This Crazy Rich Boy

Miguel has left an hour ago, but Gabriel is still so stunned he has said nothing. He keeps staring at the door, which is closed for the moment. Outside that door, sits Claire, posing as Bella. Miguel wants to date Bella, but that also means he's dating Claire, for all intents and purposes. And from the looks of it, his younger brother seems to have taken a liking for Claire. And Gabriel believes it—who would not like Claire? Who would not fall in love? After all, Miguel and him, they're truly brothers, because they tend to fancy the same thing, even in women.

Ten years ago Miguel dated Michelle. Miguel had been talking his ears off about "this fabulous girl I met at the party," to which he didn't pay much attention because he thought Miguel was just being impressionable. Miguel would see cleavage, and he would fall in love instantly. He'd see a particular hairstyle on a girl, and he'd instantly declare undying and eternal affection. Miguel was young, much younger than he was, and Gabriel had gotten used to his younger brother's fickle-mindedness. But when Miguel brought home Michelle to introduce to him, Gabriel was instantly smitten. And to his surprise, when it became obvious that Gabriel liked Michelle much more than Miguel, the younger one gave way. Miguel broke up with Michelle, citing some flimsy excuse. He then egged Gabriel on about asking Michelle out, to help nurse her broken heart. In no time, Gabriel and Michelle were steadily dating, and Miguel would often "remind" his older sibling of the "sacrifice" he had made.

That was ten years ago. It would have been a good sacrifice, one that had a lifelong import, except Michelle turned out to be such a manipulative, overbearing, and cunningly ambitious woman who had latched on Gabriel's money and growing success as subtly and yet tenaciously like some parasitic shadow. Having heard about what Michelle had done, Miguel had at times called him up and apologized for bringing to his life this kind of scourge.

"Why are you saying sorry," Gabriel kept telling him. "Ten years ago, who knew what this woman would do? As they say, it's all fair in love and war."

"Yeah," Miguel would say, "but still."

And now, although Miguel doesn't say it, the mere fact that he didn't do this over the phone and actually visited him in his office just to let him know he'd like to date Claire—this is Miguel trying to cash in from the Favor Bank. He's like saying, I gave way for you; this time, can you do the same for me?

There are so many things Gabriel wanted to say, but the problem is, most of those things are not official. For one, Miguel doesn't know—in fact, perhaps the whole world doesn't know, not even Claire herself—that Gabriel has started to have genuine feelings for Claire. It all started when…wait a minute. He doesn't know when it all started. It just grew within him. Maybe it germinated in those small moments, in those intimate conversations, in those small instances when he's alone with Claire and she laughs her kind of laughter and the sunlight shines upon her hair and makes her glow in a strange way as though the universe is telling him, Gabriel, that She's The One. How does he explain all that to Miguel, the pragmatic conquistador? He doesn't even know if Miguel's truly serious. For all he knew, his younger brother might just be in on it for the carnal pŀėȧsurė, the sick sense of accomplishment of adding someone like Claire Monteverde to his long list of conquests.

Miguel's dating Claire as her alternate persona, as Bella, in order to let his game play out, whatever the dėsɨrėd outcome. And Gabriel's hands are tied; he couldn't say outright what he feels. He couldn't say no. He couldn't tell Claire to say no to his own younger brother. Because what possible reason could he give? Avoid Miguel like the plague, because he's only after your body, shit like that? Brothers have a code. A Bro Code: Thou shall not ċȯċk-block your own brother. He cannot possibly break that code.

After all, many years ago, no matter how much Miguel had liked Michelle, he buried his own feelings and had given way to him. Shouldn't Gabriel do his brother the same favor now?

All such unspoken disposition, it's driving him crazy. This is on top of his current problems with Michelle. He has yet to receive a more definite report on how Relentless Holdings happened. There was a break in the clouds, a little breakthrough, just last night. But it wasn't enough. And now this: how does he even survive the day without breaking down?

He hears little knocks on the door, and he knows that the only person who knocks like that is the lovely girl just outside his office.

"Bella, come in."

Claire enters and carefully closes the door. She smiles. For some reason, she couldn't look at him in the eye. "I guess he already told you," she mutters.

Gabriel gazes at her, and his heart sinks. Can he really give way? Can he really give HER away? Can he not step in? "Yes," he says. "He just told me."

"So what do you think? Should I?"

"Claire," he says, "this is not a decision I'm supposed to make. It's your personal life." But please say no, say no, say no, Gabriel's heart quietly says.

She makes a small smile. "I don't know what to do. He's your brother. I didn't want to disappoint him or anything. I think maybe he just wants someone to talk to. Maybe he feels alone."

I can ȧssure you Miguel never feels alone; he can have a dozen women squirming at his feet at a flick of his finger, thinks Gabriel. But what he actually says is, "Yeah, maybe my brother feels a bit lonely. Did he tell you what he wanted?"

"You mean, where we're supposed to go?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know. I haven't said yes, you know. I don't feel like going out with him."

THEN PLEASE DON'T GO, FOR PETE'S SAKES, Gabriel screams in his mind, but his mouth says, "Well, maybe you should give him a chance. Maybe it's just dinner. Just a little talk or something."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Okay. Are you sure it's okay with you? Because he's coming back later tonight, and he would need my answer."

Oh, please say no, tell him to go back to our mother in Switzerland or wherever underground bunker she's currently living in, Gabriel thinks, but as always, his mouth says, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Just…you know, try to stay safe. Just dinner or something safe."

"Yeah, okay," she says. "I'll give him a shot, then." She smiles. And for some reason, Gabriel thinks that's the saddest smile he had ever seen in his life. Like Claire is about to cry. Like he just sent her to the gallows.

After she leaves and closes the door, Gabriel feels like choking himself. You goddamn idiot, he mutters to his reflection on the dead computer screen. You've just let that woman out of your grasp, and perhaps, out of your life, forever.

Now what?