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She snorts. “I don’t think he’s going to believe that.” She sighs heavily. “And I don’t expect him to be understanding, all things considered.”
I would have shared her sentiment on the matter about the dinner we had earlier where Dad and Santiago had yet another fight about the past that ended up in him storming off God knows where. However, it’s such a common occurrence in our house, and I’ve gotten used to it, although he never left his wife behind.
That’s right, my brother, who avoided commitment and laughed at just the notion of marriage, got married last night.
Well…
If kidnapping his bride to use her in some revenge plot and blackmailing her to marry him by threatening to kill her father can be called getting married, that is.
The poor thing tried talking to us all, thinking we’d help her escape him, but no such thing happened, and they got hitched at the family church. Father Paul, who might as well be called our uncle since my father grew up with him, consecrated the union.
I believe she cursed us all, and my heart hurt for her at the moment, but family loyalty comes above anything else.
Besides…
The Four Dark Horsemen might be monsters who roam at night and sink their claws in whenever they deem necessary, but they would never force themselves on a woman. They have lines they don’t cross, and I believe he gave her a choice. For whatever reason, she chose to save her father, who hated her guts her whole life, but that’s a whole-ass other drama I’m not going to get into.
And while all these things might have still swayed me to help her out or try to reason with my brother… The minute I saw the look on his face when he spoke about her, I knew there would be no saving when it came to her.
Santiago became obsessed with her from the first glance in true Cortez fashion, and I know better than anyone to stand between a Cortez man and the woman he wants.
“Deep down, my brother is a softy,” I tell her, and amusement flashes in her green and brown eyes, each one a different color, and standing out against her porcelain skin framed by the dark silky locks.
She’s curvy and gentle, her melodic voice almost sounding like a constant lullaby, and based on the work I’ve seen, she is very talented when it comes to art.
She wouldn’t be called beautiful in the classical sense of the word. My blood still boils when I think about her stepsisters, who made fun of her looks for years. In my opinion, Briseis is a stunner. My brother couldn’t have picked a better bride, and she fits right into our crazy family.
“Maybe when it comes to you.” She cocks her head to the side. “Want to spill some secrets about your brother?”
“Nope,” I say and motion for the server to come to us. “We are very loyal to one another.” A beat passes. “Although you’re part of our family now.”
“Not for long,” she warns and glares at me when I laugh because she really thinks this whole thing is temporary. My brother would never let her go, and judging by the various hickeys on her neck, she doesn’t mind it much.
Like I said.
Not my drama to focus on.
“Are you ready to order?” the server, Emma, asks, and I nod. “What would you like? We have a special chocolate cake tonight.”
I swallow past the bile rising in my throat since chocolate makes me nauseous and shake my head. “I’d like a strawberry cake and strawberry milkshake.” Surprise flashes on her face, but she quickly schools her features and widens her smile. “And how about adding a strawberry ice cream to the mix?”
“Someone has a craving,” Briseis jokes, and I jerk at this, glancing her way and studying her but not seeing anything that might have implied she guessed I’m pregnant. “I’ll think some more,” she tells Emma, and after a nod, she disappears in the busy crowd.
The club is packed as usual, but somehow, the atmosphere no longer holds the appeal to me. In fact, it rubs at the festering wounds in my heart, still twisting me in knots about my one night here that changed everything.
And still…
No one knows.
Through the past two months, I tried countless times to reach Florian and talk to him alone, but he wouldn’t give me the time of day. It’s like his one single goal in life became dismissing me or being flat-out rude to the point of Santiago giving him a warning after one of his remarks.
He stopped coming over to our house, and Mom noticed, complaining that her only godson was acting like an ass, and of course, I avoided the Price mansion.
This earned me several concerned calls from my godparents and a straight-up nagging one from Grandpa Atlas.
One of the reasons I dragged Briseis here is because enough is enough. My brother would lose his shit and come here at some point once they tell him we are here, and his friends will be with him. Since Santiago’s focus fully belongs to his wife whenever she’s around, he won’t be paying much attention to me, and I can finally talk to Florian.
“Do you enjoy it?” Briseis’s question makes me realize I’ve zoned out on her, and she must notice because she sends a warm smile my way. “I asked about your college. Do you enjoy studying psychology?”
