Page 142 of The Villain We Tempt

Yelena

I’m fine. Really.

Wren

I am not at liberty to share deets. But this is a five-alarm girl squad emergency.

Wren

Galina?? How have you not chimed in yet?

Maybe because she’s got her notifications turned off, and has been spending the last twenty minutes flirting withmevia her DMs?

Lucia

Lena, is everything okay with your family?

Wren

Oh, It’s much worse than that.

Yelena

WREN

Galina’s eyes widen as she looks up at Arianna. “Is she okay?”

Her friend nods. “Yeah, she’s…” She sighs. “It’s complicated, and what makes itmorecomplicated is that I’m not supposed to repeat what I know about it.”

“Ari!”

“I’m sorry!” Arianna makes a face. “I was told something in confidence, and I plan on respecting that.”

Galina sighs. “Fair.”

“Anyway, I think Wren wants us to hang out tonight. And I think Yelena would appreciate it. Anyway, jump on that group text! I’m going to go take a shower."

When she walks back into the bathroom and shuts the door, Galina’s attention jerks back to her phone.

Galina

So sorry, had my notifications off. What’s going on!?

Yelena

It’s nothing. I'm just in a funk. Wren’s overreacting.

My eyebrows drift up as a little lightbulb goes off in my head.

I know that Achilles has been shadowing Yelena over the last few weeks. But I thought it had something to do with the building her father and his business partner recently bought. It sits behind our grandmother’s rooftop property on Central Park South, and they supposedly have plans to add a few more stories to it, which would make it loom over Ya-ya’s house.

But my cousin’s been beyond cagey whenever I’ve brought it up. Also, though Achilles has never beenthat muchof a player, lately he’s been weirdly…disinterested, shall we say, when it comes to girls.

…But what’s really got the lightbulb glowing above my head is that Yelena isn’t the only one in a funk right now. My cousin is currently redefining the word as he stomps around campusall gloomy and emo, and generally sucks at practice because his head is clearly elsewhere.

Like, for instance,with Yelena…

Wren