THE FIRST MEETING

Gerald was whistling, smiling at himself and patting his back in compliment for his actions back then. That woman was loaded with money and now all of what she had carried with her to the fair, was his!

As he walked in search of a new target, his happy bubble was burst by the big guard. Gerald skid to a halt as the man stepped in his way, obstructing him from going ahead.

"Woah! Hello, sire! How are you doing today?" Gerald put up his brightest smile and offered his hand for the man to shake.

But the man's face remained unchanged as he glared at Gerald with narrowed eyes. His big moustache covered his lips, or else Gerald could have seen how their corners were pulled down in distaste.

"Where are you going young man?" His voice was rough, suiting his external appearance.

Gerald gulped down the spit before telling. "I am here with my friend and I am going to her. Is there any problem sire?"

He asked, feigning innocence.

"I would like to check you."

"P-Pardon?"

"A group of thieves is stealing peoples' money and jewellery. We have strict orders of not sparing any suspect. Now if you cooperate we will be done in five minutes." The man crossed his thick arms over his chest, trying to intimidate Gerald.

And truth to be told, he was intimidated by that big guard.

"I think you are misunderstanding Sire. I belong to a respected family... not rich but humble one. I can never do such a shameful act or robbery. Please trust me!"

If anyone who knew Gerald well would have witnessed his sweet talk, then that person might have got a mild heart attack. That man had no sweet tongue and every time he opened his mouth, he either spat fireballs or a bunch of bitterguards!

"Oh, I truly believe in your story, Mister. So I think you should not have any problem in letting me do my work." The burly guard advanced toward Gerald.

Gerald's brain began running faster than ever before. He wished Oscar or Isabella were there to save him but unfortunately, he was on his own.

'Oh come on, Gerald! You have done this before, so you can do it again.' He pep talked himself as his green eyes desperately searched around for an escape.

His eyes paused momentarily on the woman he had seen before. She was still staring at that bracelet. He had used her as an escape from the previous woman, and now he was going to use her again.

"Sire, please sire! I am here with the woman I was intending to court for a long. After so much trouble, she had finally agreed to come with me to this fair. And if you do my checking, then it will not leave a good impression of mine on her.

Please sire, be considerate! I swear I am not the person you are looking for. Please sire, let me go... for the sake of your first love!"

Where the hell does that come from?

Anyways!

Gerald looked hopefully at the man and saw something change on his face. Perhaps he had hit the bull's eye.

"Where is she?"

"Pardon?" Gerald blinked dumbfoundedly.

"Your love interest. Where is she?"

Before Gerald pointed at that nut brown-haired woman, they heard the shopkeeper yelling at her.

"Miss you cannot take that bracelet without paying for it. If you do not pay then I will call the guards and they will throw you out!" The seller threatened her with angry eyes

But she seemed stubborn. Though her back was facing Gerald, he could tell she was breathing heavily in anger.

"How dare you threaten me like that, huh? Do you know who I am? You sac of potatoes!"

Gerald glanced in the guard's way to see him glaring at that woman and then looking at Gerald in suspicion.

"There... there is she! Oh no! What has she done again?" Gerald did not wait for the guard to say more and ran to the side of that woman.

"Wait... wait... wait! what happened?" He interjected their fight, not even looking at the woman beside her.

"She is a thief trying to steal that bracelet from my stall." The seller accused her.

"You! How dare you call me a thief?! Do you know how much money I have? I can buy this whole fair with it!"

"Then please show me that money!" The seller retorted.

Gerald could feel the guard's eyes on him.

He instantly put his hand around the woman's shoulder and pulled her to his side. Theodora gasped in shock at that foreign touch of a stranger. She glared up at him, and he knew she was glaring and thus, he stationed his gaze on the seller.

"Just do what I say or we both will be in trouble. The guard is watching us." Gerald mumbled in a low voice enough for only her to hear.

Theodora closed her mouth before she sprouted a string of curses and peeked over her shoulder to see a guard was indeed watching in their way. Her eyes widened and she instantly turned her head to look ahead.

"How much it costs?" Gerald asked the seller.

The seller told the amount, and he unwillingly pulled out the coins of the same amount and placed them in the seller's hand.

"I apologise on behalf of her. She is an apple of my eyes and very naive."

Theodora jabbed him in the side with her elbow. Gerald clenched his jaw, suppressing the whimper of pain.

"And very stubborn too! She is not aware of the business. Please forgive her foolishness. And thank you very much for not calling the guards." Gerald forced a smile on his face.

Hearing his words, the seller's face softened. "That is alright, Mister. But please teach her some mannerisms first!" He cast a disapproving glare in Theodora's way.

"What? You-"

Gerald covered her mouth and began pulling her away from there.

"Yes... Yes! I will take care of that. Have a good day!"

As they walked past the guard, Gerald deliberately said in a loud voice. "How many times I have told you to not leave my side? Do you know how worried I was for you! Please love do not do that again, okay?!"

That resulted in receiving another jab, a harder one than before.

Gerald took Theodora away from there, and she remained silent and cooperated with him or else it would have not taken long for her father to come there and drag her back home.

Walking for some distance, Gerlad glanced behind to see that the guard was not at his place.

Finally, he could release a sigh of relief.

Theodora pushed him away and glared at him.

"How dare you touch me like that?"

Gerald ignored her outburst and checked if the money he had stolen was safe. He had made sure to not bring Filch with him this time. Or the niffler would have put him in trouble about a hundred times by now.

Gerald's eyes instantly began searching for the next target and yet he had not bothered himself to take a glance at the woman who was furious at him.

"Hey... you! I am talking to you, Mister!" She held his collar and tugged at it.

The action took Gerald by surprise, and he lost his balance. Shocked, he tried to find support to stop the fall and guess where he got that?

His hands instinctively wrapped around Theodora, their bodies crashed into each other and that was when he finally noticed the woman he had used as his escape.

Gerald was never a fan of romance, nor did he believe in a soppy story of Isabella and Oscar's first meeting and how they fell in love with each other at the first sight.

It was all bullshit! Right?

Then why did he feel gobsmacked by her striking beauty? Why did he feel like suddenly the wind around had picked up the pace, making her long nut brown hair dance along with its rhythm?

Why did he feel like the bells were winging at a distance?

Oh well... the sounds of the bell came from the candy man nearby.

Anyways!

He was lost in her hazel eyes and her immaculately carved arched brows. His eyes fell down on her cupid's bow-shaped lips which were pursed in distaste.

And then... his eyes caught the sight of something beautiful... something precious... something unexpected.

Her diamond-studded necklace.

It was well hidden under the front of her high neck dress, but when his body crashed into hers, and she staggered back, the pretty piece of jewellery peeked out of her dress as if calling for his attention.

Gerald celebrated inwardly because he had found his next target!