The Road to Defeat

FIFTEEN

Honest eyes

Three days prior

Namjoon wasn't here to play games, he was impatient, only wanting to get straight to the point. "Tell me what you know." Namjoon held Chloe's glare for countless minutes. Both of them not wanting to back down or comply. However, even though Chloe was stubborn enough to stay like this all day and not say a word, she figured that this was her opportunity to get everything off her chest.

"You're in the mafia aren't you? And you're going to kill me now that I know." Namjoon stayed silent, his gaze never leaving Chloe's eyes. There were many reasons that led up to Namjoon suspecting this. Of course Namjoon was angry when Emily had allowed Chloe to come over and into their house, but at the same time Namjoon couldn't help but to be intrigued by her. Because of his interest, it led him to, without realizing, keep an eye on her. The other day when Chloe had showed up at the house unexpectedly, Namjoon knew she had come for a reason, he just didn't know what the reason was. After greeting her at the door,Namjoon kept an eye on her from afar. She seemed off that day, almost like she was shaken up. From that Namjoon knew he had to say something. He knew that he had to handle this head on and he wanted to be the one to do it.

His plan was simple, he was going to approach Chloe on his own when she was working. Namjoon wasn't sure what made him want to act so suddenly whether it was the adrenaline of not knowing the situation's outcome or wanting to know if his suspicions were right. He got Chloe's work location from Vincenzo, who didn't question his intentions at all. Namjoon, being too eager for his own good, left as soon as possible. Stepping into the small book store, Namjoon was pleasantly surprised. He loved reading in his free time and the small store gave off a nice homey vibe. Once he saw Chloe standing behind the small counter, he slowly started to approach her.

Namjoon couldn't help but analize Chloe's appearance as they held eye contact. He had yet to be this close to her, he never realized how much taller he was in comparison to her small height. He towered over her, forcing him to have to look down in order to make eye contact with her. On the outside Chloe was quite simple, her clothes were never anything exciting and her face always seemed to be kept natural. But somehow Namjoon somehow knew that you were more complex than that.

"You're in the mafia aren't you? And you're going to kill me now that I know." Chloe's words broke the tense silence, her voice small but not seeming fearful. Namjoon's eyes soften slightly at her confession. He hated letting people into their mafia circle, believing that the less people who know the better. The mafia was a dangerous place to be for anyone. The mafia itself has many rivals and anyone who is a part of the operation is considered involved in everything that they do. Not only that but, everyone who is a part of the mafia is at risk of being hurt from both rivals and legal enforcements. Namjoon knew that not everyone is able to handle that type of pressure, and he wouldn't wish this life upon anyone.

However, with Chloe it seemed different. Namjoon felt hurt that she thought of him as a killer, or at least someone who would kill her. Namjoon always cared deeply for his friends but he barely knew Chloe, so he didn't understand when he could care so much about her. He had no idea why but for some reason he wanted to keep her around. Almost like he had left all of his prior beliefs outside before he came in.

"I have a proposal to make" Namjoon's voice was stern but his words filled Chloe's eyes with hope. "I can pay you to keep your mouth shut about this, but you won't be able to be in contact with any of us. Or, you can join the mafia." Chloe's eyes grew wide, no even knowing how to process his statement. "I will leave you to think it over, but I will come back and ask again." With that Namjoon left the store. Namjoon was uncertain at that moment whether his proposal was a good idea or simply an impulsive one. He however, was slightly excited by the thought of Chloe staying around the group more and more often. Namjoon didn't know why he would make such a proposal, especially to someone he didn't know well. However, Namjoon seemed to think that Chloe's attitude and personality would work great with the rest of the group, or at least he hoped so.

Namjoon sat in his car for moments after leaving the store. He couldn't stop his mind from repeating the encounter over and over. One thing that still seemed to puzzle Namjoon was how Chloe had even come to the conclusion on her own. It was either Chloe was just overly smart and observant, or they were just blatantly obvious. He laughs quietly to himself, he will have to ask her about it when he gets the chance.

"That woman is too smart for her own good," he spoke aloud to himself. He couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. Honestly, it had been a while since Namjoon had had a chance to laugh like this, work just seemed to be overwhelming these days. He had never met a girl like Chloe before. From what he has seen from her, he could tell that she was something special. She was kind and caring but when it came down to it she knew how to tell someone off, and however sassy she can be, she could never be labeled as mean or rude. Chloe honestly irritated him to no account whenever they had talked at the house, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about her.