Falling For My Ex's Clone

"Hold on" she called gently as she hurriedly put on her heels. Taking large strides towards him, she spun him around and adjusted his tie.

"It was perfect before" Gabriel protested, his deep baritone voice lacking inflection as he looked directly into her eyes.

"It was," she nodded, avoiding his gaze and looking down at his tie as she "fixed" it.

"But you don't have to look perfect. We want to appear strong, not intimidating" she reminded.

As she stepped away, Gabriel turned to the mirror. His brows creased as he observed himself. His suit was proper and posh but also quite formal.

"Do you think Adam Freeman is ready for the world again?" He asked in a low voice.

Andrea stepped up beside him, handbag in hand as she took his arm and appreciated their reflection together for a moment before replying.

"Adam Freeman is gone, Gabriel is more than ready. The question is, is the world ready for you?"

She turned to look up at him, a good head taller than her. Slowly she reached and turned his head to face her, tilting his face downwards.

"No handouts," her tone became stern, and she looked him directly in the eyes.

"No handouts"

"Baby steps"

"Baby steps" he repeated.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Gabriel answered without taking his eyes off Andrea.

The door opened and Andrea bent sideways to look behind Gabriel. Standing at the bedroom door was a young man with blonde hair and an earphone in his ears.

"The car is ready," he said to them with a nod.

"Thank you, Dion, we'll be down in a minute," Gabriel replied, tilting slightly to the side without looking backwards.

"You should get your own room to avoid giving the help the wrong impression," he said to Andrea, who disengaged from him and stepped towards the door.

"Come on. We want to be strong, not rude, we can't be late"

Gabriel turned and frowned as he watched her walk away. The intensity of his blue eyes deepened and the brightness dulled.

After a moment, he followed behind her, exiting the large futuristic mansion.

On the driveway in front of the arched entrance was a sleek black sedan. Andrea was already seated.

"Shouldn't our lawyers be handling this meeting? It's a patent dispute," he said as he got in, not forgetting to give Dion an appreciative nod for holding open the door.

"They should, but these circumstances make it the best way to introduce you to the world," Andrea replied absentmindedly as she tapped away on a tablet.

"What circumstances?" Gabriel asked with his eyes slightly thinning in a squint.

"You did go over the folder?" Andrea asked.

Gabriel fell silent for a moment then his eyes widened.

"The small company is under the Lynch family name?" he muttered as if asking.

"Check the CEO" Andrea raised her head to observe him, her eyes intently fixed on his expression.

"Zina Lynch" Gabriel muttered again in an even lower tone. The light in his eyes died to a normal blue and he turned to look out the window at the receding estate.

For years, he had confined himself to this place, and even now, he continued to restrain himself. Part of this was because of the impact of his existence but that was for the world to worry about. His memories, his creator, "his" regrets, and family, these burdens were his and neither power nor wealth could ease this weight.

Closing his eyes, Gabriel's breathing evened out and the rest of the time was passed in silence.

"We're here" Andrea gently tapped on his shoulder to wake him up.

"Will you be okay?" She asked for one last confirmation.

Looking her in the eye for a second, Gabriel turned without a word and got out of the car.

As he stepped out, he turned sideways at a figure approaching.

"Mr Auralis," the figure said in greeting. Without a response, Gabriel's eyes shifted to his slightly hesitating feet. Looking back up, he offered an acknowledging nod but said nothing.

"Miss Zade" the man greeted Andrea as well.

"Tony" Andrea replied.

"Let's go," Gabriel started forward, and the duo followed. Andrea walked a step behind, and beside her was Tony, who still seemed very cautious.

"Is everything okay" he leaned slightly towards Andrea and asked after noticing her creased brows.

"Why?" Andrea glanced at him and then back at Gabriel's back.

"He's colder than usual"

"Really?" In her nervousness, she hadn't noticed. Gabriel could feel concern but not necessarily the same way they did.

Resisting the urge to pull up her tablet and check on him, she continued.

"We have a history with Zina Lynch"

Tony was their lawyer and the only other person who knew Gabriel's secret.

"Whatever the consequences of this meeting, it will not reflect on you in any way" she assured.

Feeling more assured, Tony held his head high and followed, still cautious to keep his distance from Gabriel, who was ahead.

They reached a large, fancy reception room, and a dark skinned woman stepped forward to them just as Gabriel came to a stop.

With a confident but pleasant tone, she greeted. "Good morning Mr Auralis, Miss Zade. I'm Aika, we spoke on the phone"

"Mrs Lynch is waiting in Conference Room D"

Gabriel's eyes shifted slightly at her words but he had no further reaction.

Seeing his soft nod to lead the way, Aika started forward and the trio followed.