Untamed Protector

“Fine,” I mutter. I did agree to that earlier. Me and my big mouth! I roll my eyes, catching a glimpse of his satisfied smirk. At least he has the decency not to gloat.

“You can work from here for the rest of the day. Peter will have someone watch over you until one of my guys comes. I’ll pick you up later to show you to your new place.”

“But I need my stuff. I’ll pack a few things at Lena’s, and you can pick me up from there.”

“No, you don’t get it. You won’t see your family and friends until the dust settles. You’re putting them in danger. I’ll send someone to get your clothes. Ask Lena to pack them.”

His words hit me hard. I swallow dryly to keep the emotion from choking my voice. I can’t even see my family or friends anymore. Now I’m really getting annoyed with this situation. Whoever did this is going to regret the day they messed with me.

Lena! I need to talk to her before Gabriel unmasks my motives for working for Peter. The second he figures it out, I’ll be under his thumb, and he’ll restrict my every movement. There’s no way I can get my revenge on the jerk who hurt us if I’m on a leash.

Closure, revenge, justice—I crave any of them. Anything to silence the rage I feel every time the past rears its ugly head. The constant anger, the gnawing helplessness… it’s a parasite sucking the life out of me. I need this to end.

Gabriel takes my silence as agreement and presses on. “Let’s pick this up tonight at my place. We got this. You won’t be facing this alone anymore.”

A surprising change. His warmth is unexpected, and my place sounds… inviting.

He then gets up to leave, giving me a chance to catch my breath and call Lena. But just as I think I’m in the clear, Gabriel walks right over to me instead of the door and leans in to whisper in my ear. His scent, a familiar presence by now, envelops me as his breath tickles my hair.

“Look, I just wanted to say… I’m sorry for what you’re going through,” he says, his voice hushed and calm. “I’ll try to make it as tolerable for you as possible. We’ll take it at your own pace, one step at a time. As you remember important details, you can tell me,” he adds.

And we’re back to the same thing. He’s only after information. That’s all he’s interested in.

“I haven’t forgotten a thing. You’re the one who needs time to hear everything I remember.”

He raises an eyebrow in surprise. I thought Peter had already told him about me—the little I’d shared: that I have a knack for numbers and dates and love puzzles. And, of course, Peter made the joke everyone does, that I could play any game in a casino and win. “Counting cards?” he asked me once. I avoided giving a clear answer. Peter might not be into that, but Lucas would drag me to every casino in the city if he knew. No thanks, gambling’s not my thing.

Lucas is drowning in debt, funding his lavish lifestyle. Peter has always thrown him a helping hand, but Lucas keeps digging himself deeper. It became obvious when I offered to help his accountant and got hold of his financial documents. Peter trusts me—and promotes me even—so everyone sees me as his protégée, granting me full access. It was an ideal situation until Gabriel screwed it up.

What many people don’t know is that I hardly forget anything. Every event in my life gets meticulously stored, ready to be recalled with vivid detail: places, colors, people, words, smells, all of it. There’s nothing special about that. Not for me. It’s just a curse that keeps me in a sad and painful past, and I’d like to be rid of it. To be normal and happy.

“Then you could start making a list of everyone who might have a reason to hate you. People, names, where I can find them, and any motives they might have. Be as specific as you can,” Gabriel asks after hearing me boast.

I was tired of showing off already in high school. Kids laughed at me, so I humiliated them. Then things got so bad that no one would even talk to me. Except for Lena and my dad, who’d leave work on his lunch break to pick me up so kids wouldn’t bully me. For a long time, they called me Weirdo at school.

“I don’t know who could hate me. Apart from those people that Peter mentioned. I think it’s better if you talk to him.”

“I’ll get that information from Peter. But what about your life before working for Grain Inc.? Were there any events that left people feeling resentful? Who do you know here in the city? Are there people from your hometown who came here, and have you met any of them? Who knows that you’re here? Give it some thought. Something might come up.”

“Okay, I see. I’ll make a list with everyone I know.”

“Don’t forget about any potential jealous girlfriends.”

“I won’t.”

“Some women that might know about you and Lucas?”

“I’m not Lucas’s girlfriend.”

“Peter then?”

Not you, too, Gabriel. I hate it when people automatically assume that any man who looks after me must be interested in me romantically. I’ve had enough of the company gossip already.

“Don’t be an asshole. Peter could be my father.”

“That’s not what I meant. Is there anyone who might be jealous of the way Peter treats you? Not just coworkers, but also other people you’ve met while working for him.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I just thought you meant…”

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