Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
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SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
I could feel it in the air the moment I stepped foot in the foyer.
The house was oddly quiet, and while this was a big house, it was an unusual occurrence. There was always noise coming from somewhere.
Mikhail wreaking havoc somewhere in the house.
The staff shuffling around.
Morgaine's soap operas playing in the kitchen while she cooked because she couldn't afford to miss an episode.
I heard none of those things.
I knew the house hadn't been evaded because the guards at the main gate were still intact.
That was the only comforting thought in my head as I closed the door, trapping the warm air inside the house.
That was when I heard it.
Laughter.
I'd heard it only a handful of times, but I'd recognize it anywhere.
Ariana.
Who was she laughing with?
My question was answered less than a second later when my brother spoke. "This shit is ass."
More laughter came from Ariana, the sound wrapping around my chest and squeezing painfully tight for reasons unknown.
I massaged the spot as I made my way to the common room I'd strictly told Mikhail not to hang out in because of the white couches.
He didn't have a track record of keeping things clean, and I was always left picking up after him. The fucker had once climbed into bed with blood dripping from his busted lip after a fight. He didn't bother to shower or clean up his wounds. I had to do the latter for him while he snored like a pig.
I watched Ariana and Mikhail from the doorway, both of them oblivious to my presence as they watched the animated movie playing on the screen.
Frozen.
Amedeo had continuously ribbed Mikhail for months because we caught him watching the movie. Mikhail claimed he was forced to watch it, but to this day, he still hadn't told us who forced him to. He didn't even know anyone on a personal level aside from us.
Mikhail finally noticed my presence, and he beamed at me. "Oh, Aleksei. You're back."
Ariana's head snapped to me, and just like that, the lightheartedness that clung to the air around her evaporated. I saw the moment her guards slammed back into place as she straightened on the couch.
"You hungry? We have some Chinese food left. Ariana made us order takeout. She gave the staff the night off. Said she felt bad that Morgaine had to cook all the time."
I walked into the room, and just to fuck with Ariana and get a reaction out of her, I took the seat next to her on the couch. Just as I expected, her spine turned rigid, but she made sure her face remained expressionless.
