Love me, London

two

"London?"

From where I was sitting, I could sense four pairs of eyes in total were glistening on me. Regret immediate poured through me for following Emma's instruction and set my feet into this room.

"London?" A hoarse voice repeated and this time I snapped my gaze up from my lap to answer his call.

"Yes, Mr. Luciano."

Intimidated, I was. Who would not if they found themselves seating across the table from Mr. Yusuf Luciano.

Was I in trouble? Was the first thought which entered my mind the moment I stepped into the room. And with the answer being 'No', few other thoughts then arose.

Hoping that maybe, just maybe someone would finally given me the answer I had been dreading for and put an end to this restless state of mind.

But right before any explanations had been done, the sound of a door crackling open caught my breath including everyone else's as they instantly turned.

I, however hardly swallow.

"You're late, Liam." Mr. Luciano sighed.

My heart thudded in consequence of his presence, the man whom Giovanna's father was speaking to.

Liam Alvaro Luciano. His name automatically crossed my mind. Giovanna's older brother. I had known him for nearly as long as I lived. He was like a brother to me. Although, I doubted he count me as his sister, but brother-sisterly bond was probably the only good way to describe our awkward relationship.

Liam was everything that resembled his father. Unlike his stepbrothers, Jack, Luke and Pedro, he was awfully quiet and strangely secretive. He lived this James Bond-like life with not that many people he was close in contact with. Few friends, perhaps but only the ones he could trust and according to his book, adult females seemed to be more trustworthy rather than men— as it explained why he enjoyed their companies so very much that he would always be spotted with one lady or two in his arms at anywhere he went. He was a womanizer.

Which then again, explained why out of the four brothers Giovanna had, Liam was the one I was the least familiar with.

Being in the same room with him already made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome so you could already imagine the feeling I must be experiencing.

There was an inevitable tension growing inside the room suddenly when Liam stepped forward. He then took a seat on the spot across from me, beside his mother. He glanced down at his wristwatch and leaned back comfortably as if the state of affairs we were in was downright expectant.

"London, I hope you still remember my son, Liam." Mrs. Luciano spoke up out of nowhere.

Her assertion left me frowning as I shifted awkwardly in my spot.

"O-of course, Mrs. Luciano." I stammered, "I remember."

Confusion mixed with doubts. For being the wife of such a successful well-respected businessman like Mr. Luciano, Mrs. Luciano sure had very questionable social skills.

Like what kind of a conversation opener was that?

"So..." Mrs. Luciano prompted. Her cheeky smile automatically sent a weird sensation to the pit of my stomach, "What do you think?"

"Excuse me?" Not sure if I heard her correctly, I asked to double-check.

"What do you think of my son, London?"