Page 42 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

“Yeah, same. I didn't want her to be worried. There's nothing between us, but I know Clara.”

She laughed. “I know Clara, too.”

I nodded. “So, tell me what's been going on. What happened between Gabe and her?”

“God, that's such a loaded question.”

“I'm not going anywhere. Lay it on me.”

She sighed heavily. “We all thought Gabe was going to propose to Clara. Hell, they had been dating for, like, three years? I was starting to warm up to him.”

“It took you three years to warm up to him?”

She giggled. “Don't judge me.”

“Hey, this isn't judgment. This is a look of concern.”

Her giggling doubled as she covered her mouth. “Levon, quit it.”

“What? We used to make that joke all the time!”

“I know! That was our 'thing' back in the day. Clara used to tease me about it all the time, saying I was going to steal her boyfriend one day.”

I rolled my eyes. “Case and point for my earlier statement.”

“Anyway,” she said as she waved away her laughter. “Gabe ended up making a huge mistake. He asked Clara to move with him to New York. We all thought he was going to propose. All the signs were there, you know?”

“It's almost like he never listened to her.”

“I think that was part of it. I also think he was missing something. Clara always seemed like she was searching for much more than what he wanted to provide.”

“Like what?”

She shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

“I mean, you're her sister. You would be the first to know.”

“You would think, but Clara is a lot more private than she lets on.”

I hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe she doesn't know what she wants.”

“I think you might be right about that. As much as Clara pretended to know, I don't think she did. I think she was searching for a man inside of Gabe that just didn't exist.”

“That's so sad.”

She nodded. “What's sadder is the fact that Gabe didn't eventhinkto propose. Then again, I'm not surprised. That man is practically married to his career.” She paused to giggle. “Sort of like someone else I know.”

The waiter interrupted at just the right moment. He placed a plate in front of each of us and I thanked him, grateful for the pause in conversation. I admired the food on my plate. My stomach growled immediately, causing me to smile at Laura.

“Dig in!” I encouraged. “It looks incredible.”

“I'm glad you think so. This has always been my favorite spot.”

As she lifted her utensils, I followed suit. I started cutting my steak into smaller pieces and added potatoes to it, accepting a mouthful of it to keep me quiet. We fell into a silent rhythm as we both sated our appetites.

She grabbed a napkin and wiped her lips. “So, as I was saying—”

“About Gabe.”

---