Chapter 9 - Insecurity


It was almost seven in the evening when a black Aston Martin car stopped at the front gate of the Ariva Hotel which was one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. Levi got down from the car & turned on his mobile & found Kenny send him a message asking if he brought his family with him to the party. Levi's eyes twitched to read his message.

They came to Ariva to attend a party thrown by Kenny. Ackerman's made a great profit in the joint business with the Ral Enterprise. The party was thrown to celebrate the success.

Levi took a small sip from his champagne filled glass, stood beside a window, an utterly bored expression on his face. He never liked to attend parties or social gatherings that much. He forced to come here because Kenny ordered him. The onyx haired man didn't understand why the old man wanted Eren & (y/n) to come here.

Anyways, Levi took another sip from his glass, his gaze searching his family in the crowd. Those two were missing from the moment they reached to the party. Finally, Levi found (y/n) and Eren near a dining table, (y/n) feeding Eren a piece of cake & chatting with Isabel.

He sighed in relief to found them, but that relief didn't last long. His watchful eyes didn't miss the lecherous gaze of few men to his wife, making his blood boiled in irritation. As much as he wanted to give those men a piece of his mind, it was impossible to do that at the same time. He looked away from her to distract himself to become more irritated.

Why was he feeling so possessive over (y/n)? Didn't he know its wrong to have such feelings for her?

Recently those questions came to his mind frequently, leaving him confused. He never felt that way before and not being able to find any answers to those questions make him irritated in his mind.

Levi looked up from his glass to her, cobalt-blue eyes narrowed slightly.

He could guess (y/n) was acting as Eren's governess as per the contract in the party. After all, he was the one who gave her the condition to keep the marriage secret. He didn't know why this distance bothered him.

Levi knew it very well if he did anything the media wouldn't waste a moment to make it a gossip. Though he didn't give a damn to the media, reporters, didn't want his family members to face some baseless scandals. And if that news somehow hampered the progress in Eren's case, then Kenny would definitely kick him out of the company.

No, he couldn't let that happen at any cost...

†*†*†*†*†

"So (y/n) how is your life with brother?" Isabel asked (y/n) who was wiping Eren's mouth with a tissue, "I know he's the grumpiest man in the world, but he's not a bad person."

The (h/c) haired woman laughed at Isabel's last sentence. "Yes, he's the grumpiest man I've ever seen. At first, it was difficult, but now we somehow managed to bear each other."

Isabel leaned back in her chair & grinned, "Yeah, I can see that. He really cares for you two. Otherwise, he won't buy those Christmas presents for you."

"How do you know about the presents?" (y/n) frowned at Isabel.

She said a few days before Christmas Levi called a jewellery designer to his office & ordered to make a brooch. And he also asked Farlan to buy the ridiculously expensive limited edition game Eren wanted. When Isabel asked him about those presents, he said he heard Eren to nag (y/n) to buy the game & he found (y/n) to make a mess in the whole house to find her brooch.

Isabel didn't miss the chance to tease Levi, saying he can admit he wanted to buy presents for them. But the stubborn man glared daggers at her and stated he did that to stop (y/n) to make the house a dump yard & Eren's continuous nagging for the toy. The brooch delivered to his office on Christmas because of some transportation problem. And Levi had to wait till evening that day in his office for that package.

(y/n) fell silent to hear the truth about the presents Levi brought in Christmas., became more confused in her mind. She remembered that he didn't explain to her why he was late that day or suddenly brought gifts for them or cook lunch for them. Now she understood the reason. Behind his cold demeanour resided a caring person who always kept an eye on them, fulfilling their needs and demands silently.

Isabel placed her palm over (y/n)'s and smiled, "I'm glad that he starts to accept his new life. I hope soon you two-"

"I don't think that day would ever come," (y/n) cut off Isabel's sentence, a hint of sadness in her tone, "After all..." her voice trailed off, gaze shifted from Isabel to Levi who was busy to talk with a lady, "After all they look like a perfect match. By the way, who is she?"

Isabel followed (y/n)'s gaze and found few media reporters were asking questions to Levi & Petra. "Her name is Petra Ral, vice-president of Ral Enterprise."

(y/n) stare at the couple who was surrounded by reporters, feeling a slight pain in her heart. To (y/n) they looked like a perfect couple who belong to a totally different world than hers, a world of aristocrats & rich people. Levi & Petra both were one of the famous business tycoons in the country. They had such a charisma that made others admire them naturally. The good chemistry between them often left others wondering if they're in a relationship or not.

'Levi truly deserve someone like Petra. Not someone like me who is so useless that sold herself for some money..' Isabel's blabbering becomes faded to her as the whispers in her mind became louder gradually.

Then all of a sudden Levi's gaze met (y/n)'s for a moment, and she quickly looked away from him. She could feel his piercing blue eyes boring holes into the side of her head. Instead of looking at him, she closed her eyes & bit her lips, 'You avoided me for two weeks, treated me like I don't exist in your life. Now you have a gorgeous woman by your side. Then why are you looking at me now, Levi?'

"Hey (y/n), are you okay?" Isabel's concerned voice brought (y/n) back to the reality.

She opened her eyes and gave her a strained smile, "Yeah I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"Oh! Why not you have a drink? You'll feel better." Isabel handed (y/n) a glass of juice & got up from her chair, "I have to meet with someone. I'll be back in a few minutes." Isabel took Eren with her to gave (y/n) some time alone.

After Isabel left, (y/n) came to the balcony for some fresh air. She placed her palms on the railing of the balcony, leaning slightly over it. She felt tired, tired of having those conflicted emotions she couldn't understand, tired of being pushed away by the person she wanted to stay close, tired of being jealous, and the rumours she heard in the party about Levi & Petra's relationship making her heart heavier.

(y/n) still couldn't believe she & Levi really became so intimate that day. She couldn't help but blush whenever she remembered the fervent moments, the sensation of his lips to her own and how she acted on the spur of the moment revealing her naked glory to him.

But unfortunately, the intimacy, the closeness between them, all were short-lived. They became distant to each other after that incident. (y/n) couldn't forget the regretful expression on his face when he left her alone in the bathroom. She became non-existent to him, their relation came back to square one.

Did (y/n) regret her actions that day? No, she didn't, not even once.

'Would he ever stop if it was Natalie?' The question again came to her mind.

'You know the answer, don't you, (y/n)? Don't you know how he feels for her and what you're to him?' A voice in her mind asked her mockingly.

(y/n) closed her eyes for a moment, a small sigh left her lips. She was so busy with her thoughts that she couldn't notice someone came behind her. Her state of trance broke as she felt hot breath on the nape of her neck. Her eyes shot open and spun around to face the person.

Her brows knitted in mild confusion to see an unfamiliar young man clad in a fancy black suit. The man came closer to her, a cunning smile on his lips. "You are the governess of the Ackerman's son, right?" He paused for a moment, eyed her like a predator observing its prey. " What a shame! A lovely lady like you has to waste her time to babysit someone's child."

"I don't understand what are you trying to say, sir." the (h/c) haired woman took a step back.

The man closed the gap between them, a glow of lust in his eyes, "I see you were so busy to look after the child that couldn't get any chance to enjoy the party." He leaned towards her, grabbed her one wrist tightly, "Why not you come with me to enjoy the evening?"

(e/c) eyes widen in shock, fear & anger flashing through her, "How dare you! Unhanded me this moment." She said through gritted teeth.

Her angry tone only added fuel to his interest, "Ah...I get it now. You want money for your service. Don't worry, darling. I'll pay you handsomely after you do your job-"

"She is not someone you can buy and have service." Someone's voice cut off that man's sentence.

A wave of relief washed over her as she heard the familiar voice. (y/n) looked over that man's shoulder to found Levi stood few feet away from them. Though he looked cool and composed, his eyes glimmered a dangerous light in it. That man released her hand & turned to face the onyx-haired man.

The brown-haired man took a step towards Levi, "Oh! Mr Ackerman, please don't misunderstand this. We're just-"

"Leave." The single word spoken by Levi held such a sharp tone that silenced the man immediately, and he stopped dead on his track. Without speaking another word, the man left them alone quickly.

†*†*†*†*†

The ride to back to home was tense. Levi didn't speak a single word after they left the party and (y/n) didn't dare to ask or say anything to him, only stealing glances at him.

"If you want to say something, then speak," Levi asked her calmly, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

(y/n) hesitated for a moment before speaking up softly, "I don't understand why you reacted that way then."

Levi glanced once at Eren, who was sleeping in the back seat through the rear view mirror, asked in a low voice, "I did what I thought was right that moment."

He only said the half-truth. Yes, he wasn't a spineless man to stay silent seeing someone harassed. He said that, but he couldn't tell her that he was livid to see some pests eyeing her lustfully or dare to touch her so casually.

Levi also remembered the sadness in her eyes when he was talking to Petra. Judging from her expression, he guessed (y/n) probably heard the false rumours about him & Petra.

"I guess you heard some gossip about my & Petra's relation."

(y/n)'s eyes snapped at his face instantly. Sensing her curious gaze on him, Levi continued, "Don't take those gossip seriously. I don't have such relation with her."

(e/c) eyes widen slightly at the way Levi tried to assure her. She lowered her gaze, muttering lowly, "Why are you trying to assure me that you're not in a relationship with her? After all...I'm no one to you." Her chest tightened as she said the last sentence. "You don't need to tell me about your life & you can h-have relation with a-anyone. I think they are a good match for y-you."

Their car stopped on a signal. Levi turned his gaze from the road to her, "Look at me." He commanded.

(y/n) slowly raised her head, insecure (e/c) eyes meeting determined blue ones.

"I'll tell this once, so listen carefully. You and Eren are my responsibility, so rely on me and only on me." 'I don't know what I can do for you. I'll protect you & Eren. I can promise you that. So, don't think low about yourself.'

His hand slid down the side of her face in a gentle caress, his fingers cupping her chin & lifting it slightly, "Disrespecting yourself give you nothing but grief. Have some confidence, will you?"

A shiver ran through her body at his sudden gentle touch on her face. Closing her eyes she smiled faintly. 'How can I let myself sulk when you say something like this? But... would it be wrong if I wish to be the only one by your side, Levi?'