Gabriela was getting ready to go to school in her room. She was fixing her clothes as she was looking at the mirror. A knock came on the door. She shouted "Come in."

A maid entered and said "Ma'am. Mr Chritsian Kavannagh are here to see you in the living room."

Gabriela raised an eyebrow "He is here to see me? Not Gianluca?"

The maid shook her head "No Maa'm."

Gabriela grabbed her school bag and said "Ok. I go see him now." She then made her way outside and down the steps. She reached the living room. Christian was staring at one of the portraits on the wall. Her portrait. She cleared her throat "Hi."

Christian turned quickly and smiled "Hi."

Gabriela walked towards him "The maid said you wanted to see me."

Christian nodded "Yes. I did want to see you..."

Gabriela asked "Couldn't you see me in school?"

Christian said "We are a proper couple now. Right? So I thought we can go to school together. You can ride with me. I spoke to Gianluca. He said it was ok."

Gabriela was surprised "You would do that for me? Wow. That's nice... But you don't have to do that. Lena does not ride with Gianluca."

Christian shrugged "Its Lena's choice to go with her brother... Lena could ride with Gianluca if she wanted to..."

Gabriela sighed "Don't get me wrong... This is a nice idea to make a good show and pretend we are properly together. I find it very effective to get the message across to Marcello Rizzi. But... I am not sure if my parents would let me come ride with you..."

Christian said "That's all arranged... Gianluca has talked to your parents already..."

Gabriela gasped "What? Oh my god... And... They are ok with this?"

Christian said "Well yes... Gianluca first spoke to your parents and explained the situation. He told them that we are pretending and this is to protect you... They did not believe Gianluca... They actually think we want to date each other and since I am a Kavannagh I am using this arrangement as a cover up so we can date... They think we are pretending to be doing this for your protection while we are attracted to each other and want to date but we think permission won't be granted for it. They told Gianluca that they trust me 100% and we can date. They apparently trust Marcello Rizzi too but they trust me more..."

Gabriela said "How is this possible? How can they agree to this? I mean you are Irish. How can they be ok with me dating you for real in their minds? They would have agreed for us to pretend to date I bet because they know I am not ready to date Marcello... But dating you for real? How can they agree to this? You are a kavannagh..."

Christian said "You are right... Well... I am a Kavannagh... I have credit with them apparently or so they said..."

Gabriela was looking at him with her mouth open "Well... If you have so much credit with my parents I think in future I would ask you for help when trying to convince my parents of requests that they refuse to say yes to.."

Christian said "I don't know... I guess that my people not killing Lena that time has really made an impression. I guess they care for the Alessandrinis so much and count them as almost family... So my friendship with your brother saving Lena's life has proven to them I am honourable and trustworthy enough to date their daughter."

Gabriela said as she was weighing the information "You know what? It makes no sense that my parents just accept the possibility of being together. But I am not complaining. This is great my parents think we are dating for real... I just want Marcello to stop his obsession with me... You are my one and only hope to make that happen... You are my knight in shining armour..."

Christian was getting a warm glow inside. He smiled "You mean that?" He couldn't believe she had just called him his night.

Gabriela smiled and walked towards Christian.

Christian lost his breath as Gabriela reached her hand to his and held it. Gabriela said " I do mean it... You are my knight... And... I am so intrigued. I have no idea how my parents are ok with the possibility of you dating me for real and not just as pretence to get rid of Marcello's attraction. But I am loving it...

Christian looked down at his hand being held by her and then at her gorgeous eyes "Loving it?..." He told himself "Or loving me... Just replace the word "it" with "you" in your sentence and my life would be complete."

Gabriela said "Yes... I am loving this feeling that I have control over my life... You volunteered to kindly help me... You are making a huge sacrifice by pretending to go out with me so my admirer goes on his merry way and leaves me alone eventually when realising I am already taken... I would not let your sacrifice go to waste... I am going to make the most of it... I am going to act the part... Let's go smash the heart of Marcello Rizzi. Lead the way to your car... My knight...."

Christian's heart was jumping up and down with joy... He walked towards the door as Gabriela followed his lead. Was this real? He was taking in her words. He asked the question that was on his mind "You want to show Rizzi you are taken this badly?"

Gabriela walked down the steps of the mansion in the direction of the car that belonged to Christian's family as she explained "Well... Yes... You don't understand because you are not a girl in a powerful family... I am a girl... Christian... My family are nice and care for me... But one thing I know is this... Girls don't get a say in who they marry mostly in our world. Unions happen to link families and ease tensions and gain power... I am old enough to have a boyfriend... If Marcello asked me out I would have had no reason to say no.... My parents don't have a problem with him or his family Christian because they are not our enemies and he has honour... They won't let me stay single... You as a male Kavaangh heir and have countless responsibilities... And I as a female Bellagio have responsibilities too... I have to build alliances and keep peace through friendships, relationships, dating and even marriage when the time comes... In addition I should not cause tension by insulting anyone who is as powerful as my family for any reason..." She then got into the car. "So pretty much I could not refuse Marcello's advances forever Christian. I could until now... My age says I have to start dating based on our families expectations. I was not allowed to say no to him for much longer Christian... You are saving me from offending him by dating me..."

Christian got into the car and sat beside her in the car. The chauffeur was not inside the car yet. He was outside talking to the Bellagio guards about security most likely. That meant some alone time in the car. Christian turned to Gabriela. He looked at her thoughtfully as he thought of her words. He then said "Gabriela... As long as me or your brother are alive, you would never have to worry about offending anyone especially if its for dating.... We won't let anyone force you to do anything..."

Gabriela was so touched by the sincerity and meaning behind Christian's words "Thank you Christian... I know I can count on you and my brother... But in our world the leaders have the last word. You and Gianluca are not the leaders... You will be one day... But until that day we must do what the heads of our families tell us to do... I really hope my parents don't force me to marry someone I hate..."

Christian shook his head "It won't happen. I promise you... Gianluca and I would never let anyone force you to do anything..."

Gabriela held Christian's hand with both her hands. "Thank you... But ... don't make promises you can't keep Christian... For now you can protect me... But if my parents want me to choose a man to marry and my choices are all as bad as Marcello Rizzi or worse, you could not save me... Realistically you couldn't unless you married me" She then let go of his hand.

Christian snapped as he was getting raegeful inside at the thought of another man having his Gabriela "I could marry you..."

Gabriela froze and looked at Christian "You... You would do that?..."

Christian said "I would do anything to make you happy Gabriela..."

Gabriela searched Christian's eyes as she was staring at him and his serious expression. She had the strangest feeling. Christian's eyes looked so beautiful at that moment. She was seeing through the ice cold blue eyes of his... Inside him there was a caring soul... Maybe he cared only for a few... But those eyes were so sincere. Those blue eyes were so determined. She heard nothing but honesty in his voice when he had vowed to marry her if it meant her happiness. In her daze at that moment she actually did not mind the idea. She actually liked the idea to her surprise. The thought of marrying Christian actually sounded good. Why? She had no idea why she just felt that way.

Gabriela could not really find a reason not to marry Christian one day if he asked for her hand. He was loyal. He was honest. He was caring. He had honour. He was also handsome. He was everything any girl would have wanted. But he was her brother's best friend and off limits in her mind. He had always been off limits when she thought of him. She shook the thoughts and looked away. She took a deep breath as she composed herself. Her heart was racing for some reason. She then said as she breathed "I know one day you would make a girl very happy... I hope me dating you won't ruin your chances of courtship... I hope that the girl you decided to marry one day won't hate you for pretending to date me..."

Christian of course could not be totally be honest and say he wanted to marry her. He knew she was not ready to hear his confession of love for her. So he decided to dance around the subject. He said "Gabriela... If anyone questions my loyalty and care for you, they don't deserve a minute of my attention... I would rather live a lonely life than surround myself with people who expect me to change who I am and what I stand for. I know when I get married I would be in love with my woman as much as my woman would be in love with me... If my woman can't believe my loyalty and faithfulness then she won't be my woman... She would just be any woman..."

Gabriela felt the intensity in the air. She suddenly felt nervous at the power behind his words. What was with Christian? Why did he sound so serious and determined? She was not complaining. She had rays of doubt in her mind about pretending to date Christian. She had thought maybe Christian would change his mind as it was too much too ask to do this. He was sacrificing himself. But he was willing to go ahead with this arrangement by the sounds of it... But it seemed like he was even more determined and eager compared to her to make this plan work by the sounds of it.

Gabriela turned to Christian and said "I hope you won't regret saying yes to pretending to be my boyfriend. Only me, you and Gianluca know of this arrangement and no one else. There is no going back after we step off the car at the school's car park... I am going to act like you are my boyfriend. I am actually going to make the most of it. The closer we are, the more word will spread that I am taken and Marcello will get the message to back off because he has a rival. You will be loyal to me. You will be a proper boyfriend. You will not pull away when I hold your hand. And you will play along when I greet you... I will also be very cross if you get too friendly with other girls. Game over only if you genuinely want to break up with me and date some other girl that you like and I won't object. Do we have a deal? Last chance. You can back out now if you want... I will do anything a real girlfriend would do."

Christian said "Deal. I won't back out... I have the same terms Gabriela... The exact same terms. I would be pretending to be your boyfriend and trust me it will be my pleasure...Anything a boyfriend would do I will do too..."

Gabriela could again feel how keen and eager he sounded. "Great. Actually I am going to find it entertaining too to go too far sometimes on putting on a show... Let's send a message to Rizzi or any admirers of mine that I am taken..." She felt so safe and at ease at that point for some reason. She could not explain why she felt that way. But with Christian she felt like she was in the safest place in the world.

Christian smiled as he looked at her "I would like that very much..." Christian could not believe how all his dreams about Gabriela were coming true. She was his girl. She was going to pretend. He wasnt. He did not have to pretend to love her. He did love her. She was his Gabriela and no one else's.

Gabriela was feeling her heart beating very fast. She could not explain her feeling. Sitting next to Christian, being close to him... it made her feel emotions that were unknown to her. She felt safe with him and trusted him. She had known Christian as her brothers's best friend for years. But she had never gotten this close to know him before. And that was what had hit her. Gabriela felt like she had seen Christian around all these years but had never tried to truly get to know him. She stayed away from him mostly. She kept a distance. There were many reasons she could think of. Part of her was very always wary of this boy who was enemies with all her friends who came from Italian American crime families. Part of her was wary of him for being dangerous.

Christian was a Kavannagh. The only Kavannagh heir alive. Christian was trained to conquer, rule and be merciless to those who displeased him and were enemies of his family from a very young age. Everyone around her became wary upon hearing his name never mind seeing him. And of course everyone always wondered what made Gianluca become so close to Christian even though they were meant to be enemies. Christian's qualities, personality and actions were honourable enough to justify the friendship for her. But for her Christian was always mysterious. She never figured him out. She looked forward to getting to know Christian. He was definitely worth knowing.

****

Lena was sitting in the cafeteria with Eden during break time. They were having coffee and were talking about their school day. The whole school was talking about Gabriela dating Christian. Ever since she had arrived at school hand in hand with him in the Irish School's car park, the news had travelled like wildfire. Lena and Eden had decided not to discuss the topic until they saw Gabriela. But she had been scarce. She had been at the Irish School all morning because of some commitments she had with the baseball team. She had promised to cheer for the Irish team for the coming months and had to go to extra events and meetings for it.

Finally Gabriela came into view with Ciara who had obviously come from the Irish school with her. She did spend some break times and lunch times with them at the Italian School after all.

Eden and Lena were definitely curious and wanted to know about the news but neither said anything as Gabriela sat down and Ciara followed and sat next to her.

Gabriela said "Hi girls. What have I missed this morning? Fill me in... It was one busy morning for me for sure in the Irish School..."

Lena and Eden looked at each other not knowing if they should bring up the topic. Before they could speak it was Ciara who spoke first "Come on Gabriela... I think you are the one who should be telling Eden and Lena about what they have missed... Don't pretend like the entire population of these two schools are not talking about it..."

Gabriela said "Fine... I admit... I now have a boyfriend. His name is Christian Kavannagh..."

Eden gasped "So... Its true? You never told us you liked him..."

Lena said "Eden is right... I have known you so long and you never told me you liked him... I had no idea..."

Ciara said "Thank you.... My thoughts exactly..." She narrowed her eyes and laughed as she said "Gabriela don't you trust us to tell us your feelings?" She then

Gabriela knew they were right to be surprised. She did not feel guilty for deceiving them... Her priority was getting rid of the interest from Marcello Rizzi and any other powerful alpha male who was attracted to her. If pretending to date Christian was the only way to save herself from a forced relationship she was gladly putting on a show... But oddly enough when she spoke about Christian as her boyfriend she did not need to make much effort. Strangely the words felt natural to her when she referred to him as her boyfriend.

Gabriela shrugged "We started dating today... So you found out as soon as it happened..."

Lena said "I cant believe it... Gianluca told me your parents are ok with this..."

Gabriela said "Yes they are..." Gianluca had decided not to tell anyone including Lena and Luigi about the pretence. He thought it was safest if they kept the secret between the three of them. So only Christian, Gabriela and Gianluca knew about it. This way there was no chance of the plan being compromised even accidentally. The walls had ears.

Lena asked "And ... Christian's family are ok with it too?" She looked at Ciara who nodded at her. They knew who Christian was but Eden did not know.

Gabriela said "Christian has no rules regarding dating. He can date anyone he wants basically. He is a boy...."

Eden said "Of course... Boys hardly have to obey any rules. Its just girls who need to obey rules when it comes to dating... My brother can stay overnight at his girlfriend Linda's house overnight. Can you believe it? I would never be allowed to do that I bet when I get a boyfriend." She then stood up "I need to get another drink... Do you girls want anything?"

Lena, Ciara and Gabriela shook their heads and said thank you. As Eden left and made her way towards the canteen counter, Lena said "Seriously Gabriela? How can Christian's grandfather allow him to do this? Has Christian even told him? Wouldn't he be against his relationship with an Italian?"

Ciara said "No he hasn't told his grandpa. Sean told me, Christopher kavannagh is away right now on a business trip by the sounds of it but Christian wouldn't need to tell his grandpa about who he dates. Gabriela is right... Christian does not need to get approval for dating but for marriage he would... He hardly has any rules to live buy... But if he breaks any of the few rules his grandpa has for him he gets punished for it big time. His grandpa is very strict about his rules."

Just then Eden came back with her drink and sat down.

Gabriela said "Well... All of us are dating now except for you Eden..."

Eden said "I don't think I can stand a boyfriend in my life. My patience with boys is limited..."

Ciara said "But you would stand Luigi for as a dance partner in the homecoming... I know you said you did it because you have to have a partner to attend the event but if he was the last man on earth wouldn't you date him?"

Eden said "Probably there would never be such scenario... Let's be realistic... We would never run out of men..."

Gabriela said "I think your answer should be yes Eden... He is nicer than all the boys in the school... I think if I was forced to choose a boy to date in this school I would have chosen Luigi in a heart beat... He is perfect and honourable..."

Lena laughed "He is not that perfect Gabriella..."