Buried Love Of The Riches

19: Viola Martinez

Song: Slip

Artist: Elliot Moss

Viola Martinez

We stared at the newspaper for a while. I wasn't surprised because my father wouldn't be so cold as not to attend a funeral. Especially one of his past friends. Gabriella glanced up at me then at our hands, still entwined.

She forcibly pulled away then looked at me with a stone hard look on her face. She looked back at the newspaper than at me. She did it a few times then shrugged.

"So, your father was just paying his respects." She said then put the newspaper on the table. "He looked a lot like you when he was younger."

"I get that a lot." I nodded then stepped back.

We stared at each other for a moment and I noticed how she leaned against her desk. She folded her arms, put one foot on the other then stared at me. I stuffed my hands in my pockets then straightened my posture, clearly stating that I'm not going anywhere until we've sorted things out.

She must've noticed when she eyed me up and down and rested her arms on her back. Silence stretched between us and behind her I saw the sun setting. Even though she wasn't on the top floor she still had a beautiful view of the city skyline. I never stayed so late in my office to watch the sunset, I always took my work home.

"I-I'm sorry." She whispered then shook her head while looking down. "I didn't mean what I said about your attitudes towards your work and I shouldn't care about who you interact with...I just don't like being a target, being seen as weak figure to screw over."

Somehow those words sounded familiar. Not exactly the same but it was similar to what Nikita said. It's women like Gabriella and Nikita who have opened up their eyes into the moneymaking world. Either that or they're getting tired of the same routine.

"You have every right to be upset Miss Smith, you're a strong young lady, and it shows I should never take you for granted," I stated.

"Even you Mr. Clarkson, you're somehow right. Men are strong physically, but women are strong emotionally." She said then laughed. "Don't know why it's like that but it's just how it is."

Silence took over again, but I could feel her eyes on me. I glanced up and stared at her. Her hazel eyes bored into me, yet she squinted them as if she was thinking. I opened my mouth to speak but she beat me to it when she pushed herself off the table.

"If you're still curious about Miss Castillo, I can tell you what I have." She said then looked at me. I thought she wouldn't have anything or she was just joking, but with the look on her face, she seemed serious. I slowly nodded then watched as she walked around her desk.

"Take a seat." She pointed to the sofa where we once fell asleep. She wouldn't just say that so I'm assuming we would be here for a while. I took off my jacket and hung it over a chair, leaving me in my waistcoat.

I took a seat on the sofa then ran a hand through my hair. Whenever I run my hand through my hair a lot, the gel runs out and eventually my hair starts doing its own thing. A lock that was once kept in place was now hanging in front of my forehead. I tried multiple times to pull it back but there was no use.

Out the corner of my eye, I saw Gabriella staring at me. I looked at her, and she eventually laughed. I couldn't help but grin as she walked towards me. She placed a file in front of me then took a seat.

"From the information, you've given me it made life easier." She said as I opened the file. There were dividers in it and as I began to open the first one she stopped me. I looked up, meeting her medium golden-brown eyes. Hazel eyes were very beautiful to look at.