Ensnared by Mafia, Days and Nights

Hadn't we agreed to part ways? What was he doing here now?

Questions burgeoned like bamboo shoots after rain, tormenting Giselle beyond endurance.

For the first time, she felt a class stretch longer than a year.

At last, the bell rang. Giselle quickly gathered her things and rushed downstairs. Her grandmother, noticing her hurry, chided, "Giselle, he's just in the backyard, not going anywhere. What's the rush?" As she pushed open the backyard door, Giselle caught sight of a familiar silhouette.

Her grandmother enjoyed basking in the backyard sun, prompting Giselle to place a quaint wooden table there.

At that very table sat Chase, waiting as patiently as he had back in the days they were together, a picture of tranquility.

Giselle was about to approach when her steps faltered, a peculiar emotion welling up within her.

Before she could delve into this feeling, Chase turned and softly called, "Giselle."

He opened his mouth to continue, but his words seemed to lodge in his throat, hanging unspoken in the air.

Their eyes met in a silent exchange.

Time stretched until Giselle, feeling the need to break the tension, was about to speak. But Chase beat her to it, his voice breaking the quiet, "Long time no see."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he was beside her, his hand reaching out as if to caress her cheek before he thought better of it and drew back.

He hesitated for a long moment before managing to say, "How have you been...?"

"Would you like something to drink?" Giselle cut him off, heading towards the front yard.

With the building emotion abruptly interrupted, Chase exhaled and requested, "Just some tap water will do."

Giselle fetched two glasses of water and set them down on the table, sitting across from Chase.

The wooden table was modest, barely an arm's length across.

Chase sipped his water, his gaze lingering on Giselle as he searched for the right words to begin anew.

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Setting down her glass, Giselle asked, "How did you know I was here? Did Megan tell you?"

This was a secluded spot, hidden even from Henry, let alone Chase.

"Yeah," Chase twirled his glass in his hands, "Besides that, she told me everything you've been through lately. I'm sorry, Giselle, I..."

"It's okay," Giselle interrupted his apology, her patience wearing thin.

After all, Henry was the instigator; if apologies were due, they were hers to make to Chase.

Conversation faltered, and Chase sighed, changing tack.

"Giselle, now that you're free from his clutches, perhaps we could..." He paused, summoning his courage, "Perhaps we could start over."

He had made the journey from New York not just to see how she was doing.

This proposal was expected, yet hearing it aloud caught Giselle off guard.

As she hesitated, Chase grew anxious and pressed, "Don't you want to be with me anymore?"

Giselle sidestepped the question with a vague response, "I owe Henry a lot of money. Until I can settle this debt, my focus must be on earning, not romance."

"I understand, and if we get back together, I can help you with that debt," Chase proposed earnestly.

"No, that won't be necessary."

Giselle's gaze dropped, emotions intertwining within her.

She appreciated Chase's presence and mourned the lost time, yet she distinctly lacked the love she once felt for him.

As she met his gaze unexpectedly, a strange sensation flooded her.

Suddenly, it was crystal clear: the love she had felt for the man before her had dissipated with her naive, youthful days. Now, her heart held no expectations of love.

In such a state, she could not consider reuniting with Chase, not under the guise of a love that had long since vanished.

"Why won't you reconsider? Have you fallen for that dreadful scoundrel?" Chase's brow furrowed deeply, and he couldn't resist moving closer, intent on embracing Giselle, yet he stopped just half a meter away.