All You Need Is Love (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 4

PRESENT
🌻

"Who the hell are you?"

"I saw what happened, and I know that man did not hit you. His hand simply grazed your head because you were leaning so far back. A baby could have caused you more serious injury flailing its arms."

They heard the sound of shoes scraping over the floor. It was one of the customers sitting at the bar coming to their rescue. His height and solid build were obscured by a gray suit. Gulf couldn't see his face clearly due to the low light, but his hair was perfectly gelled. His silver-rimmed glasses reflected the scant light, giving the man an inhuman veneer.

"Who the hell do you think you are? This doesn't involve you."

"Unfortunately, it does. This bar is part of a franchise that we manage, and we would prefer that the police not get involved."

He was speaking calmly, but his voice overwhelmed its listeners, never allowing them a chance to respond. Memories that Gulf thought were sealed away tightly were set to buzzing life at the sound of it.

'It can't be him. It's not possible.' He refused the idea, but memories flooded his mind and his entire body went rigid.

The man didn't seem to notice Gulf's distress.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to a paying customer."

He swing his arm, but the man in the glasses easily dodged it. He caught his customer's wrist and jerked it up toward the ceiling.

"Augh!"

"I'm sorry if I did not make myself clear, sir. This is intended to be a place where people can come and have a pleasant chat and a drink with our girls. We do not wish to have customers get drunk and harass the other customers."

"Ow, ow! That hurs!"

"And everyone here is our guest. We would prefer that those who disturb the enjoyment of our guests not come. Have I made myself clear?"

The man turned abruptly, and his profile came into Gulf's field of vision.

Thin eyes glimmered behind his silver-rimmed glasses, and a cold smile rested on his lips. When he was silent, his intellectual demeanor might have let him pass for the director of multi-billion dollar company. But he betrayed that appearance by casually tossing off such stern words. There was something haunting about the man's sophisticated looks.

"You're in trouble man. Let it go."

The other men in his group were pale.

"He's got a badge from the Koryu Alliance."

"Uh-oh. Hurry up and apologize!"

At the furtive whisper of the words 'Koryu Alliance,' Gulf's skin prickled.

"What will it be, sir?"

"I'll apologize. I-I apologize. I'm sorry. I started the fight. Please let me go now."

He was half in tears now, his macho act nowhere to be found. The man in the glasses sighed and releases the man's arm with an exasperated shake of his head.

"Does that sound like an apology to you?"

"Then what do you want from me?"

"Let's have you grovel."

The man cowered under the cold words and contemptuos gaze.

A baritone voice from the bar cut short any further demands. "Lay off him, AA. What's the point intimidating a nobody like him?"

Gulf froze. A chill ran down his spine at the sound of that voice. There was a trace of sharpness in it, but the voice was firm.

"He apologized, so let's just drop it. We're even. The door's right over there. You can see yourselves out."

He interposed himself gracefully and indicated the door with an elegant hand. The men gathered their belongings in relief and hurriedly left the bar, practically running.

"Man, what's with all these amateurs lately? They're getting on my nerves." The man sitting at the bar swirled the ice in his glass and turned to look ar them. "And you, Sir Lancelot. A sense of justice is okay and all, but if you don't know when to back off, you're going to get in trouble."

The man was wearing a black suit that melted into the shadows except for a gold necklace hanging on his bare chest, which reflected the faint light. The women were gathering around him at a slight distance, making flirtatious noises. Even in silhoutte, it was easy to see the poise and charm in his body language. He seemed somehow uncomfortable. It made Gulf's heart race.

TBC