Chapter 4 I'm Layla

Noah's POV

Joshua and one of the men I'd hired to find my grandfather approached me, and I quickly withdrew my hands from the bold lady, untangling them.

'Please don't let them see that,' I prayed inwardly. I had a reputation to uphold, after all.

I felt a twinge of pride stinging me.

"Boss, we've found him," Joshua said, his face a mix of delight and confusion as his eyes darted towards the bold lady.

"Found who?" she asked daringly.

I frowned, throwing her a sharp glare.

How could a woman be so bold? It was no wonder she was able to get into trouble with Bevel Fisher so quickly.

Whatever. This was my fault, anyway. If I'd kept to myself and not interfered, none of this would have happened. But I couldn't just stand by and watch Bevel drag her away.

Why was that?

I pulled out a handkerchief from my inner pocket and wiped my hands. It would have been impossible for Joshua and the other guy not to notice her touch, so I had to do something to clear their suspicion. I also wanted to make it clear to the lady that we were not from the same world.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw her cheeks redden in either anger or embarrassment as she stared at my hands, which I had just wiped with a handkerchief.

But she composed herself rather quickly and smiled.

"Em... Thank you for helping me out," she said, clearing her throat and blinking her eyes in a strange manner.

Were her eyes tired? I wasn't used to interacting with women anymore, not outside of a bedroom setting where conversations were unnecessary.

As if noticing my confusion, she cleared her throat again. "I'm Lena, by the way," she said after a few moments, extending her hand for a shake.

I stared down at her hand in surprise. She actually brought her hand out for me to shake?!

Did she not know about my OCD? Everyone in this country knew about it!

"What's yours?" she asked nervously, withdrawing her hand.

So she didn't know who I was which also meant she knew nothing about my OCD, or was she faking it to get my attention?

If she was, she had certainly succeeded.

'Why wasn't I repulsed by her like I am with other women?'

That was a question I would ponder later. For now, finding my old man was my priority.

"Let's go," I said, walking away and leaving the confused lady staring after me. I could feel her gaze on my back.

I needed to figure out who she was, but first I had to find my grandfather.

...

Elena's POV

Two days had passed. Two freaking days!

Two days since I met Mr. Mysterious, and yet fate seemed determined to keep us apart.

I was now at an indoor mini-golf club, specifically in the roofless restaurant part. The men who had been chasing me had lost track and had no choice but to retreat.

I'd only been back in the States for two days, and trouble was already finding me. This time, it wasn't entirely my fault.

'When is it ever?' I inwardly countered, rolling my eyes.

"This wasn't really my fault," I muttered out loud, then realizing I was too loud, quieted down with a nervous laugh and looked away from the others.

Those rich people. I snickered inwardly. If they weren't at a bar, they were at a club. When did they ever work?

I was just talking a walk around the area, when I spotted an expensive car pass me by. Its beauty drew me in, and I followed it, which led me to this club. It was grand and lavish, and I was immediately intrigued. I clung to the shadows, swiping anything my light fingers could reach, but despite my best efforts to avoid trouble, it always found me.

One of the guards had spotted me and alerted his partner, and soon, they were chasing me as if I were a common thief.

Imagine that-Elena Vasquez, reduced to a common thief? I was a first-class con artist, for crying out loud! It was so embarrassing to be running from two burly guards.

"Whatever, I've gotten enough from this club already," I sighed, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts.

It was getting late, and I had one more place to visit.

"So many rich people..." I sighed as I walked past what I called 'walking money,' referring to the wealthy old men. If I wanted to take something from them, I didn't need to do much.

"Too bad I'm not dressed for..." My words got stuck in my throat as my eyes met the one man who had been on my mind for the past two days...Mr. Mysterious.

I could tell it was him even from the back of his head. His handsomest stood out everywhere.

I blinked twice before rushing towards him with a bright smile.

"Hey," I called out.

Mr. Mysterious was talking to another familiar guy... the one who had been with him the other night. The man noticed me first and signaled for Mr. Mysterious to look in my direction. He turned around, and I noticed he was wearing dark shades.

Damn, the shades only made him look even hotter. Like someone out of a magazine.

"Hi again, it's me, Lena," I waved lightly, unfazed by his scrutinizing gaze from behind the dark glasses. "From the bar," I added.

Mr. Mysterious studied me for a few moments before removing his shades.

My heart skipped a beat as his striking black eyes came into view. Even when confused, he was still attractive.

His brows knitted together, as if deep in thought. "Are you Layla?" he asked in his deep voice after a few moments.

Layla? Who was Layla? I blinked once as my brain began processing all the possible reasons he was asking me that.

Funny, Layla was my best friend's name.

But why was he asking?

I blinked at him, unsure of how to respond.

"I'm here to talk about the arrangements of our marriage," he added, and I blinked once more.

Oh, So he was getting married to this Layla?

Didn't he know what his future bride looked like? Or was it one of those arranged marriages where the wealthy guy marries whoever his affluent family chooses for him?

If that was the case, a mischievous idea popped into my head, and my lips curved into a smile.

Then I was Layla.

"Actually, yes. I'm Layla. Lena is just my middle name," I confirmed with a small smile.

Mr. Mysterious's frown deepened as he took in my appearance, from head to toe, before looking back at my face. "And you came to discuss our marriage terms dressed like that?"

I was taken aback for a moment before I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a huge brown polo shirt with matching brown shorts. On my feet were white running shoes, and I had a white cap hiding my long hair.

Er... Now I understood his confusion.

Shit... This was the worst possible time to be dressed like this. I had no idea I'd run into him today. Plus, I wasn't even wearing makeup!