CHAPTER TEN
Disclaimers in Chapter OneThe following day, Gabe Sullivan marched down the halls of LexCorp, aiming for a specific office of a specific man. He didn't even pause for Lex's assistant to permit his entry, nor did he care what he would be interrupting as he entered the room and slammed the door close.
Surprised but well-trained enough not to show it, Lex turned to him. The glaring, thin-lipped expression on his plant manager's face only indicated one thing: He found out about the date with Chloe, and he was not happy about it.
"Gabe," Lex acknowledged him in the most stoic tone possible. Which might have enflamed the older man more as his face crimsoned.
"Lex," Gabe said in a remarkably opposite tone than his demeanor indicated. "I gather that you know why I'm here."
The younger man nodded. "You found out about my date with Chloe," he responded calmly.
"My daughter, Lex," Gabe gritted. "She's my only daughter."
Lex paused to think for a second before he spoke again. He wanted to choose his words wisely as this was clearly a delicate issue for Gabe. There was nothing he hated more than to anger the man any further than he already seemed to be.
"I know that, Gabe," he finally said in a soft tone. "And I respect that more than you could ever imagine. Which is why I regret that you had to find out about it in however way you did."
The older man was taken aback by Lex's response. He had expected a rather defiant Lex, which would have given him sufficient permission to rip the Luthor a new one and to keep him away from Chloe..well, forever.
He did not, however, anticipate this calm and respectful version of Lex, and Gabe couldn't even begin to fathom how to handle it.
Before he could speak, Lex interjected. "I should have approached you about it, Gabe. Not for your permission, because that was for Chloe to grant. But I would have liked your blessing just the same. Like I do now."
If he was surprised before, Gabe was even more amazed now. Thinking back to his original purpose, he managed to collect what was left over from his wits. "Be that as it may, I still don't think that you should be acquainting yourself with my daughter in this capacity, Lex."
Lex looked into his eyes as if he was trying to read him, and that made the older man nervous. What was there for Luthor to read, he thought to himself.
"You're concerned about my past relationships, Gabe?" Lex asked forthright.
Though Lex had a remarkable penchant to intimidate, Gabe stood his ground as solidly as he could, and said, "Yes. And I think that you would understand that it's not a far-fetched concern."
Lex half-smiled. "I agree," he said. "If I were in your shoes, I would be worried for my daughter, too. But while it is a concept that may be beyond anyone else's capability to comprehend, Chloe and I would like you to understand that our relationship is far from any that either one of us have had before."
Gabe eyed him suspiciously, gauging his sincerity, before saying, "And exactly what kind of relationship are you looking to pursue with my daughter, Lex?"
Sitting up straight and looking the senior man boldly in the eye, Lex answered with a serious tone, "I am in love with your daughter, Gabe."
"In love?" gaped the older man. "With Chloe?"
Lex smiled widely, which baffled Gabe Sullivan even more. "Chloe is a smart, charming woman," he started. "I would be a fool to turn away from that..and from the kind of connection we have with each other."
Gabe remained speechless, which urged Lex to continue. "Surely, Gabe, you've noticed some semblance of a relationship between Chloe and me?"
Lex's question pushed Gabe's thoughts back to the numerous times he had seen his daughter and his boss interacted. The more scenes replayed in his head, the more evident he saw what Lex was referring to. Chloe and Lex did have something between them that he had not seen replicated in their interactions with other people.
Gabe sighed in defeat. He had wronged his daughter last night. Realizing that he didn't feel so bad about losing her to Lex, he felt slightly better, but not before he set the ground rules.
"Fine," he finally said. "I can't stop you or Chloe from feeling the way you do, Lex, but as long as she lived under my care, there are ground rules to follow."
Lex nodded in agreement. "Of course," he reinforced his stance over Gabe's demands.
"You know, you're making it hard for me to be mad at you, right?" Gabe smirked weakly, to which Lex chuckled. "She's still my little girl, so if you hurt her.."
"Trust me, Gabe," Lex interjected. "If I hurt her, she'll get her shots in first."
Gabe laughed understandably. "But I won't hurt her, Gabe," the young Luthor assured him. "I'd die first before that happens."
Chloe's father breathed deeply, realizing the significance of this moment. "Alright, Lex," he said. "I'll take your word. I just hope that you'll do good by it."
Lex only nodded in response as the older man exited his office. When Gabe reached his own office, he plopped himself into a chair and buried his face into his hands. How is he going to make this up to Chloe?