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***
“Where have you been, Bianca?”
“Hello to you too, Mom,” I greet my beautifully dressed mother as she rushes to my side the moment I enter the hall with my best friends. “I was with Rosa and Iris upstairs.”
“Namaste, Aunty,” they both say to her, and she genuinely smiles before hugging them both.
“How is Nova? I thought you were going to come with him,” probes my mom curiously while Rosa gives a strained smile. Although my mother remains oblivious.
“He is traveling, so he couldn’t come.”
“Really? His mother forgot to mention that when I ran into her earlier.”
“I’m sure she didn’t know since Nova tends to forget to inform people sometimes. You know how it is, Aunty. Workaholic men,” Rosa smoothly lies, making my mom chuckle.
“Well, you girls enjoy.” Turning to me, she orders, “Don’t wander upstairs again. I’ll come find you later.”
As soon as she’s out of earshot, Iris eyes Rosa suspiciously and arches one eyebrow before demanding, “Is Nova even aware there’s a party?”
“Please tell me you didn’t lock him in a basement or something?” I’m not kidding because it’s a high possibility.
“Jeez. How evil do you guys think I am?” retorts Ro, but the almost serene and saccharine smile on her face gives it away. When she realizes she’s not fooling us, she begrudgingly admits, “Fine. I may have hacked into his calendar and changed the date to tomorrow.”
Iris and I gape at her. “You hacked into his calendar?”
“Fuck no. I just flirted with his assistant until he did it for me. I was almost tempted to ask he fuck up with his meetings, too, but didn’t want the poor guy to lose his job. Obviously, he has nothing going for him if he’s working for that arrogant vulture.”
I’m intently listening to Rosa that I miss the two hulking frames, Nova and Nathan, stalking in our direction, until Iris slaps my arm and flicks her chin behind Ro, who remains clueless to our diverted attention. She goes on with a smug smile while her fiancé, who wasn’t supposed to be here, stops right behind her with a dark glint shadowing his features.
Iris opens her mouth but after a shake of the head from Nathan, she glares at him but listens.
“Umm, Ro,” I whisper.
However, my best friend is unfamiliar with subtle clues and doesn’t notice the shift in the air. She doesn’t even pause as she continues her not-so-victorious speech.
“Besides, he’s more useful to me with his job safe. I mean, the possibilities to fuck with Nova are endless. This ought to teach his sexist ass to not hire a male assistant.”
“I thought you didn’t want to fuck me, Rosalie?” drawls Nova before leaning down and murmuring in her ear, “Have you changed your mind?”
Rosa freezes, mouth parted mid-sentence, and she blinks rapidly. It lasts only for a second before her expression deflates to someone who got told Santa isn’t real. But in true Rosa fashion, she perfects her resting bitch face reserved for her dearest fiancé before turning to him. He towers over her yet she still looks like his equal.
Nathan comes to stand beside Iris and wraps his arm around her waist so she’s tucked into his side. I smile inwardly when she melts in his arms trustingly and he gives her a wink. The three of us watch with amusement as Rosa taunts Nova.
“The only fucking happening between us is in your dreams.”
The vehemence in her tone is met with a sadistic grin and they look like they’re seconds away from turning the ballroom into bloodshed. People openly stare at our little group and Nova seems to sense it, too, because he smoothens his features. As though he’s done it a million times, he tugs a still glaring Rosa into his arms, smiling when she growls under her breath.
“Easy, sweetheart. You don’t want to cause a scene at your best friend’s party, do you?” At his softly spoken warning, the fight leaves Rosa’s body and once she has a smile in place, he delivers a threat. “Besides, you’ll have plenty of chances to fuck with me as you work for me.”
“Work for you?” repeats Rosa sarcastically. “Did you hit your head on the way over here?”
“You’re my new assistant since I had to fire my previous one.” When she opens her mouth to argue, a curse poised on her lips, he hardens his gaze and speaks in a domineering tone, “Behave, Rose.”
Rose. What the fuck?
He says it in the same baritone that I’ve been on the receiving end of for the past two months, courtesy of Dash. The spine-tingling commanding tone that equal parts turns on and infuriates me.
Do all these men learn it at a secret school or something? Or put something in their water? Maybe it’s black magic.
