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“And that’s clearly not enough.” He taps on Remi’s nose, and he drops his shovel, pinching Santiago who steps to the side and delivers another tap before running off to the rose bushes. Remi sprints right after him.
My heart pangs, and that familiar jealousy nags at me that I can’t ignore. I’ve noticed Santiago really took it upon himself to make sure Remi stays on our level education-wise so he can have a great future. As a result, he spends all his time with him at his mansion, and sometimes it feels like Remi is slowly replacing me.
“No one can replace you. He still loves you the most.” Octavius’s voice startles me, and I look at him standing next to me, holding our snacks and drinks. “They just live closer, and he has a big heart.”
I stay silent, not really knowing what to say in the uncomfortable silence that falls on us and how to react at his reassurance.
I never knew how to act around him. After the hospital, I became slightly more aloof, but he hasn’t said a word. And then there was this moment a few weeks back…during our picnic, where we discovered Octavius’s stepfather hits him while his mom watches, allowing for it to happen.
Vicious scars and bruises mar his skin, but to protect his little sister, he doesn’t allow us to say anything. I held his hand as he cried and offered my support because I can’t imagine living in this constant state of fear.
And in some way…I related to his pain because having a heartless mother who hates you is more painful and worse than any bruises could ever be.
For whatever reason, our mothers hate us, and that’s the only thing we have in common besides belonging to wealthy families.
“Does it hurt you?” He blinks at my question in surprise, putting his bag on the floor and taking out a juice box. “Her indifference?”
He pauses midway to opening up his juice, and a raspy breath escapes him. “Yes. And I hate it.” He waits a minute before firing his own question, “Does it hurt you that she…hates you?”
I gotta give it to Octavius. He never tries to sugarcoat anything. He calls it like he sees it, which sometimes shocks even Santiago, who’s the most diplomatic of us all.
“Yes. And it makes me hate myself even more.”
It’s something I can never confess to Santiago because he wouldn’t understand. His mom is perfect.
Octavius finds my hand, laces our fingers together, and squeezes it. “I’m sorry, Florian.” He quickly lets me go, though, when Santiago and Remi run back to us as if afraid.
Octavius rarely shows affection, even to us, because his affections are deadly to him. His stepfather always finds a way to make his life hell, and the only reason he’s still allowed to go out with us…is because Uncle Lucian warned he controls his share and whatever the Reeds do.
At least Octavius has some protection from that awful man.
“So what’s the plan?” Remi picks up his shovel again, glancing between us. “Grandpa Atlas said you have all the instructions.”
“Somewhere between the oak trees, he buried a velvet box with a pink diamond.”
“Wow,” they all exclaim, and I grin because, yeah. It’s an expensive diamond, and Grandpa recently designed a new collection dedicated to the color pink. It sold out before he even finished it. “Whoever finds it, gets it.” Grandpa thought turning us into treasure hunters would be fun and show our true character. Since it could be anywhere, we brought snacks and sodas in case it takes longer.
Santiago and Octavius share a long look with me, and we all communicate one thing to each other.
We will do our best to find the diamond, but Remi has to be the one to actually get it. The diamond is worth a lot, and this money can be put in his account in the future. We all have trust funds, but he doesn’t, so he needs the safety net.
Grandpa always keeps his word, and he won’t snub Remi.
I wonder why we have such a bad reputation among women if the men in my family usually always act with honor and never lie to them?
Or being honest about not wanting anything serious is a crime?
“Let’s do it then before your new nanny arrives. She’s very determined compared to the rest.” Admiration coats Santiago’s tone. It figures he’d love stubborn people, and I frown, everything inside me rebelling against the idea.
For almost a whole year, Dad tried to find me a suitable nanny, and I ran off every single one of them to the point that no one wanted to work for our family.
They called me a spoiled brat, a hellion straight from hell (actual words one of them used), and a hater of women (I didn’t understand this one).
I used every trick possible to scare them off, and my personal record is the one who left ten minutes after getting the job.
My best friends helped me, of course.
I insisted on having a butler like Octavius does, but Dad flat-out rejected my proposition because we already have a family butler, and at his age, he won’t be watching my every move.
