CAMPBELLS VS. THORNTONS

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Just can't keep away from me, can you?"

Trent's voice held a cold edge as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, that familiar smirk playing on his lips. His dark eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the room.

I felt Cindy shift beside me. I didn't need to look at her to know she was frowning, completely thrown by the tone in Trent's voice and the strange back-and-forth between us. Why would Trent—our family's sworn enemy—be talking to me like that? Almost flirting — she couldn't make sense of it.

I forced myself to roll my eyes. "In your dreams, Trent," I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't flatter yourself."

Trent stepped further into the room, his smirk growing, but there was no humor behind it—just a dark intensity that made my pulse quicken. "You always did have a habit of showing up where you don't belong, Cristine. Some things never change."

The tension in the room thickened. I could feel Cindy's confusion radiating off her as her gaze flickered between us. She could sense there was something going on, something unspoken, but she didn't know the half of it.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady, but I could feel the old tension between us, that magnetic pull that never seemed to go away, no matter how hard I tried to forget it. "We were just passing by."

"Passing by?" Trent echoed, his eyes narrowing as he crossed the room toward us. "In our estate? At night? In matching black outfits?" His gaze flicked over my clothes, a sharp eyebrow raised. "What's next, Cristine? You and Cindy planning to rob the place?"

I groaned. "Why does everyone keep saying that? We're just wearing black. It's not like we're robbing you.'

Trent stepped forward, his smirk fading, replaced by something colder.

"Sneaking around the Thornton estate in the middle of the night? Yeah, that doesn't scream 'innocent,' Cristine."

I crossed my arms, meeting his gaze. "We're not here to cause trouble."

"Then what are you doing here?" His eyes locked onto mine, the underlying tension between us making the air feel thick. "Or do you just like wandering into places you shouldn't be?"

My heart pounded, but I forced myself to stay calm. "You always think the worst, don't you?"

"With you? Yeah, I do," he said, his voice quieter now, more dangerous.

Cindy laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, we were just—uh—on a walk."

But Trent wasn't buying it. "A walk. Right," he said, his voice colder now, as if he were sizing us up, searching for any cracks in our story. "You always did have an excuse for everything."

I wasn't even the one who said that excuse!

I clenched my fists, trying not to let him get under my skin. "You always assume the worst."

"Maybe because you keep proving me right," he fired back, his voice dropping, heavy with accusation.

Cindy glanced between us, her brow furrowed in confusion. The tension in the room was unbearable now, thick with words left unsaid, heavy with a history Cindy wasn't part of. I could feel her trying to piece together what was going on, but the last thing I wanted was to bring up the past in front of her.