The moment he laid eyes on her, Fury Caraway immediately knew he was going to have Julia Heartilly

...One way, or another.

His idea of fun involved a deck of Triple Triad Cards, but his friends thought otherwise.

Fun, apparently, was bar-hopping, looking for a beautiful woman to share a drink with.

His military friends had chosen The Galbadia Hotel, a five-star in Deling City. It was one of the best hotels in the continent, if not, the best hotel. Service was impeccable. Drinks were impeccable. Even the hotel's name was impeccable. How could it not be impeccable when it began with a "The"?

His friend, General Marco, ushered him to the lounge area and waived his hand to someone. A handsome tall man immediately made approached them. Caraway assessed the man with scrutinizing eyes.

"General Marco, how pleasant to see you again!" the blonde man greeted.

Fury smirked. The Manager was a very good actor. He could fool Marco, but he couldn't fool him. The blonde manager didn't like his friend at all. It wasn't with the way he smiled at Marco, or how open his body language was. It was the man's aura. Fury had developed a keen sense of checking people's auras.

"Ah, Hugo my friend! Of course I've returned. Your quality is the best!" Marco beamed. "And because you're the best, I've brought my friends with me. May I present to you the Generals Marcus and Caraway."

The man named Hugo looked at Fury's eyes for the first time and bowed. "Greetings and I give you my welcome. My name is Hugo, the General Manager of Operations for The Galbadia Hotel. I give you my warmest welcome."

Marcus smiled. "Marco here tells us that you have the best guest relations"

Hugo smiled that didn't reach his ears. "Of course." he snapped his hands and three lovely ladies appeared out of nowhere.

The woman who sat beside Caraway was a lovely blonde with earth-brown eyes. "Good evening." she greeted.

He returned the woman's greeting.

"If you'll excuse me," Hugo turned away and left them.

Marco took a bottle of champagne and opened it.

"A toast! To the newly promoted General Caraway!"

The blonde's earth-brown eyes lit with delight as if she had struck a goldmine. "So you're a military man, huh?" she drawled

He flashed her a grin. "You find that sexy, don't you?"

He wanted to relax at home and play a nice game of Triple Triad. But the company of this woman would do.

The lights dimmed and Fury wondered if there was going to be a show.

Then she appeared.

A vision in red.

An angel in red.

The angel bowed and sat on the piano chair to play the sweetest melody he ever heard. He immediately forgot the blonde beside him. He could hear the chuckles coming from Marcus and Marco, but he didn't care.

He couldn't take his off the angel in red, even if her back was presented to him. He suddenly yearned to see her up close.

It was no secret how Fury rose from the Galbadian miitary ranks. His grit, combined with his strong vision and determination allowed him to pursue and obtain his goals.

The lovely young lounge pianist was no exception.

Throughout the years, his job had exposed him to different place, different life changing scenarios… and a bevy of beautiful women. He was a ladies' man, a connoisseur, as he preferred to be called. He loved the attention beautiful women gave him, and he was not timid to refuse them.

But with the young pianist who played with such exquisite sweetness... he knew the women of his past, even the blonde beside him and the women beside Marcus and Marco, paled in comparison to her.

Caraway was not the only one observing. The General Manager had his eyes glued on him the moment Julia stood on the stage.

Hugo was not blind to everything that happened in the Hotel. He knew each and everyone of his guests, and he made it a point to know each person's background. Even if he didn't personally like them.

Nothing was safe was his scrutinizing eyes. One could mistake him for a detective because of his meticulous background check. But for Hugo, it was simply one way of learning about your customers. Know your customers to please them. Know what pleases them to make them come back for more.

It was his job to make people patronize The Galbadia Hotel, and he would do anything for that.

Hugo took his time observing Caraway. It wasn't a surprise that even he was smitten with the lounge pianist. She was lovely indeed. The kind of woman one many would only dream of spending the rest of their lives with. The kind of woman who would cause leg cramps when men approached her...Like the young soldier the other day.

Hugo tried to remember what he knew about Caraway from a Magazine.

Fury Caraway, recently promoted as General in the Galbadian Military. Currently active in the war with Timber. Born in Deling City and owned a large mansion in the city's wealthiest district. A ladies man. Very popular with socialites.

The General was not classically handsome, but his features were striking. It was a face that you would make one look more than once. The experiences of war etched into the planes of his face, adding a tinge of cruelty to his face. It made him more menacing and formidable.

Carefully, he approached Caraway, attempting to gauge his interest on her."I see that our lovely lounge pianist has gained another admirer."

Caraway flicked his gaze to him. Hugo found not a single trace of admiration in those gray eyes. Damn, he was good! He knew how to control and hide his emotions... and he hid it well.

"Who is she?" he asked. "I would recognize and remember a beautiful and talented pianist like her."

Hugo clasped his hands together and beamed. "She's Julia Heartilly, a close friend of mine. She frequently plays in the other hotel lounges. Though I've recently managed to convince her to play for The Galbadia Hotel"

Caraway sipped his wine, not quite removing his gaze from the manager. "Excellent. I want to meet her then-in private."

He nodded. "Certainly, General Caraway."

No other words were spoken, and the General dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

Hugo walked away and continued to welcome other guests.

So that was the Fury Caraway he overheard from several military officers. The man whom young officers whispered in fear and awe. The man who inspired fear from his enemies, and commanded respect from his subordinates.

A man of a few words.

Now all that was left was to inform the angel in red.

*author's note*

I always loved characters with unexplained background stories. They make lovely characters to experiment with (just kidding!)

I've always wondered whether Caraway planned Laguna to be assigned in the Centra mission the day after Julia's talk with him.

Why not write about it?

The idea incubated in my head for several years, until I decided I had nothing to lose if I wrote it.

Allow me to present my take on the love triangle between Julia, Laguna and Fury Caraway.

I've decided to keep each chapter short and simple. In this way, I can sustain tiny gains that'll allow me to finish this story.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

UPDATE: 8/2/2016

I updated this short chapter. I think my writing has improved over the past months, and I wanted to rewrite or enhance some parts of the chapter. I also changed the title to "Angel in Red."