Liam approached Gabriel after his bodyguard—the bearded guy—took Carlos to the vehicle.
"You are serious about the tying?" Liam asked. He imagined how easily the man could fall and get dragged against the rough tarmac, skinning him alive, carpeting the tarmac with human skin.
"What do you think?" Gabriel replied and Liam huffed.
"I didn't expect you to pick him. How will he be useful to you?"
"My other head decided on this one. I don't even know what I'm thinking."
Liam focused his eyes on Gabriel's and furrowed his brows. When it finally hit him, he parted his mouth before slapping his friend's back. "You devil. Don't tell me you picked him to service you in..."
"He looks comfortable. Look at how plump his cheeks are," Gabriel said, lifting his shoulders.
"You beast! I feel sorry for him," Liam said, pushing his friend away from himself in a playful fashion.
"Look Who's Talking. What are you going to do to Carlos?" Gabriel asked.
"Get the truth out of him. We need to make sure he wasn't planning on selling us to Cato. We've already broken one of our principles. Gabriel, we never leave anything to chance," Liam said, expressing his worry that they could be doing the wrong thing by delaying the deaths.
"Yeah, I know that. The man has always been ambitious. Talked to Manuel about this and he told me how Carlos has always shared his passion to be wealthy. I must say, he has brilliant plans to get there from what Manuel told me. I'm afraid he could have stolen the necklace to get good pay from Cato, but it would be unlike him to do such."
"What do you know about him? Do you even pay attention to your employees?" Liam asked.
"Don't speak of me like that. I do pay attention. He was my secretary." Gabriel defended.
"How is the disabled man going to help you with this case? I thought it would be beneficial to have taken the father instead."
"Liam, the father is the breadwinner. I've been lenient enough to let the rest of the family go. Plus, if Carlos stole the necklace, he could have probably collaborated with his cousin and agemate, not his father. See how he defended him?" Gabriel said, referring to how Ivan had defended Carlos.
"Don't kill him. I know you can be very rough with him," Liam said, his face saying it all. "Pity the young man."
"Why would I? I should be telling you that, by the way. How do you deliver a kick to someone's face with that boot on?" Gabriel said, pointing to Liam's heavy brown boot made from leather.
"You kind of just sway your leg and target the face..." Liam chuckled a bit as he showed a kicking movement before sighing. "I don't even know where to start without hurting him. The idea he almost sold us out to Cato, crushing our empire, is driving me crazy. I will find evidence against him fast. And when I'm sure, I won't hesitate to kill him and his family. I hope you won't hesitate either," Liam said, attacking Gabriel subtly for giving the suspects a chance, and Gabriel caught it.
Liam was indeed low-key mad at Gabriel for breaking one of their principles and Gabriel knew the matter ticked Liam. 'No room for doubt.' Yet this time, they had left room for it. It was unbelievable to imagine that the man Ivan had made him compromise. A cripple nonetheless. He thought to himself. He smiled at Liam before stretching out his hand.
"Buddy, I got to go now. I'm sorry I made us compromise. If you find the evidence, send it to me and I won't hesitate to finish the family off too. As on my side, I'll let Manuel investigate the matter."
"I don't feel good about this. But I'll let it be and work toward finding the evidence. Otherwise, have a nice day, brother," Liam said as he slapped his hand against Gabriel's palm before pulling him in for a hug.
The two parted ways and headed to their respective vehicles.
Gabriel headed back to the machine that chauffeured him. Before he got into the car, Manuel stopped him.
"Sir, allow the man to ride with the guards in the other car," Manuel requested.
"Why should I?" Gabriel asked, arms folded.
Manuel was a bit taken aback by this question. Normally, his master was not usually unreasonable, but this time, he even asked a question to which the answer was quite obvious.
"Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but if we tie him at the back of the car and make him walk, he'll arrive at the mansion tomorrow, we'll get a lot of attention from the pedestrians, it won't be a surprise if the images appear on the news tomorrow, and if the driver drives too fast, he could slip and fall...or even die."
"What if I want him dead?"
"Sir...you can't have spared the family only for you to kill him."
Gabriel, unable to understand the emotions that were churning, shook his head. "Do as you please. Get me home as soon as you can."
Happy, Manuel bowed and rushed to the second vehicle. He whispered to another guard, who pulled Ivan into the second vehicle.
Manuel then rushed back to Gabriel's car as he was the chauffeur to the first vehicle, which had the mafia, his sister, and one extra guard.
When Gabriel got to the estate, he was quick to instruct Manuel to show Ivan around before showing him to his office.
The vehicle Ivan was in arrived a few seconds after Gabriel's. And Ivan saw the man rush out of the machine ahead of theirs into the manor of the property.
"Hello, I'm Manuel," a voice met his ear.
"Hi... I'm Ivan."
Ivan was confused as to why he was captured. Yes, he was family to Carlos, but he wasn't a suitable revenge for the family. His uncle and auntie gave little care about him. However, Carlos cared. At the moment, he wished he'd lived alone. He could have never gotten into the mess he was.
"I've been tasked with showing you around, but I'll spare you all of that. I know you are tired, so I'll show you to your room. You can take a shower, then I'll take you to sir Gabriel's office. Is that okay?"
"Yes," Ivan replied in a soft voice. He roamed his eyes over the horizons of the property. "All this belongs to... What was his name?"
"I just mentioned his name right now," Manuel said
"Sorry to ask his name again," Ivan said.
"He is Gabriel. Don't forget it. And don't go getting yourself into trouble."
"Trust me, trouble is the last thing I want," Ivan huffed.
"Soften your words as you talk to Gabriel. Kind of like how you answered back then as you emerged from the oak tree... or how you replied yes to me after I asked if you were okay with the plan. You get what I mean?"
"If I'm hearing you correctly, I should not challenge Gabriel with my words."
"Exactly. You also need to soften your voice so it doesn't sound as if you have an attitude. Because right now you sound like you have one."
That was a statement Ivan commonly heard. He blamed it on his environment. People who made fun of him surrounded and treated him like an oddball. He had learned to chase people away not by voicing it directly, but with his choice of words and tone of voice. His tone of voice was mostly with an attitude if not defensive, and his choice of words was always sharp and harsh. Only when afraid would he lower his voice; like when talking to his uncle, who threatened to take away his basic needs like housing and throw him on the streets. He had to lower his voice at the man to not anger him.
Manuel led Ivan to the servant's quarters. They were neat and cleaner than he expected.
"Who plants these vegetables?" Ivan asked when he spotted a garden with tomatoes and cucumbers in it.
"The servants have planted these. Sir Gabriel has given us this land to cultivate."
"All of this? How many servants are here?"
"Not many, but some have their families here."
"But aren't the rooms small?"
"The rooms come in different sizes. Yours is this studio over here," Manuel said, opening the door to a small studio. A bed sat stable at the center of the room, with a small kitchen area dominating the right wall from the entrance. There were two doors on the left wall. one door led to a small shower and bathroom and another opened to a small empty closet.
"This place is weird. We cook for ourselves?"
"Yes. Or don't you know how to cook?"
"No. I'm just used to servants having their chefs and eating similar meals made by the kitchen staff that day."
"You prefer that?"
"No... I think this way is better."
Ivan worked with a chef who cooked for servants working in a company near his uncle's home. After his uncle made it clear he would not pay for his college tuition, Ivan attempted to look for a job and try to save some money for his education.
"I'll leave you to shower. You have thirty minutes."
"Wait... I don't have clothes," Ivan said, embarrassed because he had come to the place without his personal needs and belongings.
"Oh right. We didn't think about that back there, did we?" Manuel said.
"How will I get my documents and clothes? I can't stay without my identification details and belongings."
"I'll give you my clothes for now. Then when in the office with the master, ensure you request his permission to grab your belongings tomorrow. If he allows you, I will take you there."
"Allows me. He will have to allow me.... thank you for offering your clothes but, won't they be too big for me? And what about a towel?"
"I'm sure they will fit you just fine. I'm just taller than you. Give me a minute, I'll get them for you."
Manuel was a well-built man with biceps, big pectoral muscles, and a sharply curved lattismus with his lower body muscles showing thick and proud. Ivan, on the other hand, was shorter than the man and a bit smaller than Manuel size in width. The only difference was that Ivan was built of more fat than muscle.
In quick less than sixty seconds, Manuel was back in the room with a blue towel hanging in one hand and a pair of trousers, a T-shirt, and a can of jelly in the other.
"That was quick," Ivan said.
"I'm just right across your room."
"You live with your family there?"
"No. It's a studio like yours, just slightly bigger."
"You have them elsewhere? Your family that is."
"No. I have no family. I mean, I've not married and I do not have children."
"Really. I would have never guessed. You look like a family type of guy."
"What makes you say that?" Manuel asked, invested.
"You have the body of a protector, and you are kind. I know you requested Gabriel to not have me tied at the back of the car. And you gave me your clothes," Ivan said, taking the clothes from Manuel before inhaling the scent of them. "Smells nice."
Manuel, unable to form an appropriate reply, smiled before excusing himself. "You better shower now. You have thirty minutes," Manuel said, tapping a silver watch on his right wrist."
After the warm shower, he put on Manuel's clothes and they sold him out; he'd borrowed the clothes. As much as he liked baggy clothes, these were too baggy for his liking. The clothes swallowed him, and he appeared like an incubated egg covered by warm clothing. He knocked on the door opposite his room to report that he was ready.
As the two of them walked to the manor, Manuel shared some ways to avoid trouble. 'Address him as Sir unless he tells you otherwise. Lower your gaze. Don't give eye contact. As we said, choose your words carefully and soften your voice. Don't do anything that might get you killed. He is not so forgiving.'
Gabriel's kindness to the family had for sure taken Manuel aback. Manuel was used to Gabriel and Liam be unapologetic about ridding anything they considered a nuisance and a danger to their business. He dared not cross them as he was well familiar with how they operated. He'd be a fool to cross Gabriel and he hoped Ivan wouldn't get on his wrong side too.
"Ready?" Manuel asked when they stopped outside Gabriel's office.
Ivan looked around. "We have arrived?" He was busy paying attention to all Manuel had to say for him to notice they had entered the main house. It was then that Ivan looked around the hallway and he couldn't help but widen his eyes at the beauty of the hallway. Its golden ceiling with rubies engraved in it in a pattern. The cream walls played well in reflecting the light from the ceiling, keeping the hallways warm.
"Hey, answer me. I need to make sure you are ready."
Ivan stood upright and dusted the non-existing dust on his arms. "Ready."
"Okay, I'll get in first and will get you in a few."
Manuel knocked then entered. In less than a minute, he opened the door and requested Ivan to walk in.
"He is ready to see you now," Manuel said in a firm robot voice, a voice different from the one he had used with him before.
Is this his working voice, Ivan wondered. The voice he uses in front of Gabriel.
Ivan entered the room with a polite smile plastered on his face. "Good evening, sir Gabriel."